Program Manager II, Program Quality and Business Development – Laos at Catholic Relief Services

Job Title: Program Manager II – Program Quality and Business Development

Reports to: Head of Programming

Department: Programs

Salary Grade: 10

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.

CRS has worked in Laos since 1994 in education, nutrition, and health programming. Since 2012, CRS has served over 25 million meals in schools in Savannakhet province through USDA-funded McGovern-Dole school feeding programs, which incorporate early grade literacy development, water, sanitation, and hygiene, school gardens, and community mobilization into a comprehensive package of support to rural schools. CRS is the in-country implementing partner of Purdue University on the Lao-American Nutrition Initiative, which works with the Lao Ministry of Health to improve the research capacity of government institutions and universities. CRS is the implementing partner for under a USDA McGovern-Dole School Lunch Project (SLP) led by World Food Programme (WFP). CRS works in consortium with NGO and local partners to support the Ministry of Health in ongoing Covid-19 vaccination efforts.

Job Summary:

You will manage and provide technical oversight of the development and implementation of the Country Program (CP) education and health programming, particularly for large and complex projects, ensuring effective systems and processes are in place that support high-quality programming advancing Catholic Relief Services’ (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 programming. You will seek new and coordinate business development opportunities for CRS Laos that leverage existing programming and the strategic priorities of the CP and ASIA region.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Provide management, guidance, and technical oversight of all new and existing projects within the CP education and health programs throughout the project cycle to ensure project design, start-up, implementation and close-out are in line with CRS quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices. Contribute to donor communications including donor report reviews and other visibility/BD materials for new business relationships.
• Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, and complete performance management for direct reports.
• Provide technical solutions to CP project teams for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools and M&E, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.
• Act as surge support during project start-up and/or close-out processes, providing technical assistance and general PQ guidance, as needed.
• Lead the development of program learning – identify opportunities for learning, research and publications in the education and health portfolio, and implementation of MEAL policy. Facilitate the dissemination of promising practices and lessons learned to contribute to the agency knowledge management agenda. Ensure integration of innovations and best practices.
• Contribute to the proactive pursuit of opportunities for new funding to ensure growth of the CP programming portfolio in line with agency, regional, and CRS Laos strategic priorities. Serve as the technical lead and technical writer to ensure quality proposals per agency and donor standards. Contribute to budgeting and staffing plans and activities for proposals.
• Oversee technical assistance and capacity strengthening activities for staff and partner organizations to enhance program quality and impact, through helping to develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and mentoring and coaching to CP staff.
• Oversee the identification, assessment and strengthening of partnerships relevant to CRS Laos strategy and the appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
• Ensure timely and appropriate project expenditures in line with financial plans and efficient use and stewardship of project material sources.

Required Languages– English fluency (written and verbal) required; Lao proficiency desirable.

Travel– The position is based in Vientiane, Laos. Must be willing and able to travel up to 40%, primarily to project sites in Laos with occasional regional travel.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Program Manager I (Education), Senior Project Officer (Health)

Key Working Relationships:

Internal:Country Representative, Chief of Party, Head of Operations, Program Managers, MEAL Manager, ASIA Regional Technical Advisers, ASIA Business Development team

External:Institutional donor and partner institution representatives, including USG, nongovernmental organizations, international and local partners**.** Government of Laos partners (Ministry officials and staff at the national, provincial, and district levels). Caritas and church partners.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship. Ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
• Good presentation and facilitation skills
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Preferred Qualifications:

• Good experience in project grants management, including project design, preferably for grants from multiple public donors, including USAID, USDA, and UN agencies.
• Experience engaging with partner organizations. Experience working in partnership with government ministries and departments preferable.
• 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.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in International Development or International Relations, or a specialized Master’s degree related to education and/or health 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 education and health.
• Experience in managing moderately complex projects preferably with an international NGO.
• MEAL skills and experience required.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and processes, leading teams to produce deliverables under tight deadlines and at exceptional quality.
• Demonstrated application of technical principles and tools for program quality.
• Experience in business development, pre-positioning and capture planning, project design and proposal development, including excellent technical writing.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

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
• Acts with Integrity
• Collaborates with Others
• Builds and Maintains Trust
• Open to Learn
• Strategic Mindset
• Develops and Recognizes Others
• Leads Change

***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 from 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