Internal/ External Vacancy Announcement
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 partners 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 currently focusing on community-based food and livelihood security through activities in agriculture, health, peacebuilding, WASH, emergency relief, and savings and lending. CRS is active in nearly all regions of Ethiopia: Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), Somali, Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, and Dire Dawa Regions.
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: Program Manager, Microfinance
Department: CRS Ethiopia Programs
Duty Station: Addis Ababa, with frequent field travel
Employment type: Full time position contingent upon funding of the Microfinance unit.
Reports To: Head of Programs
Background:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS/Ethiopia) implements savings-led Microfinance activities as an integral part of all programming as a cross-cutting economic strengthening theme. CRS’ Microfinance model, Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC), helps marginalized populations, especially women, to fight poverty and will complement existing development activities to strengthen people’s livelihoods.
Position Purpose:
The Microfinance Program Manager will be a dynamic person with strong interpersonal relationship and advocacy skills, responsible for providing technical support to the various CRS projects/programs and implementing partner staff geared towards improving food security within the households of the target population within CRS/Ethiopia Agriculture, Livelihoods and Health programs and other emerging sectors in the future. The incumbent will work closely with other CRS departments, COP/DCOP of respective programs/projects, CRS Program Managers, Microfinance Officers and their implementing partners to promote economic strengthening through CRS’ SILC approach as a key strategy for improving levels of households’ incomes.
The Program Manager will be based in Addis Ababa; however S/he will dedicate a significant amount of time in the field. S/he will head CRS/Ethiopia’s SILC Unit, providing management support to create strong programming with SILC as the platform of CRS integral framework. S/he will also ensure that program staff and implementing partners are trained in the necessary project management skills, including budget management. The incumbent will work in consultation with the Regional Technical Advisor for Microfinance, Program Managers, SILC Officers and Chiefs of Party within the Country Program, and with the Program Managers, Project Coordinators and Project Officers working with CRS’ local partners to ensure integration of SILC within the different programs and to achieve greater positive impact overall. S/he will also create the necessary linkages with appropriate stakeholders and be open to source for and adopt the latest and relevant best practices available within the Microfinance savings-led sector for Ethiopia programming.
Summary of Duties and Responsibilities:
Support:
Work closely with CRS/Ethiopia’s development departments to integrate Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) in their projects/programs as part of CRS’ Integral Human Development Framework (IHD) through:
Awareness raising, promotion and marketing of the SILC model within CRS/Ethiopia, partners in the field, (potential) donors and the Microfinance industry in Ethiopia.
Carry out project planning and budgeting in together with other program managers.
Build the capacity of CRS/Ethiopia program managers for integration of SILC within their sectors and projects/programs.
Build the capacity of CRS/Ethiopia partners to integrate SILC into their development activities.
Providing vision and leadership to effectively develop, promote, integrate and expand CRS/Ethiopia's SILC Activity.
Design training modules for CRS/Ethiopia staff, partners, supervisors and field agents and build local capacity to deliver high quality trainings.
Provide technical assistance and manage the development, monitoring, analysis and evaluation of the savings-led Microfinance portfolio in CRS/Ethiopia.
Provide input into recruitment and orientation to new staff as may be required.
Prepare Scopes of Work for CRS’ East Africa Microfinance Technical Advisor support to the Country Program and other Micro-finance related technical support.
Program Quality:
Help CRS/Ethiopia’s program managers to manage the SILC component under their projects/programs and provide technical assistance as needed.
Work closely with the Catholic Dioceses and other partners to achieve scale and excellence in operations.
Design specific trainings to address weaknesses and integrate best practices into operations
Monitor the quality of the SILC activities through regular field visits,
Gather, analyze and study information captured through the SILC MIS. Guide and support CRS/Ethiopia staff and partners in their efforts to collect and analyze data on a monthly basis. Report back to the MF RTA on progress made and trends on a quarterly basis.
Advise on savings-led Microfinance quality standards and opportunities for enhanced programming.
Meet industry quality standards in all programs.
Develop detailed job descriptions in close cooperation with program managers and partner staff to recruit suitable SILC staff at both CRS/Ethiopia and partner level.
Adhere to Catholic Social Teaching principles in all programs and work with stakeholders.
Conduct regular evaluations and design appropriate tools to do so. Participate in overall program reviews and evaluations.
Guide CRS/Ethiopia program managers and partners to provide effective supervision over SILC management and staff.
Participating in Program Department meetings, planning, project tracking and internal systems requirements.
Review, provide feedback on and approve project specific Micofinance workplans.
Review and provide feedback on SILC activity implementation with recommendations for improvement.
Draft inputs on SILC activity implementation for project progress reports for USAID and other external donors, as well as for CRS privately funded projects; draft CRS/Ethiopia Country Program SILC reports.
Oversee the implementation of SILC in the different programs/projects and provide timely and detailed positive feedback to improve implementation.
Ensure consistency and vision across projects and partners.
Representation:
Lead sector meetings with program team, donor representatives, implementing partners, and other stakeholders.
Coordinate with government officials at all levels in ensuring appropriate coordination and support in implementation and follow-up of activities.
Collaborate and plan with CRS partners, local and International NGOs and other local partners.
Lead and coordinate meetings for Steering Committee for Ethiopia’s Microfinance sector
Coordinate the organization of international conferences, workshops and training events.
Lead the development of new and strengthen existing partnerships related to the research and learning agenda.
Engage high-level Government of Ethiopia and other actors (CARE, World Vision, Mercy Corps) focusing on policies and trends in Microfinance.
Management and Leadership:
Ensure grant management compliance with donor regulations – and lead development of required donor sector narrative reports, quarterly performance indicator tracking tables, baseline and final evaluation reports and other reports needed/required by the local government, donors, the region or headquarters
Oversee recruitment of key sector staff.
Plan, convene and lead CRS and local partner SILC meetings two time each year.
Lead the CRS/Ethiopia SILC Technical Working Group, plan the meetings, direct action points and follow up.
Document, disseminate and publish lessons learned and best practices.
Develop promotion and marketing materials.
Incorporate lessons learned and innovations from the field in CRS/Ethiopia SILC Field Manual in close cooperation with the MF STA.
Incorporate lessons learned and innovations from partners to improve data gathering and MIS spreadsheets.
Serve as a repository and resource for CRS SILC activity implementation.
Fundraising:
Participate in donor meetings, attract public and private resources for SILC, direct project development and support project proposal development within the different sectoral programs, help CRS/Ethiopia program managers and partners’ budget for SILC and integrate SILC in a multitude of development activities.
Lead technical Microfinance design for project and proposal development.
Budgeting, Financial Planning and Reporting:
Ensure grant management compliance for projects within the sector with multiple donors and CRS regulations with support from the Country Program Compliance team.
Work closely with local implementing partners and other Sub Recipients to ensure timely and quality advance tracking and liquidation as per CRS guidelines.
With support from the finance and compliance teams, prepare donor finance reports.
Coordinate with management quality staff for purchasing and inventory control as per CRS/donor requirements.
In collaboration with the finance/compliance teams, review and analyze budget comparison reports and take necessary steps to ensure proper management and utilization of budgets.
Approve project expenditures, carry out regular budget tracking and take the lead on request for modifications as and when needed.
Coordination and Communication:
Ensure participation of sector staff in relevant project coordination meetings.
Work closely with country program programming and operations teams to ensure systems are in place that will enable timely receipt and distribution of all project materials and supplies.
Maintain strong communication within the program, with in-country external stakeholders and with other CRS colleagues and Regional staff, including Technical Advisors, as appropriate.
Required qualifications:
Education:
Master’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, Project Management or Microfinance; or Bachelor’s degree with compensatory experience and course work;
Experience:
At least five years Microfinance experience; including demonstrable ability to integrate savings-led Microfinance programs into multi-sectoral programs, to design policies, procedures and service delivery mechanisms
Four years’ experience in management and leadership
Specialized knowledge of and experience with savings-led Microfinance delivery methodologies (internal savings and lending models (Ex.VS&L, ISL, WORTH, Savings for Change));
Excellent documentation and project proposal writing skills;
Excellent writing skills with command in English language and great attention to details;
Computer literacy – MS excel, word, access;
Knowledge and experience in adult learning methodologies;
Team player with great facilitation skills and respect for CRS partners and stakeholders;
Goal and objective oriented;
Program Manager Competencies:
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each program manager to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
Agency-wide Competencies:
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
Serves with Integrity
Models Stewardship
Cultivates Constructive Relationships
Promotes Learning
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