Closing Date: Friday, 08 July 201
Position Title: Country Representative Dept/Location: Nigeria, Abuja Req. #: I460
Background: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the overseas relief and development arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It was founded in 1943 and works in over 100 countries globally. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa as well as one of the wealthiest. It has wide diversity with more than 250 ethnic groups, but can generally be divided into three key subgroups: Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani. Elections for the Presidency, legislature and state governorships in April 2011 were managed transparently and were considered fair both internally as well as by national and international observers marking a historic milestone for Nigerian democracy. Catholic Relief Services worked in Nigeria since 1960s but left following the war in 1972. At the express request of the Nigerian Church CRS returned in 2000 with the understanding that the primary focus of the CRS presence would be to strengthen the capacity of the Church to engage in professional relief and development activities. There have been stops and starts over the years but CRS/Nigeria remains committed to this understanding of its key purpose in country and continuously monitors Church leadership to ensure that mutual communication is healthy. At the specific request of the Chairman of Church and Society and the Secretary General of the Bishops conference CRS has strongly supported Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN), the new organization that was created in 2010 by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria to be its professional Relief and Development organization. CRS programming grew rapidly and hugely in the mid 2000's in response to the AIDS epidemic. CRS's lead in AIDSRelief and the programming with People Living with AIDS and Orphans and other Vulnerable Children engaged both Catholic Hospitals (as well as others) and 11 dioceses in its massive response. As a successor to AIDSRelief plans are to indigenize the leadership of the Care and Treatment program through faith based facilities under the Christian Heath Association of Nigeria and for CRS and CCFN to perform as sub recipients. The Country Program is in the process of developing in conjunction with its Church partners a new Strategic Plan and in addition to health (HIV/AIDS, TB, and other) program activities in Peacebuilding, Agriculture and Governance have strong Church interest and offer a promising programmatic future.
Primary Responsibilities: The Country Representative (CR) is responsible for leadership and overall management of CRS operations, activities and relationships in Nigeria, consistent with agency policies and procedures and the Central Africa regional strategy. S/he supervises a staff of approximately 60 international and national staff; oversees the effective and cost-efficient implementation of on-going projects; keeps the Regional Director well informed of program developments and priorities; pursues new funding and partnership opportunities in line with the regional strategy; participates actively in regional initiatives and working groups. S/he represents CRS with the Nigerian Government at national and local levels, local Catholic Church and other religious leaders, international and local NGOs, and Nigerian civil society partners. The Country Representative is expected to perform under limited supervision; most normal duties and responsibilities are handled independently following established policies, procedures and priorities, while complex and/or unique issues are handled in consultation with the Regional Director. Developing national staff capacities, partner capacities, partner ownership of programs and ensuring quality programming are key priorities.
Job Responsibilities: I. Leadership and Program Management (CR competency: Leads toward Strategic Results). 1. Provide leadership, guidance and support in the finalization and implementation of the Strategic Program Plan and in the implementation of Annual Program Plans, and Regional and Agency strategic plans. 2. Lead, manage and oversee the operation of all financial, administrative and programming activities. 1. Manage ongoing programs in all sectors, with an emphasis on improving partnership and program quality in all program sectors. 2. Support and guide Programming in the development of strategic program areas, including Peacebuilding/Governance, Emergency Response, Agriculture and Health/OVC/HIV. 3. Develop existing and new donor and Government relationships through exposure of these stakeholders to quality CRS programs.
II. Strategic and Effective Resource Management (CR competency: Manages Risk and Complexity).
1. Oversee development and management of the country program budgets. 2. Oversee internal audit reports and closure of all findings and recommendations. 3. Provide support to the Management Quality Coordinator (MQC) and Head of Programming (HoP) to strengthen CRS and local partner accounting and internal audit systems and reporting. 4. If relevant, ensure support to the MQC for Commodities Management for both monetization and distribution. 5. Ensure effective collaboration with all consortium partners in Nigeria. 6. Ensure compliance with all CRS and donor administrative and financial regulations and Burundian law.
III. Personnel Management (CR Competency: Champions Learning and Performance) 1. Supervise staff, including coaching and professional development, performance management and reviews, identify and mentor staff for succession planning; oversee hiring and training of new staff, including orientation to CRS' values, policies, and programming and partnership approaches and strategies. 2. Coach and mentor new management staff, particularly in CRS vision, strategies, policies and procedures. 3. Promote and facilitate a strong CRS Nigeria team that collaborates well with local partners, other country programs, and regional staff. 4. Continue to recruit and develop national and international staff to build a cadre of skilled and committed personnel. 5. Ensure that personnel policies, procedures and salary administration are consistent with regional and agency norms as well as local labor law.
IV. Representation (CR competency: Represents and Partners Strategically) 1. Maintain and strengthen CRS' relationships with key donors, partners and Govt. of Nigeria. 2. Give sustained emphasis to strengthening CRS' relationship with the local Church both at the national and diocesan level. 3. Identify and negotiate funding opportunities for ongoing activities and new programs.
V. Other 1. Participate in CRS Central Africa regional initiatives. 2. Make security-related decisions, under pressure, in the event of an emergency. 3. Remain current on political, economic and social development in Nigeria that may have an impact on CRS and/or partners.
Country Representative Competencies Each CR is expected to use the following competencies to fulfill the duties and responsibilities above.
Leads toward Strategic Results
Manages Risk and Complexity
Represents and Partners Strategically
Champions Learning and Performance
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 Supervisory Responsibilities: Direct reports: the Deputy Country Representative/Management Quality, Head of Programming (HoP) and Chief of Party (CoP) for AIDSReliefs.
Key Working Relationships: Internal: Central Africa Regional Director, Central Africa DRD/PQ, DRD/MQ, and RFO, HQ Regional Representative and other HQ staff responsible for providing support and oversight for Nigeria. External: Frequent contact with Nigeria Church (Episcopal Conference President and Secretary General, CSN and other Church Officials, USAID and other Donors, Government of Nigeria representatives, international and local NGOs, UN agencies, Caritas & Church hierarchy, legal counsel.
Qualifications: 1. Masters degree in international development/relations, public administration, business administration, or related fields. 2. Prior assignment as a CRS Country Representative preferred; or, at least 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in CRS or a similar organization, preferably managing multi-sectoral and multi-partner programming. 3. Demonstrated leadership, management and supervisory skills. 4. Demonstrated ability to represent and advocate for the agency, its programming, and its views to partners and donors. 5. Strong inter-personal skills. 6. Excellent communications skills. 7. Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge and skills formally and informally to diverse audiences; desire and ability to mentor staff. 8. Demonstrated success in program development and fundraising. 9. Knowledge of CRS operations, policies and procedures. 10. Substantial experience with short and long-term planning; financial, human resource and program management. 11. Demonstrated ability to effectively represent the Catholic, American identity of CRS. 12. Knowledge of Church structure and protocol, and the ability to relate effectively to Church officials at various levels in the Church hierarchy. 13. Demonstrated ability to work effectively in challenging cultural environments, to delegate tasks appropriately, and to understand and respond to staff concerns. 14. Excellent organization and planning skills. 15. Knowledge of and working experience in Africa preferred. 16. Fluency in English required functional capacity in French an advantage.
Physical Requirements/Environment: 1. Normal office environment. 2. Ability to travel within Nigeria approximately 25-30% of the time.
Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position
To apply, visit www.crs.org/about/careers
EOE/M/F/D/V
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