Chief of Party - Agriculture at Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official agency of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops for relief and development assistance overseas; an International non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to Implement its programs. Therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to our approach in every country in which CRS operates.

CRS reestablished its presence in Nigeria in 2000 and currently focuses on agriculture, governance, peace building and Health/HIV programming.

We are currently recruiting for the position of:

Job Title: Chief of Party (I) -Agriculture

Region: Coastal West Africa
Reports to: Head of Programs
FLSA: Exempt
Based in: Abuja, Nigeria

Job Summary
CRS/Nigeria is seeking a Chief of Party I (CoP) in anticipation of a multi- year $30 million pro-poor agriculture and livelihoods program funded by USAID, The COP will be responsible for overall management of the program; will provide strategic, technical and operational leadership to develop and Implement a successful program; and will represent the program to USAID and the Government of Nigeria on behalf of CRS/Nigeria. The COP will report to the Head of Programs and will maintain close liaison with relevant Regional Technical Advisors and the CRS All Africa Agriculture Team. The CoP will ensure adherence to CRS technical and program quality standards in implementation and the timely submission of all required deliverables to USAID.

This position is contingent upon approval of donor funding.

Specific Responsibilities:
A. Program Quality
B. Management and Administration
C. Representation and Advocacy
D. Human Resource Management

Qualifications/Experiences

1. Advance degree in agriculture, agricultural economics, economics, business, or a related field. PhD highly preferred.
2. Minimum 16 years of international development experience managing and implementing multi-faceted agricultural development programs in developing countries.
3. Previous COP experience highly preferred.
4. Minimum 10 years managing large and complex USG-funded programs required. USAID experience preferred; at least 4 years in a field based position.
5. An in depth understanding of the pro-poor value chains in Nigerian context, and experience managing value chain projects addressing the vulnerable households.
6. Demonstrated success in designing and introducing activities that transfer appropriate technologies.
7. Experience with participatory methods and partnerships required. Demonstrated capacity and experience with institutional strengthening of local civil society and government agencies.
8. knowledge of key USG regulations Including, but not limited to USAID 22 CF Part 225 Administration of Assistance Awards to U.S. Non-Governmental Organizations, 22 CFR Part 145 Grants and Agreements with Non-Profits, 0MB Circulars A-122, Cost principles for non-profit organizations and A-133 Audit of states, local governments, and non- profits preferred.
9. Proven leadership and inter-personal skills and ability to build and motivate diverse arid talented teams.
10. Proven experience in building and maintaining institutional linkages required.
11. Demonstrated commitment to improving gender equality and gender responsiveness in programming and operations.
12. Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility.
13. Demonstrated personal accountability and driven to serve others.
14. Understanding of and experience with faith-based organizations, local church structures, and accompaniment and capacity-building principles In local partnerships highly desired.
15. Ability to travel nationally and internationally as required.
16. Excellent English language oral and written communication skills required.
17. Nigerian nationals encouraged to apply.

Application Closing Date
5pm on 15th November, 2012

How To Apply
Interested applicants should request for application forms and a detailed job description from:
[email protected] fill and send back to the same address along with a detailed CV as attached MS Word documents.

Only applications sent in the required format will be considered.
CRS is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, etc. Qualified women are especially encouraged to apply