Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

​POSITION :  Project Director, Lake Chad Sub-Regional Resilience Project

Organization/Country: CRS/CARO

Department/Unit: Programming

Work station: Location to be determined (in Chad, Nigeria, Niger, or

Cameroon) with frequent regional travel (35%)

Reports To: TBD

Note: The position is contingent on the awarding of funding by the donor.

Introduction

CRS seeks a qualified candidate for Project Director to provide overall direction and leadership to an upcoming AFD-funded, multi-year resilience and food security/agricultural development project in Lake Chad region, covering Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad. The Project Director will be responsible for the achievement of strategic objectives, intermediate results, and performance expectations through adherence to high standards of programmatic and management quality. CRS is a leader in agriculture livelihoods activities worldwide, with a significant portfolio of food security, resilience, and livelihoods activities in the Central Africa Region.

The proposed program, with an expected value of 35 million euro, will enhance livelihoods opportunities for communities in the Lake Chad Basin, with focus on IDPs/refugees, host communities, and particularly women and youth. In particular, this project will seek to prevent tensions between communities by supporting the empowerment of displaced and refugees populations, taking into account needs of host communities. The main focus is income-generating activities, particularly in agriculture livelihoods and small economic activities, with cross-cutting issues of local capacity building, psychosocial support, social cohesion, women and youth empowerment, and adaptation to climate change and environmental sustainability.

Major Responsibilities

Technical leadership, quality assurance, supervision, mentoring, administration, finance, monitoring and evaluation, report writing.

Specific Job Responsibilities

I. Program Quality:

1. With key CRS and consortium member program staff and other stakeholders, ensure program's strategic objectives and results are fully accomplished and meet expected technical quality standards.
2. Ensure that vision and plans for the program are innovative and are in line with CRS agency and regional program strategies.
3. Oversee periodic technical reviews, ensuring best practices are followed and manage changes in program direction and focus.
4. In collaboration with program staff, provide guidance and technical oversight to consortium members to ensure that lessons of sound practice are documented and disseminated.
5. Oversee program's monitoring and evaluation system, using data analysis as the basis for measuring performance. Ensure that M&E learning is incorporated into evolving program plans.
6. Ensure integration of program interventions with other CRS programs or through linkages with other stakeholders.
7. With program staff, ensure the delivery of quality training, technical assistance and administrative and financial support to all partner agencies and government, including the selection and coordination of sub-grantees and consultants.

8. Coordinate with other ongoing projects to ensure consistency and avoid duplication.II. Management and Administration

9. Manage program budgets, including tracking of financial and material resources.

10. Ensure accurate and timely reporting of program finances and progress status, review actual financial performance against the budget, and explain variances on a regular basis.

11. Ensure staff compliance with all CRS administrative and operational procedures and policies, as well as applicable donor regulations.

12. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.

III. Representation and Advocacy:

1. Provide overall leadership and oversight to the consortium across four countries, ensuring that sub-grantees adhere to their assigned scopes of work and sub-award terms, and ensuring all members of the consortium work cooperatively and productively to achieve project objectives.
2. Act as primary program contact to donor, taking responsibility for addressing all program matters, collaborating with the CRS Country Representatives on overall donor relationships.
3. Strengthen linkages with existing and potential partner agencies, in collaboration with CRS Country Representatives and Heads of Programming.
4. In collaboration with CRS Country Representatives and Heads of Programming, manage relationships with the host governments in the Lake Chad region.
5. Oversee program communication strategies, in collaboration with CRS Country Representatives and Heads of Programming, including compliance with donor's branding and marketing requirements as well as CRS marketing and communication procedures.

IV. Human Resource Management:

1. Lead, manage and supervise a team of CRS and consortium staff to meet program objectives.
2. Conduct periodic reviews of staff performance in keeping with CRS' performance management system and mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork.
3. Manage recruitment portfolio for the program, in collaboration with CRS country program management, to ensure optimum service delivery through recruitment of competent and qualified staff.

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.

• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning

Supervisory Responsibility:

• TBD

Key Working Relationships

Internal: Country Representatives, Heads of Programming, Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality (DRD/PQ), Deputy Regional Director for Management Quality (DRD/MQ), and Finance Managers.

External: Consortium agencies, donor representatives, government representatives (national, provincial and district levels); other stakeholders.

Qualifications and Skills

• Minimum MS with a focus on Agriculture, Agroenterprise, Food Security, Business Administration or other related field required.
• Minimum 8 years of progressively increasing management responsibility in developing countries, including experience in Agriculture or similar programming.
• Prior management of significant donor funding required, ideally in director-level or chief of party positions.
• Familiarity with and commitment to addressing gender equality in agricultural programming.
• Experience working in Africa required. Experience working in Lake Chad basin region or regions with similar context preferred.
• Proven leadership and inter-personal skills and ability to build and motivate diverse and talented teams.
• Proven experience in managing complex consortium or partnership relationships in a participatory way required.
• Proven track record in building relationships with governmental organizations and community organizations required.
• Strategic vision and capacity to oversee a complex program required.
• Public relations skills required.
• Ability to work both in a team and independently.
• Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility.
• Demonstrated personal accountability and drive to serve others.
• Understanding of and experience with faith-based organizations, local church structures, and accompaniment and capacity-building principles in local partnerships desired.
• Ability to travel regionally as required. Travel approximately 35%.
• Excellent English and French oral and written communication skills required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook required.

Note: The position is contingent on the awarding of funding by the donor.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Equal Opportunity Employer