Senior Project Officer-DFSA Quality Improvement & Accountability 46 views

About CRS: “Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partner’s people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.”

In Ethiopia, CRS has a long and rich history of providing emergency relief and development assistance to the people of Ethiopia since 1958. At present, CRS/Ethiopia implements multiple projects through different partner organizations.  CRS/Ethiopia has a highly diverse portfolio ranging from very large food-supported emergency response to cutting edge development programs. The current CRS/Ethiopia budget stands at $100 million with funding from the U.S. Government, UN agencies, private foundations, individual donors, and CRS private funds.

CRS strictly adheres to its Policy on Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults among its staff, consultants, volunteers, and affiliates. CRS is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer: women, minorities and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

As part of CRS family, you will join the more than 5000 strong and vibrant individuals working globally to accomplish the mission of CRS. CRS/Ethiopia invites you, the qualified candidate, to apply for the following positions;

Position Title:                Senior Project Office – DFSA Quality Improvement & Accountability

Department:                  Program

Duty Station:                  CRS Ethiopia/Addis Ababa

Required Number:        One

Employment Term:       Indefinite period contingent upon funding of DFSA program

Reports To:                     Program Manager – DFSA MEAL

Application Deadline:   October 22, 2019

Job Summary:

As a member of the DFSA MEAL team, you will monitor and report on all project activities in support of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your thorough and service-oriented approach will ensure that the project consistently applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve. You will also lead the monitoring and verification of intervention and outcome quality across implementation areas. This will entail conducting periodic assessments of quality of interventions delivered by the implementation teams and providing improvement suggestions.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement systems and guidelines for CRS staff and implementing partners to consult with male and female beneficiaries to define indicators for ELRP project success.
• Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.
• Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and assisting partners in their efforts to collect and analyze project data per specified mechanisms and tools. Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare reports per established reporting schedule.
• Establish a sustainable Complaints Response Mechanism (CRM) at woreda level which ensures all beneficiaries can make confidential complaints and be confident in response processes
• Develops and implements as system to monitor quality of outputs and outcomes achieved by the project and provides recommendations on quality improvement measures.
• Conducts periodic assessments using Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) or similar technique to assess quality of interventions in sampled project locations and develops improvement actions with project team.
• Collect information on staff capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and monitor capacity building and technical support activities to ensure effective impact. In coordination with ELRP MEAL Program Manager and the broader country program MEAL Community of Practice, use CRS’ MEAL Policies and Procedures to develop training and refresher modules that ensure that all participants have an in-depth understanding of Accountability and are equipped to apply it in their working lives
• Complete project documentation for assigned activities. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices.
• Ensure beneficiaries are aware of the key elements of CRS’ accountability policy and procedures and the expectations and standards required of CRS staff and partner staff, especially 2010 Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) Standard and how this should be applied within their roles.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Positions):

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.

*Trusting Relationships *Professional Growth *Partnership *Accountability

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• MA/MSC Degree in related field of study with 2 years’ relevant experience for MA or 4 years relevant experience for BA degree.
• Strong evidence of qualitative techniques.
• Progressive experience in a field related to accountability for an INGO would be a plus.
• Professional training on accountability and protection principles is an added advantage.
• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Experience in monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred.
• Experience using statistical analysis software such as SPSS, STATA, R or similar software.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Mastery of Excel is an added advantage.

 Personal Skills

• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members.
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented.