Senior Project Officer - Youth

Job Description

About 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. For nearly 60 years, CRS has taken the lead in responding to natural and man-made disasters affecting Ethiopia's most vulnerable communities. Moving beyond emergency response, CRS' disaster mitigation and recovery projects in drought and flood-prone areas have rebuilt individual and community assets through non-food aid in the form of agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation assistance. CRS's humanitarian work in Ethiopia also provides livelihoods support to farmers and entrepreneurs, promotes equality and inclusion, and mitigates the impact of COVID-19.

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 position.

Job Title:                        Senior Project Officer

Band:                              VIII

Required number:        One

Department:                 JEOP - Program Quality

Employment Term:      Definite term (i.e. till April 30, 2027) 

Reports To:                    Disability Inclusion & Youth Engagement Technical Advisor I

Country/Location:        CRS Ethiopia/Addis Abba

Application Deadline:   August 29, 2023

Job Summary:

 Under the direct supervision of the Technical Advisor- Disability Inclusion and youth, the job holder provides support on a range of program design and implementation related to youth and inclusion in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices. He/she will assist CRS country program and JEOP team in our effort to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable and provide technical and professional advice to improve effectiveness, adaptability, and innovation across CRS’ programming.

 Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical support on the implementation of JEOP project- youth and disability inclusive activities as outlined in the detailed JEOP 2.O implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, USAID requirements, and good practices.
• Closely work with CRS Social Behavioral Change team to develop comprehensive behavioral change                                        strategies and plans around youth engagement on JEOP with a Do No Harm lens.
• Support JEOP’s MEAL team to include youth perspective in research, mid-term and end line evaluations and mainstream sex, age and disability disaggregated sensitive indicators into the MEAL framework. Contribute to developing indicators, milestones and plans, and lead reporting on all indicators for youth integration, and program progress.
• Provide dynamic support and team coordination to JEOP’s youth and inclusion activities, including support in integration and empowerment and build knowledge and technical capacity to implement and monitor youth engagement programming.
• Collect and analyze program data, capture, and share lessons learned and best practices to facilitate improvements in decision-making and contribute to a youth learning agenda.
• Assist the Technical Advisor to coordinate working relationships with all local project stakeholders and JEOP partners  and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact.
• Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various JEOP processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.
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• Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.
• Coordinate provision of any logistical and administrative support to staff and partners.
• Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Ensure project documentation for JEOP youth and disability inclusive activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and USAID requirements. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and good practices.

Job Requirement

Basic Qualifications

• BA Degree in Social Work, Sociology, International Relations, Public Health.
• Minimum of four years of relevant work experience in inclusion programming with progressive responsibilities with an NGO. Experience in youth focused/ inclusion program would be a plus.
• Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in youth.
• Knowledge of capacity strengthening best practices.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.
• Ability to draft reports, communications materials, detailed implementation plans.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

•  Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and youth
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented
• Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities

 Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with youth, people with disabilities, partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Experience monitoring projects and data collection for youth engagement.

 Required Languages - Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Amharic. Other Ethiopian national languages is a plus.

 Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 25-50 % by road and air across Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR, Sidama, Dire Dawa City Administration and Tigray.

 Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. 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. 

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.
• Agency Leadership Competencies:
• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

 Supervisory Responsibilities: none

 Key Working Relationships:

 Internal: JEOP technical team leads; CRS Ethiopia Country Program staff line department managers; Regional Technical Advisors and managers.

 External: EOP Consortium members, local government stakeholders and communities, peer organizations and, representatives from for-profit and other non-profit organizations, operating in JEOP woredas.

 ***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.