Job Summary:
As a lead for the Social Cohesion and Governance Capacity Strengthening for Advancing Cross-border Resilience and Opportunities for Safety and Stability (ACROSS) Project, you will facilitate the achievement of project objectives through coordinating and reporting on all social cohesion and local governance capacity strengthening project activities and providing technical guidance and advice to staff and implementing partner(s) advancing Catholic Relief Servicesโ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the project for which you are responsible applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.ย
Roles and Key Responsibilities:
Organize and lead the implementation of all social cohesion and local governance capacity strengthening assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices. Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.ย Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.ย Coordinate and oversee working relationships with all local project stakeholders and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact, Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely local governance capacity strengthening project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with, and assistance to the implementing partner. Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support to Local government structures and LGA leaders to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards. This will include developing program/project documents and tools, as well as technical manuals or guidance, training materials, and quality improvement and assessment guidelines for all local governance capacity building activities. Coordinate stakeholder engagement in violence prevention, manage training programs for peace clubs, facilitate collaborative solution implementation, and support community-led conflict resolution mechanism development, includingย logistical and administrative support. Ensure project documentation for social cohesion and local governance assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed according to agency and donor requirements.Assist with the preparation of trends analysis reports andย documentation ofย case studies and promising practices โ includingย gender equity and social inclusion, and protection success stories and lessons learned.Required Languages -English is required. Knowledge of Hausa as a second language is appreciated.
Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 60%.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Analysis and problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound judgment Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented Attention to detail, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilitiesย
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working with partners, participatory action planning, and community engagement. Experience in monitoring projects and collecting relevant data. Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Knowledge of the latest technological tools that have the potential to be applied inย gender and protection. Experience in Nigeria and particularly the Northwest will be a bonus. Staff supervision experience is a plus.ย
Supervisory Responsibilities: none
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Key Working Relationships:
Internal:ย MEAL Officer and SILC Officer, Infrastructure SPO, and PM II
External:ย Government officials (MDAs), desk offices, local and international NGOs, coordination platforms and working groups, community leaders
Basic Qualifications
A bachelorโs degree in international relations, political science, public administration, or a relevant field would be a plus. Minimum of four years of work experience inย project support,ย ideally in the field of local governance capacity strengthening and for an NGO.Safeguarding
CRS is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all people who interact with our work. We uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and expect all staff and partners to respect and protect the dignity and rights of everyone from any form of harm, abuse, harassment, or exploitation. All staff are required to follow CRSโs safeguarding policies and procedures and to complete mandatory safeguarding e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
ย Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
Personal Accountability โ Consistently takes responsibility for oneโs own actions.ย Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.ย Is considered honest. Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions. Collaborates with Others โ Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams. Open to Learn โ Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.Agency Leadership Competencies:
Lead Change โ Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation. Develops and Recognizes Others โ Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance. Strategic Mindset โ Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.Safeguarding
CRS is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all people who interact with our work. We uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and expect all staff and partners to respect and protect the dignity and rights of everyone from any form of harm, abuse, harassment, or exploitation. All staff are required to follow CRSโs safeguarding policies and procedures and to complete mandatory safeguarding e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.ย
What we offer
CRS offers U.S. based staff a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan.ย Benefits packages for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. are based on the country of employment/in-country office where the candidate will perform the role.ย CRSยด work culture is a collaborative, mission-driven culture committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.
Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States.ย Catholic Relief Servicesย works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. ย Catholic Relief Servicesโย relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.ย We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRSโ processes and policies reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.
CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.ย The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRSยด Code of Conduct.
CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.
Disclaimer:ย This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.ย
CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
General Requirements
CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidateโs ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.ย ย All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.
CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.