Mali: Program Manager Agriculture & Livelihoods

Jan 2, 2019 | Catholic Relief Services
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Catholic Relief Services (CRS) carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. CRS began working in Mali in 1999, as an outreach program from Burkina Faso. Since then, CRS Mali has expanded its work and portfolio to reach more than 2 million Malians directly in 2018 with programs in Health, Agriculture, Resiliency, Education, and Humanitarian Response. CRS Mali implements programs funded by the Global Fund, USAID, USDA, CDC, the European Union, and DFID, among others. With offices in Bamako, Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao, the Mali team employs more than 200 staff and works with an expansive network of national, international, and Malian government partnJob Summary:

Under the supervision of the Head of Agricultural Livelihoods, the Program Manager I (PM I) will manage and provide support to Agriculture Livelihoods programming in the Mali Country Program (CP), including grants management and reporting, program quality, and business development. The PM I's management skills and knowledge will ensure that the CP delivers high-quality Ag livelihoods programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of its programming. Where possible, the PM I will explore the nexus between Ag Livelihoods and Emergencies, and Ag Livelihoods and Resilience and education programming, promoting cross learning and integration.

 Requirements:

Job Responsibilities:

  • Manage and implement all activities throughout relevant project cycles - project design, start-up, implementation, MEAL and close-out - to ensure efficient and effective implementation in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices. Ensure project team and partner staff use the appropriate systems and tools.
  • Ensure timely, quality and attractive donor reporting, including financial reporting in collaboration with the project PM and the finance department.
  • Support the Head of Agriculture Livelihoods department in the tracking of donor strategies and funding opportunities.
  • Ensure capitalization on learning of donor and privately funded projects.
  • Act as a key resource person in project design and business development in the Ag Livelihoods and Resilience programming area, gap-filling and taking on growth responsibilities, as needed.
  • Coordinate the identification of staff capacity and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and capacity strengthening and required interventions to support program quality.
  • Champion learning with project staff and partner teams. Support MEAL staff to analyze and evaluate project performance data following MEAL policy. Proactively identify issues and concerns and use participatory processes to overcome implementation obstacles.
  • Help identify, assess and strengthen Agriculture Livelihoods partnerships, applying appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
  • Coordinate and monitor financial and material resources relevant to project needs. Through planning and oversight ensure efficient use of project resources.
  • Lead the creation of marketing and learning documents.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

  • Master's Degree in Agriculture, International Development, or related field required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
  • Minimum of 2 years of relevant field-based experience in coordinating or managing light to moderately complex projects required, preferably with an international NGO.
  • Project management experience in Agriculture is highly desirable.
  • Experience engaging with partner organizations.
  • Experience contributing to the development of technical proposals.
  • MEAL skills and experience preferred.
  • Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.

Personal Skills

  • Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment
  • Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse groups
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to write reports
  • Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented