Program Manager I - Hygiene Promotion at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work are accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

CRS has been supporting program activities in Nigeria for over 30 years and has long-standing relationships with Church and non-Church partners and communities throughout the country. The Nigeria country program has a diverse funding base with projects in health, nutrition, food security and agricultural livelihoods, microfinance (SILC), emergency response and peacebuilding. CRS/Nigeria currently has over 210 national and 8 international staff. With an FY22 annual budget of over USD $100 million, coupled with strong donor interest in supporting CRS’ work in the country, significant growth opportunities exist for the CP. The CP has been supporting emergency activities in the NE states since 2015 with offices in Damaturu, Maiduguri and Yola.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Program Manager I - Hygiene Promotion

Job ID: 2200003W
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job Type: Full-time
Shift: Standard
Schedule: Regular
Job Level: Day Job
Travel: Yes, 20 % of the Time
Job: Program Management
Employee Status: Individual Contributor

Job Summary

• The Hygiene Promotion Program Manager I will ensure the Implementation and impact of the hygiene promotion, community mobilization and capacity strengthening activities improving the public health of the affected population and ensuring quality community participation as part of THRIVE WASH programming.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Manage and implement all activities throughout relevant project cycles - project design, start-up, implementation, 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 management tools.
• Effectively manage talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, contribute to the recruitment process of project staff, and complete performance management for direct reports.
• In coordination with the Infrastructure Program Manager and the HLP Officer, design and manage assessments and baseline studies and periodic assessments in order to identify WASH-related health risks and program priorities.
• In cooperation with the Infrastructure Program Manager, nutrition staff and other CRS sectors, design and plan activities to reduce public health risks, with reference to both physical and behavioral aspects.
• Identify key hygiene practices to be addressed and sectors of the population with whom to engage and develop an appropriate communications strategy to promote safe practices.
• Regularly monitor Hygiene Promotion Officers to ensure quality community level hygiene messaging.
• Support the Hygiene Promotion Officers to mobilize communities as appropriate for participation in planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of Water, Sanitation and Shelter facilities and services.
• Help and guide Hygiene Promotion Officers to find channels for dialogue with the affected population ensuring appropriate technical approaches that allows CRS to be held to account for the quality of the WASH program
• Ensure that Environmental Cleaning Committees and Water Point Management Committees are formed, trained, and supported.
• Manage day-to-day logistics, administration, and staff activities.
• Work with the MEAL team to design and introduce monitoring systems related to hygiene promotion and social mobilization activities.
• Together with the Infrastructure Program Manager and the Markets Team, input to all stages of the NFI distribution process (pertaining to WASH and shelter).
• Oversee and provide technical guidance to distribution teams and Identify needs for specific hygiene items not targeted by market-based approaches (including Female Hygiene Kits).
• Ensure timely and quality preparation of project narrative reports as defined by the WASH & Shelter Program Manager, present in an organized and orderly manner tracking of activities, indicators, baseline data and evaluation reports.  
• Advise senior management about issues affecting project implementation, or key local issues affecting future grants/projects developments.
• Together with the Infrastructure PM and the HLP Officer ensure various aspects of the Shelter and WASH response are integrated, and form part of a coherent public health response.
• Develops IEC materials as per context requirements.
• Advise the Infrastructure PM on cultural and context appropriateness of construction structures.
• Liaise with CRS Procurement and Logistic Teams to ensure that material procurement meets quality standards and is delivered according to program needs to sites.
• Represent CRS at WASH Sector coordination meetings.
• Manage and monitor local partner activities ensuring quality coordination, identifying field challenges and provide capacity strengthening opportunities.
• Leads CRS participation in any Hygiene Promotion Technical Working Group
• Liaise with CRS partners, INGO’s working in the areas of WASH, Ministry of Health as per request by WASH & Shelter Program Manager.
• Review and highlight opportunities for Protection, safeguarding and Gender mainstreaming in the proposed sector activities; And follow up to ensure, the team integrates the protection principles during activity design and implementation.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Supervise all CRS Hygiene Promotion Officers
• Ensure timely and quality adherence to CRS Performance Management System for all staff under his/her supervision.
• Prepare employee job descriptions, performance plans and performance appraisals for project staff as requested by WASH & Shelter Program Manager.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Program Managers, Emergency Coordinator, Liaison officer, Head of Office, Procurement Officers, Finance Manager, Administration Manager.
• External: INGOs, UN, community actors, vendors, Partner staff.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Community Development, Sociology, Public Health or WASH expert with proven experience of hygiene promotion. Master’s Degree is an advantage. Equivalent work experiences may be considered.
• 7 to 9 years’ experience working with NGOs in the field of WASH and particularly in Hygiene Promotion and Social Mobilization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with RedRose platform.
• 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.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 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

Required Languages:

• English, Hausa. Kanuri is an advantage.

Travel:

• Must be willing and able to travel up to 20 %.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset.
• Accountability & Stewardship.

Application Closing Date
1st March, 2022.