Head of Programming, Lesotho At Catholic Relief Services

Job Title: Country Representative – Lesotho

Reports to: Lesotho CR

Department: SARO

Salary Grade: 11

Location: Maseru, Lesotho

Background:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) 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, regardless of race, religion, or nationality.

CRS has operated in Lesotho for 24 years, working with partners and communities to address the country’s most pressing challenges. CRS collaborates with the Government of Lesotho (GoL), local and international non-government organizations (NGOs), public—and private-sector partners, and Church partners, with a reach across all 10 districts of Lesotho.

Primary Responsibilities:
In line with the agency’s strategy, the primary role of the Head of Programming (HOP) is to provide leadership in the management, high-quality implementation, prepositioning, and growth of the CRS Lesotho programming portfolio. This includes oversight of and technical support to key program staff and partners, timely disbursement and tracking of funds to partners as well as donor compliance, implementing current awards on time, on budget, and within the scope intended, achieving the results planned in the proposal, and ensuring program quality standards. The HOP will directly supervise staff and oversee the implementation of the projects and activities in Agriculture/Livelihoods and Land Restoration, Education, Social Services, Youth, and Water Sanitation and Hygiene. In particular, the HOP will work with staff on developing new initiatives and help ensure substantial portfolio growth while ensuring ongoing program quality.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Quality and Management
• Provide strategic program leadership and creative program guidance to program staff on project design and implementation.
• Support adherence to CRS program quality standards, including comprehensive implementation of MEAL policy and procedures for specific projects in Liberia.
• Guide program staff to incorporate innovative practices into new or existing programs.
• Ensure timely quality reporting to donors and timely communication to donors on project spending, budget changes, or implementation.
• Contribute to effective systems for financial/budget management oversight (including budget development, compliance, cost allocations, and monitoring of spending rates) and work closely with finance and budget managers to ensure sound project budget management.
• Regularly travel to the field to visit projects and support programming staff to implement, monitor, and evaluate projects according to CRS and donor standards.
• Support cross-learning between projects within and across the country program, particularly regarding PQ processes and tools.
• Support the quality development of scopes of work for technical assistance, collaborate with relevant sectoral RTAs to share program updates and identify areas for program quality improvement, and participate in RTA visits.
Growth and Representation.
• Work with CRS 5 PMs, SARO DRDPQ, RTAs, and Regional Business Development Manager to target and diversify funding sources for the Lesotho country program.
• Lead staff and partners in developing high-quality, responsive, and evidence-based proposals for funding.
• Work with program staff to regularly update the Gateway system with opportunities and project documents related to assigned projects.
• Collaborate with program staff, SARO DRDPQ, RTAs, and Regional Business Development Manager on developing strong marketing tools.
• As needed, represent CRS at relevant interagency, sector coordination, donor, government, and network meetings.

Staff Mentoring and Supervision
• Supervise 5|program managers working in specific sectors in the Lesotho program.
• Work with direct reports to develop and implement progressive but realistic staff development plans and annual performance plans using the CRS Performance Management System.
• Provide necessary and timely feedback to all direct reports; ensure program managers follow the same process for performance management of their direct reports.
• Establish and maintain effective partner relations and engage in the identification of new potential partners with whom CRS has a shared vision and strategy and where program opportunities are present.
• Ensure that partners are closely involved in project development; create tools with partners and programming staff to facilitate communication and relationship building.
• In collaboration with the PMs, ensure all partner programming staff is aware of CRS partner principles and overall guiding principles/Catholic Social Teaching and that they are applied consistently.
• Support the operation department in implementing the SRFM policy and institutional strengthening of implementing partners.
• Lead the country program effort to build the PQ capacity of all partners.

Other duties: Other duties are required to meet overall position objectives as listed in the position overview.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff): 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

Head of Programming Competencies:

• Builds and leads effective teams
• Supervises and develops staff
• Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning
• Manages financial resources with integrity
• Sets clear goals and manages toward them

MEAL Competencies for HoPs: These are based on CRS’ MEAL policies and procedures, and basic competencies for staff holding leadership positions in programming.

• MEAL in Design and Evaluation: Proficient in developing project-level Theories of change, results frameworks, Proframes, related MEAL system tools and competencies, and accompanying MEAL narratives.
• Monitoring: Proficient in implementing monitoring activities, including timely collection of quality data, set up and maintenance of databases, facilitation of participatory reflection on monitoring results, and submission of timely progress reports.
• Accountability: Proficient in improving our accountability to a range of stakeholders through increased participation, transparent communication, responsive feedback mechanisms, and adherence to internal and external quality standards and requirements
• Learning: Proficient in promoting excellent knowledge management and collaborative learning processes at the project, program and institutional levels, generating robust evidence for project and programmatic learning that leads to action, decision-making and influence
• Analysis & Critical Thinking: Proficient in engaging with data, challenging biases and assumptions, posing thoughtful questions, pursuing deeper understanding of evidence through reflection and perspective-taking, and making informed programming decisions.
• ICT for MEAL: Knowledgeable in applying information and communication technologies (ICT), both hardware and software, for opportune and accurate data collection, database management, conducting analyses, and making information easily accessible
• MEAL in Management: Knowledgeable in managing financial and human resources in a way that optimizes the quality, effectiveness, and utility of MEAL systems

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:
Internal: SARO Regional PQ Team, including DRDPQ and RTAs. While the CR supervises the HOP, they have a dotted line to the DRDPQ for technical supervision.

External: Partner representatives, donor representatives, local government representatives, Catholic Church representatives.

QUALIFICATIONS:
• At least six years of experience working in the development sector.
• M.A. in development-related field
• Demonstrated knowledge of CRS program quality standards, guiding principles, and policies.
• Experience in participatory program design/development and implementation (design, monitoring, evaluation & reporting), including activity and budget management
• Strong proposal development, writing, budget development, and report writing are required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to represent CRS in high-level meetings with donors, local government officials and local Church.
• Excellent organizational, planning and analytical skills; detail-oriented, adaptable, and flexible.
• Ability to build capacity, lead and mentor, effectively supervise and develop strong working relationships with senior national staff.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• Minimum of five years overseas work experience in developing country.
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in strategic planning initiatives.
• Willingness to travel and spend at least 30% of time in the field.
• Fluency in oral and written English.

Disclaimer: This job description does not exhaustively list the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

EOE