Program Manager II – Livelihoods, Afghanistan At Catholic Relief Services

Department: 362.Country Programming
Salary Grade: 10

About CRS:
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, 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.
Background:
CRS has been working on behalf of Afghan families since 2002, with hundreds of experienced Afghan staff working in offices across the country. We provide emergency relief, inclusive education, improved agricultural techniques, and other life‐enriching services to tens of thousands of households. The country’s long conflict has left many families displaced and impoverished, but the war’s end in 2021 has opened the exciting possibility of reaching many previou sly inaccessible communities.
CRS is currently implementing programs in the provinces of Bamiyan, Daykundi, Ghor, Herat, and Kabul. CRS maintains five (5) main offices in the country as well as several sub-offices that support the direct implementation of program activities. There are nearly 300 CRS-Afghanistan staff and nine (9) expatriates. The country program is expected to grow in fiscal year 2022 (FY22) to meet new needs throughout the country.
CRS’ main program areas in Afghanistan are inclusive education, agricultural livelihoods, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and emergency relief. CRS has been implementing education programs in Afghanistan since 2003 and is a key education actor in the country. CRS Afghanistan’s livelihoods portfolio currently includes a mix of development, recovery, and emergency response projects funded by institutional donors such as the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the United Nations Children’s Fund, and non-institutional donors such as partners from the Caritas network.
The CRS strategic plan for Afghanistan focuses on poverty and risk reduction, human development and emergency response in rural areas in western and central Afghanistan. CRS works to:

• * Support people, especially girls and women from marginalized communities, to gain basic education
  • Support poor rural and peri-urban households to have increased livelihood security
  • Support vulnerable communities to survive shocks without long-term negative impact on their livelihoods

Job Summary:
You will manage and provide technical oversight of the development and implementation of the Country Program (CP) livelihoods programming, which includes activities in emergency food assistance; agriculture; and WASH, particularly for large and complex projects, ensuring effective systems and processes are in place that support high-quality programming advancing CRS work in serving the poor and vulnerable. Your management skills and knowledge will ensure that the CP delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of its livelihoods programming. The program manager will manage an emergency and recovery response project funded by BHA to be implemented in three provinces (Bamiyan, Daykundi, and Ghor) and manage smaller short-term emergency-oriented UN-funded WASH projects.
Travel – Position may be based in Bamiyan or Lal. Must be willing and able to travel u p to 50% to other CRS provincial offices such as Daykundi, Chaghcharan, and Herat, as well as to Kabul for coordination meetings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Good experience in project grants management, including project design, preferably for grants from multiple public donors, including USAID.
• Experience engaging with partner organizations
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.
• Multi-sectoral livelihoods program management experience preferred

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in International Development, International Relations or in the fields of WASH, agriculture, or natural resource development required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of 5 years experience in relevant field-based project management experience required, with preferably at least 2-3 years working in the area of agriculture,
• Experience in managing moderately complex projects preferably with an international NGO.

*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.
*Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.*** Note: All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside their home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical examination. CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people – especially children and vulnerable adults – to live free from abuse and harm. CRS welcomes candidates fr om the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate or global telecommuter, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency. CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer**

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.