Mali: Program Manager II - Emergency Coordinator, Mali

About CRS:
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. As the overseas relief and development arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, it was founded in 1943 and works in nearly 100 countries globally.
Emergency Response and Recovery is one of CRS’ main programming areas. In 2015, we supported more than 13 million people affected by emergencies in 46 countries including Mali, through 168 projects with a total value of $267 million.

Job Background/Summary:
Mali has faced a complex protracted emergency ever since a drought in 2011 was followed by a coup d’état and partial takeover of the country by separatist and Jihadist groups in 2012. This caused displacement of over 500,000 Malians, and was followed by a French military intervention and subsequent arrival of the UN stabilization mission MINUSMA. While democracy was restored through national elections, all of Mali but especially the center and north of the country continues to remain tense, with populations facing a multitude of threats including attacks by bandits, rebel- or Jihadist groups, inter-ethnic conflict, floods, and drought.

CRS Mali and its partners have responded to humanitarian emergencies since establishing its first program in 1999. The emergency portfolio was over $3.5 million in fiscal year 2015. Key current emergency projects include a Government of Canada-funded nutrition and WASH project in Timbuktu; Tadihilt II, focusing on WASH and nutrition in eastern Timbuktu; Sandji-Ko, an innovative CRS-funded Urban DRR project focusing on Bamako and the urban center of San (Segou); and an OFDA-funded project, Kisili, that offers early warning and rapid response to sudden onset emergencies across Mali. All of our projects use market based responses (cash, vouchers) and cutting edge ICT4D for information management, GIS mapping, service delivery, accountability, and reporting.

CRS Mali employs over 170 staff in offices in Bamako, Mopti, Gao, and Timbuktu.

Primary Function:
The CRS Mali Emergency Coordinator is a well-rounded and experienced manager, capable of developing a holistic vision to emergency response and recovery in a continuously fluent and insecure environment. S/he knows the humanitarian infrastructure and donor environment well and is an effective networker with other NGOs, UN agencies, and preferably within a UN peacekeeping mission. S/he will be responsible for planning, implementing, and managing emergency programming in Mali, through the supervision of the Program Managers responsible for the individual emergency projects. S/he will provide technical leadership to the program team and partners, and develop strategies for a three-pronged humanitarian response:
• Short-term emergency assistance to sudden onset emergencies
• Recovery, and
• Medium-term resiliency programming as the crisis evolves.

Strengthening the technical and management capacity of emergency program staff and partner organizations will also be an important part of this role. S/he will work closely with the CRS’ global Humanitarian Response Department (HRD). The person represents CRS at regular UN and other coordination and cluster meetings, in support of the Country Representative.

Specific Job Responsibilities:

Emergency Response Management:
• Monitor the humanitarian context in Mali through consistent participation in relevant information and coordination forums, as well as through managing a large network of local information sources.
• As needed, lead rapid deployments of assessment teams across the country, ensuring accountable approaches applying international standards and using ICT4D.
• Lead startup of emergency response activities as needed

Program Leadership & Quality Management:
• Responsible for managing all ongoing emergency response and DRR projects in Mali, ensuring project managers adhere to work plans and stay on budget.
• Facilitate a refreshing of the CRS Mali emergency response and recovery strategy, ensuring integration with ongoing resilience and development projects.
• Contribute to the preparation of concept papers and grant proposals for submission to major donors, especially through the early flagging of humanitarian emergencies and the gathering of primary and secondary data. This requires working closely with CRS/Mali’s Business Development Coordinator, program staff, resource agencies, partners and communities to do participatory needs assessments, project design and proposal writing.
• Ensure emergency project quality through development and implementation of monthly or quarterly emergency project reviews, comprehensive MEAL systems and partner capacity enhancement.
• Ensure all CRS and partners work in an accountable manner, and that all projects have a transparent, functioning complaints and response mechanism; a core element of Protection Mainstreaming.
• Work with the ICT4D manager to ensure effective usage of CRS ICT4D suite in all projects, and explore ways to improve quality and efficiency with new technologies.
• Enhance CRS and partner capacity in needs assessment and post activity monitoring.
• Complete reports to donors as per project agreements, including financial reports. With Administration and Finance departments, ensure program compliance with all CRS and donor administrative and financial requirements.
• Collaborate with the finance department to ensure budget holders are trained on budget management and meet CRS budgetary cycle deadlines
• Support project managers/officers and MEAL officers to effectively implement, and improve as needed, the MEAL systems across all projects, following the Propack III and MEAL in Emergencies Guidance. Facilitate Real-Time Evaluations; promote project reviews and other learning events.
• Lead on the development of SitReps for internal and external use.
• Work with program staff to promote CRS partnership principles and establish new partnerships that will further CRS programming in Mali.
• Maintain close coordination with CRS emergency managers in Burkina Faso and Niger
• With input from the Humanitarian Response Dept (HRD) as needed, make effective use of CRS Emergency Response and Recovery specific guidance and tools including the online Emergency ToolKit, MEAL in Emergencies, Protection Mainstreaming and Emergency related sections of other guidance for operations.
• Participate actively in the HRD generalist capacity building and information sharing activities and ensure onward sharing with the Country Program team.

Staff Supervision:
• Supervise CRS Emergency Project Managers/Officers in Mali
• Supervise and mentor international Emergency Program Intern.
• Support emergency project staff through close attention to staff care, mentoring, and development and monitoring of CRS Performance Plans through coaching sessions and appraisals.
• Promote appropriate staff behavior in the field and an accountable and Do No Harm approach for a better understanding of local communities and the local working environment
• Ensure security management is integrated into program activities with a particular attention to the strategy of acceptance and compliance of staff with security procedures.
• Ensure timely identification of the need for TDYers for emergency programs and the development of related SOWs.

Representation & Partnership:
• In support of the Country Representative, maintain contact with Donor Agencies, the UN cluster system, and other NGOs to ensure that interventions are coordinated with those of other agencies and meet local requirements
• Represent CRS and share information regularly with local authorities, local partners, the UN, other NGOs and other appropriate networks concerned with emergency response and recovery.
• Support where appropriate UN contingency planning.
• Support project implementing partners and ensure all partnerships fit in the larger CRS Mali partnership vision and partnership unit workplan
• Identify/negotiate funding opportunities and pursue strategic partnerships for ongoing emergency activities.

CRS Emergency Competencies
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.
• Communicates strategically under pressure
• Manages stress and complexities
• Actively promotes safety and security
• Implements high-quality emergency programs

Program Manager Competencies
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.
• Sets clear goals and manages toward them
• Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders
• Manages financial resources with integrity
• Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning

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: Emergency Project Program Managers/Officers, one international Emergencies Intern.

Key Working Relationships:
Internal: Country Representative, Head of Programs, Business Development Coordinator, Program Quality PM, MEAL Coordinator, program managers, Security Manager and Security Officer, RTAs, HRD
External: Local and international NGOs, Government of Mali representatives, UN agencies, Partners and Donors.

Qualifications & Skills:
• Master’s Degree in International Development or related field
• Must have a minimum of five years program management experience with an international NGO
• Experience managing multiple donor funded projects in a sudden onset or complex emergency, demonstrating a holistic vision and approach to humanitarian response
• Demonstrated experience organizing rapid assessments and emergency start-ups
• Demonstrated experience applying SPHERE Standards while working with IDPs or during a food security crisis.
• Thorough understanding of cash, voucher and other market based response mechanisms in emergency response and recovery
• Demonstrated ability to work in partnership with local communities, government and NGOs as appropriate.
• Ability to represent CRS at high level coordination meetings with donors, local government, UN, and other international NGOs.
• Demonstrated leadership ability in strategic planning initiatives.
• Proven ability to develop proposals and write reports meeting donor requirements.
• Experience managing programs and teams implemented in fluid and insecure environments
• Excellent analytical, management, communication and negotiation skills.
• Must be able to prioritize multiple work demands and work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision.
• Proven ability to be an effective supervisor of staff of varying levels of responsibility.
• Advanced computer literacy and proficiency in Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, etc.) Skills in ICT4D, GIS mapping a plus.
• Professional proficiency in English and French. Local Malian languages a plus.

Travel: Frequent travel to sub-offices and field locations, security permitting.

Language: Professional proficiency in English and French.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, 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

Apply online: http://bit.ly/2aHPCX9