Central African Republic: Program Manager I – Community Assets Response and Recovery

Sep 13, 2016 | Catholic Relief Services
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CRS is seeking a Community Assets Response and Recovery (CARR) Program Manager to oversee the implementation of a 10-month OFDA-funded project, supporting internally displaced persons through shelter, economic markets, and agriculture and food security interventions. The goal of the CARR project is to support families affected by the recent conflict to safely rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods and regain a sense of community. The project will target the most vulnerable households (HHs), defined as those without access to shelter or livelihoods opportunities. The Program Manager will be based in Bossangoa, Ouham Prefecture.

About CRS:

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.

Background:

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) operates in the Central African Republic in a challenging and complex humanitarian crisis environment, and has been working in the country since 2007, with the main office in the capital Bangui and field offices in Boda, Bossangoa, and Bouar CRS has expanded its programming to respond to the emergency and recovery needs of the people of CAR, who have been, and continue to be, severely impacted by the events in the aftermath of the coup of March 2013. CRS implements food security and nutrition education, livelihoods and market support, and shelter reconstruction as part of its emergency response and recovery programming. In addition, CRS also supports social cohesion work at the community level through inter-faith platforms. CRS supports tens of thousands of internally displaced persons and is beginning to plan for refugee returns.

Under the direction and supervision of the Head of Programs, the Program Manager (PM) will manage the Community Assets Response and Recovery project in Bossangoa. In this role, s/he will be responsible for overseeing project start-up and implementation. S/he will contribute to the identification of gaps within emergency response and recovery and identify solutions to address these gaps. In collaboration with the MEAL PM and MEAL staff, s/he will ensure high quality project MEAL in line with both donor and CRS requirements. All activities and projects will include the mainstreaming of protection and conflict sensitivity/social cohesion, in close collaboration with the Social Cohesion PM to ensure synchronicity between projects. Project management includes both technical and budgetary oversight, working closely with the local partner, Caritas Bossangoa, to develop its capacity in various aspects of program management. The PM will be responsible for preparing high quality and timely donor and other external reports, as well as for maintaining close professional relationships with other nongovernmental actors, UN Agencies and relevant cluster leads.

Job Responsibilities:

Project Start-Up

  • With support from the Head of Programming and the Bossangoa Head of Office, ensure strong project start-up, including recruitment and hiring of project staff, coordination with procurement and logistics for the purchase of project materials, and collaboration with Finance and Operations to ensure strong budget management and grant compliance over the life of the project.
  • With support from the MEAL PM and MEAL Project Officers, oversee a strong baseline survey and MEAL plan for the project, ensuring adherence to donor and the CRS MEAL Policies and Procedures.
  • In collaboration with Finance, ensure a Sub-Recipient Financial Management Plan is in place with the implementing partner.

Identify Funding Opportunities and Prepositioning

  • Identify new funding opportunities in line with CAR priorities for the Bossangoa region.
  • Lead research and identification of potential donors (foundations, embassies, bilateral organizations, INGOs, other non-traditional sources),
  • Coordinate relevant assessments, in collaboration with the HOP, the Bossangoa office and regional technical advisors, and leverage results from these assessments with identified donors to position CRS for future funding.
  • Contribute to the development of appropriate and effective growth and fundraising strategies to respond to on-going needs of communities in the Ouham Prefecture
  • Contribute to CAR donor mapping for priority sectors in Bossangoa.

Proposal and Concept Note Development

  • Coordinate proposal development processes in collaboration with the HOP and regional Business Development specialists while adhering to program quality standards.
  • Assist with development and negotiation of teaming agreements with potential partners.
  • Champion inclusion of innovative programming ideas into the development of concept notes and proposals

Program Quality and Management

  • Lead the planning of project activities and set high quality performance targets ensuring adherence to technical standards, best practices and donor guidelines.
  • Use appropriate project management tools to plan, review and track progress on project implementation as well as on the utilization of project resources.
  • Develop and implement strong MEAL systems using CRS tools and resources to maximize project impact on project participants.
  • Continuously support the professional development of his/her team by providing clear orientation, feedback and learning opportunities.
  • Identify technical assistance needs for CRS and partners, and take the lead in developing SOWs and follow up with potential TA from the region/external, as appropriate.
  • Collaborate with other CRS and Caritas Network Program Managers to ensure effective program coordination/sharing of shared resources.
  • Support efforts for the appropriate integration of ICT into new or ongoing programs, where appropriate.
  • Maintain up to date documentation related to project approval, monitoring and implementation.
  • Promote strong linkages and exchange with other CRS/CAR programming in relevant emergency response/recovery program areas to ensure the sharing of best practices and expertise across the country program. Document lessons learned and past performance in current and past programming relevant to Bossangoa
  • Closely monitor events in CAR (humanitarian situation, politics, and security, etc.) in order to contribute to an accurate analysis of the fluid operating environment and identify other potential program areas and partners for CRS work in the region in order to be appropriately responsive to the evolving context.

Partners’ accompaniment and capacity building

  • Involve partners at all stages of the project cycle for their insights on the appropriateness of program approaches and interventions as well as their perspectives of the operating environment and cultural sensitivity.
  • Use the Holistic Organizational Capacity Assessment Instrument (HOCAI) to assist local partners to identify institutional capacity strengths and challenges for improvement. Engage in capacity-strengthening through learning-by-doing, recognizing the respective strengths and contributions of each partner in successfully implementing programs.

 

Administration/Finance

  • Ensure the financial management of projects, as per the project budget.
  • Review project expenses and cash pipelines, coordinating liquidations with CRS Finance and partners
  • Ensure that program activities comply with CRS financial guidelines, policies, procedures, and regulations.
  • Ensure that all project documentation is well organized and easy to access on Gateway and Sharepoint.
  • Provide timely and appropriate feedback to partners on their adherence to administrative and financial procedures

Reporting and Visibility

  • Prepare and submit required donor project narrative reports, quarterly performance indicator tracking tables, baseline and final evaluation reports, as well as other reports needed/required by the local government, donors, the region or headquarters.
  • Provide regular updates to government and non-government coordination bodies, as requested.
  • Document and share success stories and briefs on innovation/best practices.
  • Support the regular mapping of CRS program activities as well as regular updating as needed.

Budgeting, Financial Planning and Reporting

  • Ensure proper financial management systems are in place and followed in coordination with the Country Program finance team.
  • Ensure grant management compliance with donor regulations with support from the Country Program Compliance team.
  • Work closely with local partners to ensure timely and quality advance tracking and liquidation as per CRS guidelines.
  • With support from the finance and compliance teams, prepare finance reports for projects under his/her supervision.
  • Coordinate with operations staff for purchasing and inventory control as per CRS/donor requirements.
  • In collaboration with the finance/compliance teams, review and analyze budget comparison reports and take necessary steps to ensure proper management and utilization of budgets.
  • Review project expenses and cash pipeline and coordinate liquidations with CRS Finance and partners

Coordination and Communication

  • Represent CRS in coordination cluster meetings.
  • Support the research, documentation and sharing of lessons learned/best practices for CRS emergency interventions.

Security

  • Adhere to CRS security protocols and contribute to updating as requested.

Agency-Wide Competencies (for all CRS staff):

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

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

Program Manager Competencies:

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

  • Sets clear goals and manages toward them.
  • Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders.
  • Manages financial resources with integrity.
  • Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning

Emergency Competencies

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

  • Communicates strategically under pressure.
  • Manages stress and complexity.
  • Actively promotes safety and security.
  • Manages and implements high-quality emergency programs.

 

International Staff: None

National Staff: Shelter Project Officer, Cash for Work Project Officer, Food Security Assistant Project Officer

Key Relationships:

Internal: Country Representative, Head of Programs, Bossangoa Head of Office, other PMs, Project Officers, Food Security Coordinator, Technical Advisors, Business Development Specialists, Grants Compliance Officer, Finance staff.

External: Local Caritas program staff, other local partner staff, UN agency representatives, representatives of other humanitarian agencies.

Qualifications:

  • Master’s Degree in international relations, international development or related field.
  • Minimum 3 years of experience working within international development, including direct experience in fast paced emergency environments.
  • Demonstrated ability with project grants management, including project design, budget preparation, expenditure tracking, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, supervision and performance management, etc.
  • Ability to work independently, but also coordinate effectively as part of a team.
  • Ability to lead a multi-cultural team with a high level of respect for local culture.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and management and leadership skills.
  • Experience with capacity strengthening and partnership building.
  • Capacity to work closely with, understand, and support local Church partners.
  • Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
  • Strong written and spoken communication skills in French.
  • Strong computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point).
  • Experience in vulnerability assessments, beneficiary registration, distributions, monitoring and evaluation in emergency situations preferred.
  • Experience in working with grants funded by USAID and UN Agencies preferred.
  • Knowledge of CRS and Sphere emergency guidelines preferred.
  • Ability and willingness to work and live in diverse, challenging and potentially unstable environments.
  • Strong emotional intelligence required.

Physical Requirements/Environment:

The position is based in Bossangoa (Ouham Prefecture) with occasional travel to Bangui for coordination purposes. Field office locations have basic living and work environments, with shared housing accommodation.

Foreign Language Required:

Excellent English and French language oral and written communication skills required; knowledge of Sango or other local languages desired.

Disclaimer Clause:

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

Due to the environment of the job location, this position is a non-accompanied post

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