Deputy Head of Programming

Job Description

Job Title: Deputy Head of Programming

Department: Programs

Reports To: Head of Programs

Country/Location: Juba, South Sudan

Background:

As the newest country in the world, South Sudan continues to struggle amidst the challenges that accompany the complex process of nation-building. While the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (2005) and subsequent Referendum for Self Determination in 2011 helped establish South Sudan as a sovereign state, they only established a framework for dealing with one of South Sudan’s numerous conflicts and development issues. CRS has a critical role to help the country move forward given its history in the country since 1983 and amidst an environment where the Church enjoys high regard among its citizens and Government. The Country Program currently manages a total programming budget of $50 million, the largest program being a Title II food security program in Jonglei State. Other donors include WFP, USAID, OFDA, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and emergency funding from CRS and other Caritas private donors. Key programing sectors include Food Security, Livelihoods, Nutrition, WASH, Emergency Response, Education, Health, Peacebuilding and Microfinance.

Job Summary:

You will contribute to providing strategic direction and management of the South Sudan’s programming complementing the Head of Programming (HOP) efforts at ensuring the establishment and successful implementation of high-quality programs serving the poor and vulnerable. Your management and programming skills will ensure that the CP delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of its programming.

Job Responsibilities:

• Complement the HOP in providing strategic direction for the design of CP strategic frameworks and plans, including resource mobilization strategies to optimize the impact of programming interventions in line with regional and agency strategic priorities.
• Lead where appropriate and contribute to high-quality project design incorporating project management standards and MEAL methods, appropriate to scope, context and technical requirements of projects. Coordinate planning of activities for particular projects to ensure integration of program interventions and efficiency in implementation.
• Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, and complete performance assessment for direct reports.
• Contribute to creating and maintaining the proper conditions for learning. Help establish a safe environment for the sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to small deficiencies. Promote accountability, learning and knowledge management as part of the implementation of the MEAL policy.
• Coordinate with CP operations staff to ensure appropriate project budgeting and efficient use and stewardship of project material sources.
• Coordinate the identification, assessment and strengthening of appropriate partnerships and the appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
• Contribute where needed in the business development cycle to ensure quality proposals per agency and donor standards.
• Support the development of high quality donor reports that are in line with donor requirements.
• Regularly travel to the field project sites to visit projects and support programming staff to implement, monitor and evaluate projects according CRS and donor standards.
• In coordination with HoP and DRD PQ, identify Technical Assistance (TA) needs and support the quality development of scopes of work for technical assistance, collaborate with relevant sectoral Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs) to share program updates and identify areas for program quality improvement, and participate in RTAs visits.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree in International Development, International Relations or relevant field.
• Minimum of 5 years work experience in a program management position with progressive responsibilities for an international NGO.
• Good experience in project grants management, including project design, budget preparation, expenditure tracking, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, etc., preferably for projects funded by multiple public donors, including USAID and WFP.
• Experience with successful business development activities capturing public and/or private donor funding.
• Excellent English writing skills.
• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Experience working with Church partners a plus.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
• Some experience and abilities in capacity strengthening - developing curricula and facilitating trainings.
• Experience using MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge sharing networks.

Personal Skills

• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Team leadership abilities
• Presentation and facilitation skills
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented and results-oriented

Required/Desired Foreign Language: N/A

Travel Required: Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% of the time to project sites.

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: (6) Program Managers

Internal: Head of Programming, Country Representative, Head of Operations, Business Development Specialist, CP programs and operations staff, EARO Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs), and HQ staff.

External: Donors, UN Agencies

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

Head of Programs Competencies

• Builds and leads effective teams
• Supervises and develops staff
• Focuses on quality
• Leads growth in programs

Emergency Competencies

• Communicates strategically under pressure
• Manages stress and complexity
• Actively promotes safety and security

MEAL Competencies

• Learning: Promotes the application of learning to improve program quality and to strengthen agency influence among external stakeholders.
• Learning: Facilitates connections between colleagues and peers to generate and share evidence based learning
• Learning: Supports efforts to monitor, evaluate and report on the effectiveness and impact of learning activities
• ICT4MEAL: Supports agency priorities in the use of ICT solutions to collect, manage, and analyse data based on feasibility in specific project contexts and a cost-benefit analysis.
• MEAL Management: Secures and supports the development of human resources to implement quality MEAL processes.

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

NOTE: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

About the Organization

Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Our mission is to assist the poor and disadvantaged, leveraging the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to alleviate human suffering, promote development of all people, and to foster charity and justice throughout the world. Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS operates on five continents and in 98 countries. We aid the poor by first providing direct assistance where needed, then encouraging people to help with their own development. Together, these approaches foster secure, productive, just communities that enable people to realize their potential. As the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community, CRS is also committed to educating the people of the United States to fulfill their moral responsibilities toward our global brothers and sisters by helping the poor, working to remove the causes of poverty, and promoting social justice.