Head of Programming

Job Description

Job Title: Head of Programming

Department: South Sudan

Reports To: Country Representative

Country/Location: South Sudan/Juba

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 (2011) helped to establish South Sudan as a sovereign state, they only created a framework for dealing with one of South Sudan’s numerous conflicts and development issues. Given our presence in the country since 1983 and amidst an environment where the Church enjoys high regard among its citizens and Government, CRS has a critical role to play in assisting the country to move forward. The Country Program currently manages a budget of more than 50 million USD annually, with the largest program being a Food for Peace resilience and food security program in Jonglei State. Other donors include WFP, USAID, OFDA, the UK Foreign Commonwealth Office, Caritas donors and CRS private funds. Key programs include Food Security, Livelihoods, Nutrition, WASH, Emergency Response, Health, Peacebuilding and Microfinance. CRS has over 600 staff across Juba and 10 sub-offices located in Lakes, Jonglei, Western, Central and Eastern Equatoria states.

Job Summary:

As a member of the Country Program (CP) Senior Management Team, you will provide strategic direction, leadership, and management of the CP’s programming to ensure the establishment and successful implementation of high-quality programs serving the poor and vulnerable. Your leadership, management and knowledge will ensure that the CP delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of its programming. As part of the Senior Management Team you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

Job Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the Country Representative (CR) provide strategic direction for the design of the CP strategic frameworks and plans, including the development of resource mobilization strategies to optimize the impact of programming interventions in line with regional and agency strategic priorities.
• Lead high-quality project design incorporating project management standards and MEAL methods, appropriate to scope, context and technical requirements of projects. Coordinate planning of activities across various projects from different sectors 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 developing staffing plans for projects and to the recruitment process of senior project staff.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Promote accountability, learning and knowledge management overseeing implementation of the MEAL policy, as well as cross-sectoral and cross-department learning.
• Coordinate with CP operations leads to ensure appropriate project budgeting and efficient use and stewardship of project material sources.
• In coordination with resource mobilization staff oversee the business development cycle to ensure quality proposals per agency and donor standards.
• Oversee the identification, assessment and strengthening of appropriate partnerships and the appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
• Ensure technical assistance and capacity strengthening for project teams and partners in project management standards and related MEAL, business development and operational activities. Identify training opportunities, develop training curriculums and deliver trainings.
• Advance the CP commitment to gender and protection, including policy and practice in support of gender transformative programming, protection integration and safeguarding.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree in International Development, International Relations or relevant field.
• Minimum of five years of relevant field-based program management, at least three years of middle/senior management experience.
• Experience in the development of successful proposals, reports, strategic alliances, project design, project management, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience in partner capacity strengthening, staff development, training, and mentoring, as well as in team building and strategic planning initiatives. Experience working with Church partners a plus.
• Experience in community development, community mobilization, or similar grassroots, self-help initiatives.
• 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.
• Experience with successful business development activities capturing public and/or private donor funding.
• Excellent English writing skills.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment and staff care.
• 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

• Excellent 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.
• Ability to work under pressure in a complex and resource poor environment

Required/Desired Foreign Language: None

Travel Required (include percentage of required travel, if applicable): 20% in remote field locations

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: Deputy Head of Programs, Business Development Specialist, MEAL Manager and Gender and Protection Advisor

Internal: Country Representative, Head of Operations, Chief of Party, Safety and Security Manager, Operational Advisor, Finance Manager, Supply Chain Management Manager, Human Resources Manager, Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director – Operations and Deputy Regional Director – Programs, relevant Regional and HQ teams.

External: Government of South Sudan and local authorities, local and US Catholic agencies and Caritas Internationalis member organizations, USAID and other donors (including UN agencies), local/international NGO offices and 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.

• Integrity
• Accountability and Stewardship
• Build Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Continuous Improvement and Innovation
• Strategic Mindset

MEAL Competencies

• Accountability - Develops and implements MEAL systems that meet donor requirements and adhere to the agency’s MEAL policies and procedures.
• Learning - Promotes the application of learning to improve program quality and to strengthen agency influence among external stakeholders.
• Learning - Supports efforts to monitor, evaluate and report on the effectiveness and impact of learning activities
• Analysis and Critical Thinking - Makes informed decisions based on: key findings, trends, comparisons between sub-groups, and by making explicit important assumptions.
• ICT for MEAL - Supports agency priorities in the use of ICT solutions to collect, manage, and analyze 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.

NOTE: Applications will be accepted until this 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.