Job Description
Job Title: Head of Programming I- Senegal, The Gambia & Guinea Bissau
Job Location: Dakar, Senegal
Job Type: Regular, Full Time
Reports to: Country Representative
Salary Grade: 11
About CRS
Catholic Relief Services 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, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.
CRS has been supporting activities in Senegal continuously since 1960, and has long-standing relationships with partners, local and regional Government of Senegal structures and communities. CRS Senegal is also responsible for CRS programs in Guinea Bissau and The Gambia, where country agreements and offices are also present, and Cape Verde through national Caritas partners. The country program has been able to diversify its funding base with several new projects in health, food security, peace and justice, youth programs and micro-finance. CRS Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea Bissau is in the process of finalizing an innovative and ambitious strategy to address the changing roles of INGOs from implementers to capacity-building and technical assistance providers, and ways to diversify resources by engaging private, public, and impact investment sectors efficiently.
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.
Roles and Key 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 the Business Development Specialist oversee the business development cycle to ensure quality proposals per agency and donor standards.
- In coordination with Finance Manager, create a highly collaborative environment that promotes mutual capacity strengthening of finance staff in programs and program staff in finance, and fosters continuous and proactive budget monitoring and adequate forecasting through the fiscal year.
- 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.
Basic Qualifications
- 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.
- Strong knowledge of public donor regulations and policies, specifically USAID, DFID, EU, World Bank and /or AfDB.
- Experience working in multicultural teams, demonstrated cultural sensitivity, humility, and an inclusive and equitable leadership approach.
- High level of emotional maturity and ability to lead a diverse staff with different needs in a way that is efficient, productive and just.
Required Languages – Excellent spoken and written English, highly proficient in French. Portuguese not required but a plus.
Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 30 %.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- 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 and strategic relationship management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally.
- Team leadership abilities
- Presentation and facilitation skills
- Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented and results-oriented
- Equitable, transparent and inclusive leader
Preferred Qualifications
- Excellent English writing skills. Very good spoken and written French.
- Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
- 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.
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
- Continuous Improvement & Innovation
- Builds Relationships
- Develops Talent
- Strategic Mindset
- Accountability & Stewardship
Supervisory Responsibilities: Chief of Party McGovern Dole Food for Education Program (Guinea Bissau), Head of sub-office (Ziguinchor), Program Manager (Health), Deputy Head of Programs (also responsible for Partnerships), WASH Technical Advisor, and 1 Fellow.
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: CRS Country Representative, Head of Operations, FFE CoP, Business Development Specialist, Fellow, and other Project staff and Team Leaders in the programming department, Finance Managers, Human Resources Manager; Administration Manager, DRD Program Quality, WARO and PIQA technical staff.
External: Local government and line ministries, local and international NGOs, partners; donors; stakeholders in communities
NOTE: Applications will be accepted until this position is filled
