Chief of Party I, THRIVE 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 is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Chief of Party I, THRIVE

Job ID: 220000JL
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job: Chief of Party
Schedule: Regular
Shift: Standard
Job Type: Full-time
Job Level: Day Job
Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 20%
Reports to: Deputy Country Representative (DCR) - Programs
Department: Programs
Salary Grade:11

Job Summary

• As Chief of Party I you will provide leadership and overall management of the THRIVE and existing emergency portfolio which serves the poor and vulnerable.
• Your leadership, management and technical knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and advance the position of CRS as a leading agency in Borno State, Nigeria.
• As a senior leader you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of the development, implementation and consolidation of the THRIVE project, including sharing how the project contributes to the thought leadership of the industry.
• Serve as the primary point of contact to BHA as well as public, private and non-government stakeholders.
• Oversee the development and implementation of the existing emergency project, including disseminating lessons learned and promoting cross learning
• Ensure the project is designed and implemented to meet donor expectations in terms of timely and quality results and budget, including strategies for phase out and sustainability. Ensure coordination between program and operations leads. Ensure the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans and ensure the updating of such plans.
• Promote, uphold and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Ensure compliance with BHA grants, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration and reporting to BHA. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.
• Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and CRS’ branding and marketing requirements and procedures.
• Coordinate relationships with consortium partner organizations, including organization of review/planning workshops. Contribute to coordination of the roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations in implementation in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance.
• Supervisory Responsibilities: Deputy Chief of Party – Program Quality, Award Management Officer, Emergency Coordinator.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal - DCR Programs, DCR Operations, Head of Office, Heads of Administration, Supply Chain, and Finance, Security Coordinator, Admin and Operations staff in Maiduguri and Abuja.
• External - Consortium Partner Representatives, UN, coordination forums, INSO, and BHA.

Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in International Development, International Relations or a relevant technical area. PhD preferred.
• 7 or more years’ relevant management and technical experience.
• 5 years experience managing donor funds, including multi country grants.  Strong knowledge and experience in budget management.
• 5 years of staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience coaching senior program staff.
• Required Languages: Fluency in English is required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Recognized leader in sector as demonstrated by peer reviewed publications, conference presentations etc.
• Demonstrated experience of successful program management, including management of complex, high-value, multi-activity projects, with complicated logistics.
• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Knowledge of CRS partnership strategy a plus.
• Ability to represent and present at high levels.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

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
Not Specified.