Chief of Party II - Feed the Future Resilience, Nigeria

Job Description

Job Title: Chief of Party II - Feed the Future Resilience, Nigeria

Job Location: Abuja, Nigeria

Reports to: Deputy Country Representative- Programs

Salary Grade: 12

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 consideration of 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 been operating in Nigeria for over 25 years, with experience across all 36 states. The organization has substantial expertise in building resilient agriculture-led livelihoods, enhancing agricultural value chains, and advancing market systems. CRS has successfully implemented several USAID-funded agriculture and livelihood development projects, including the Feed the Future (FtF) Agriculture and Livelihoods project and the Water for Agriculture initiatives across the Northeast and Northwest regions. Additionally, CRS is leading value chain initiatives such as the BASICS project, which focuses on developing cassava value chains.

Job Summary

As Chief of Party II, you will provide vision, leadership, and overall management of the USAID-funded Resilience project to serve the poor and vulnerable. Your strategic leadership, management and technical knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and advance the position of CRS as a leading agency in the fields of Agriculture, Nutrition, Livelihoods, and Market Systems Development. You will oversee the project consortium, activities, and staff, while driving strategic thinking, team development, and change management. Additionally, you will collaborate with host country agencies and stakeholders and ensure project alignment with the FtF Nigeria Country Strategy and the GFSS. As a senior leader you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

Responsibilities

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Lead all aspects of the development, implementation, and consolidation of the USAID FtF Resilience project, including sharing how the project contributes to the thought leadership of the industry. Serve as the primary point of contact to USAID as well as public, private and non-government stakeholders.
• Ensure the project is designed and implemented to meet donor expectations in terms of timely and quality results and budget, including strategies for phase out and sustainability. Ensure coordination between program and operations leads. Ensure the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans and ensure the updating of such plans.
• Promote, uphold, and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Ensure compliance with USAID grant regulations, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration, and reporting to USAID. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.
• Represent CRS programming in international circles, highlighting innovative work. Publish program results and deliver presentations. Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and CRS’ branding and marketing requirements and procedures.
• Manage relationships with consortium partner organizations, including organization of review/planning workshops. Coordinate the roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations in implementation in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance.
  
  

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in International Development, Agriculture, Agriculture Economic, Agribusiness or a relevant technical area. PhD preferred.
• 10 or more years’ relevant management and technical experience.
• 7 years experience managing donor funds, including multi country grants. Excellent knowledge and experience in budget management.
• 5 years of staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience coaching and mentoring senior program staff.
  
  

Required Languages – Fluency English is required.

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 30%.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Excellent strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Excellent relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching/mentoring skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Established leader in sector as demonstrated by peer reviewed publications, conference presentations etc.
• Demonstrated experience of successful program management, including management of complex, high-value, multi-activity projects, with complicated logistics.
• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Knowledge of CRS partnership strategy a plus.
• Ability to represent and present at high levels.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.
  
  

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 enhances team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.
  
  

Supervisory Responsibilities: Deputy CoP, Award Management Officer, Program Managers

Key Working Relationships

Internal: Deputy Country Representative - Programs, Deputy Country Representative – Operations, Deputy HoP, CP MEAL Coordinator, Business Development Specialist, Head of Finance and Grants, Regional and Strategic Technical Advisors

External: USAID, other USAID activities, relevant government Ministries and Departments and Agencies (MDAs), other HDP nexus or resilience activities, LGA, and community stakeholders.

• 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.

About Us

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.

About The Team

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