Job Summary
The Technical Advisor Sr, Shelter and Settlement (S&S) Team Lead provides strategic leadership and technical guidance for CRS’ Global Shelter & Settlements portfolio. This role ensures high-quality, scalable programming that advances CRS’ humanitarian and development objectives, strengthens local systems, and positions CRS as a sector leader while ensuring alignment with organization’s quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best-practices. The S&S Team Lead works closely with other CRS technical teams and external partners, including governments, local organizations, and global networks, to deliver holistic, people-centered solutions across the S&S Program.
Roles and Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
Lead design and implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in S&S Programming that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments. This includes emergency shelter, transitional housing, and pathways to adequate housing, linking interventions to durable solutions for displaced populations and resilience to climate change. Lead development and advancement of agency-wide standards, policies, innovative approaches, tools, measurement and evaluation as well as the application of partnership principles. Ensure a cross-sectoral approach that integrates gender, protection of mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction. Lead the Homes and Communities (H&C) initiative to integrate high standards of quality, innovation, and strategic scaling into S&S Program, driving systems-level change and influencing global housing agendas. Lead and develop strategic approach for the S&S Program including infrastructure design, construction, and implementation. Ensure turned-over shelter, settlements, and infrastructure are delivered rapidly with contextually appropriate shelter solutions, adequate housing with integrated essential services, and climate resilient to withstand extreme unique conditions.Business Development
Contribute to global, regional, and country program staff efforts in pre-positioning and capture planning for CRS’ strategic growth opportunities in S&S. Lead the design of large-scale proposals and project design with focus on complex projects to ensure innovative programming solutions and technical excellence, rigor and donor compliance. Support CPs to appropriately staff project teams.Technical Excellence
Guide the team through technical oversight for emergency shelter, settlement planning, and housing programs, integrating DRR and climate resilience. Promote innovative approaches, including cash-based modalities, market systems, and area-based programming and ensure proper implementation of identified actions.Representation & Influence
Represent CRS in global forums (e.g., Global Shelter Cluster SAG, technical working groups) to shape policy and practice and influence technical partner approaches, future funding opportunities, and policies. Build strategic partnerships with donors, peer agencies, and research institutions influencing technical partner approaches, future funding opportunities, and policies. Network with relevant organizations to increase CRS’ profile and influence in the global S&S community, and donor diversification.Capacity Strengthening
Lead the agency knowledge management and learning agenda in S&S through setting conditions for collective learning that ensure the capturing, documenting, and sharing of key successes, promising practices, lessons learned, and evidence-based implementation research, internally and externally, including publications in peer reviewed journals. Support surge deployments and TDYs for emergency response and recovery. Lead capacity strengthening initiatives in S&S programming for staff and partners through ensuring development of learning agendas/curriculums, organizing and/or facilitating trainings, workshops and conferences,Team Coordination and Supervision
Effectively manage team members, including team dynamics and team member well-being. Provide performance coaching and assessment, strategically tailored to individual development plans. Provide mentoring and coaching to Technical Advisors (TAs), as well as coaching CP and regional staff in innovative CRS approaches and tools.Required Languages: English; Any language from regional areas of focus (French, Spanish) is desired.
Travel: Position is remote telecommute with expected 50% field travel.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes
Basic Qualifications
Master’s degree in architecture, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, or related field. Minimum of ten years relevant international working experience in an advisory or management role with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, with minimum of five years working for shelter and settlement interventions in emergency preparedness, response and recovery programming. Experience in the development and production of curriculum, tools, and other products to support humanitarian shelter and settlement programming interventions and programming. Demonstrated experience to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and informal methods. Experience with program monitoring and evaluation including development of indicators, data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation. Demonstrated experience and skills to represent the organization at the highest levels at meetings with donors, government, international NGOs, local partners – faith-based and civil society. Understanding of partnership principles.Preferred Qualifications
PhD or equivalent degree (e.g., MD, DrPH, EdD) is strongly preferred. Technical and/or academic publications are highly desirable.Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Strong understanding and application of technical principles and concepts in humanitarian programming. Good knowledge of related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach. Track record of contributing to successful business development activities capturing public and/or private donor funding in humanitarian shelter and settlement programming. Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings. Personal initiative, flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances that may affect the nature or duration of assignments Management capabilities include expert level management of risk and complexity, expert level management of people, and expert level management of resources. Expert with business development, institutional strengthening and partnership building required. Strong interpersonal, communication and organization skills; Demonstrated effectiveness with short- and long-term planning, as well as financial, human resource, and program management Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles. Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge-sharing networks.Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions. Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest. Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions. Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams. Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.Agency Leadership Competencies:
Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation. Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance. Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.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. 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. CRS´ 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. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. 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. CRS’ 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. The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ 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: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
General Requirements
CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements. 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.