About CRS: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For nearly 60 years, CRS has taken the lead in responding to natural and man-made disasters affecting Ethiopia's most vulnerable communities. Moving beyond emergency response, CRS' disaster mitigation and recovery projects in drought and flood-prone areas have rebuilt individual and community assets through non-food aid in the form of agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation assistance. CRS's humanitarian work in Ethiopia also provides livelihoods support to farmers and entrepreneurs, promotes equality and inclusion, and mitigates the impact of COVID-19.

 Background: The Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP) is an emergency food assistance program targeting transitory food insecure households through a project participant targeting process led by the Government of Ethiopia’s (GoE) Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC). JEOP provides emergency assistance to protect their lives and livelihood where recurrent drought resulted in significant harvest loss, livestock death and price increase of essentials. The consortium is led by CRS and includes consortium partners, CARE, Food for the Hungry, Relief Society of Tigray (REST), World Vision and Organization for Relief and Development in Amhara (ORDA). CRS also works through local implementing partners Hararghe and Meki Catholic Secretariat (HCS and MCS).

Job Title:                       Program Manager I – Vulnerability Based Targeting

Band:                              9

Required number:        One

Department:                JEOP

Employment Term:      Definite term (i.e. up to August 31, 2027)

Reports To:                 JEOP Program Manager II - Early Warning Systems, Market and VBT 

Country/Location:       CRS Ethiopia/Addis Ababa

Job Summary:

As a Program Manager on JEOP, you will provide technical advice and support to a range of program design and implementation issues in VBT in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to Country Program (CP) teams to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. As a program manager for VBT, you will support the partners to implement VBT using the guideline and tools, represent CRS in targeting meetings, document and share the lessons from the VBT process. You will also support the partners to generate and estimate needs from the VBT exercise and guide the partners to conduct VBT whenever necessary. You will also ensure that VBT is linked with the beneficiary registration and payroll and ensure that the registration process is digitized.  Your advice, knowledge, and support will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive and innovative CRS’ JEOP programming is across the globe.

 Job Responsibilities:

• Act as the technical lead for JEOP’s vulnerability-based targeting and its intersections with other sectors including but not restricted to food commodities and cash, early warning, monitoring evaluation accountability and learning (MEAL), gender, safeguarding, disability inclusion and protection mainstreaming.

• Linking with country program, consortium partner and CRS regional colleagues, provide leadership on JEOPs engagement in development and roll out of a VBT strategies for multi-sectoral programming. Prepare JEOP VBT action plan and make recommendations to Senior Management on VBT issues concerning JEOP.

• Support partners to implement VBT in a timely, effective, and participatory manner, using the VBT guideline and tools, and provide training, coaching, and feedback as needed.

• Represent CRS in regional and national level geographic and household targeting meetings, and advocate for the needs and interests of the food insecure and vulnerable populations.

• Capture and document lessons learned, best practices, challenges, and recommendations from the VBT process, and disseminate them to relevant stakeholders and audiences.

• Support partners to generate and estimate needs from the VBT exercise, and to prepare and submit accurate and comprehensive reports and proposals to CRS and donors.

• Support and guide partners to conduct VBT whenever it is deemed necessary, such as when a disaster occurs or when new geographic locations are added to the project.

• Support partners to link VBT with the master beneficiary list registration and payroll, and ensure that the beneficiary data is updated, verified, and validated regularly.

• Ensure that the JEOP registration process is digitized, using appropriate technologies and platforms, and that the data quality and security are maintained.

• Contribute to the national targeting harmonization processes, by sharing CRS’s experience and expertise on VBT, and by collaborating with other actors to develop common standards and guidelines.

• Work closely with JEOP’s regional level staff, such as MEAL officers, program managers, field coordinators, and technical specialists, to coordinate and monitor the VBT activities and outcomes.

• Revise and update the VBT guideline whenever there is a need or a change in the context or the project design, and ensure that the guideline is aligned with CRS’s policies and principles.

• Ensure that VBT contributes to the geographic prioritization and determination of needy people, by using relevant data sources and indicators, applying transparent and inclusive criteria, and involving the communities in the decision-making process.

• Ensure VBT documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices.

• Facilitate the formulation of relevant strategies and interventions, promote initiatives, and support the adaptation, and implementation for improving the targeting system.

• Champion learning - analyze and evaluate activity performance data, proactively identify issues and concerns, using participatory processes which value diverse ideas to overcome implementation obstacles. Collaborate with JEOP university partners.

• Work with CRS Communications Manager on social behavior change material development related to vulnerability-based targeting.

• Ensure that any new and existing programming approaches consider protection mainstreaming, gender and safeguarding assessments and principles, and that women, men, boys, and girls are consulted in design.

• Ensure practical application of a Do No Harm lens, incorporating adaptive accountability to affected populations.

Job Requirements

Required Education and Experience

• MA/BA Degree in rural development, development studies, social sciences or other related field with 5 years' relevant experience for MA degree or 7 years' relevant experience for BA degree in an international NGO. Additional experience may substitute for some education.

• Previous experience providing technical assistance

• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts in targeting project participants in both humanitarian and development program contexts and including in food/cash assistance projects.

• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and training applying adult learning principles and practices.

• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations and civil society partners.

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

 Desired Education and Experience

• General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure solid cross-sectoral approach.

• Experience in business development, project design and proposal development in humanitarian emergency projects, including technical writing.

• Understanding of partnership principles and experience working with faith-based partners.

• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation, including applying data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, data presentation and data use for decision making.

 Personal Skills

• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.

• Inclusive approach, able to elevate the voices of underrepresented groups.

• Flexibility, persistence, and ability to work well with people and cross-cultural skills.

• Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment

• Strong written and oral communication skills

• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills

• Proactive, resourceful, and results-oriented

 Required/Desired Foreign Language: English and Amharic, speaking other Ethiopian national languages is advantageous.

Travel Required: 15-30% by road and air across Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR, Sidama, Dire Dawa City Administration and Tigray (subject to need and flexible to family commitments)

 Key Working Relationships:

• Supervisory: none

• Internal: JEOP program quality unit, CRS Ethiopia technical units, CRS regional counterparts.

• External:  JEOP implementing partners, food cluster, line ministries

 Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Trusting Relationships 

• Professional Growth 

• Partnership 

• Accountability 

 Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

 By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.

How to Apply

You should fill the application form through this link: CLICK HERE and attach your up-to-date CV on / before the application deadline November 13, 2023. You will be contacted only if selected for written exam/interview. Phone solicitations will not be accepted. These job opportunities are open to Ethiopian nationals only.

CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. 

** Qualified women & persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply**

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer