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 identify is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as part of our staff and as partner's people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and commitment to serving those in need.

Background

Above average torrential rains are occurring across Uganda and are expected to last until the end of this year. The heavier than normal rains are enhanced by a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) which caused a 2-degree centigrade rise in Indian Ocean water temperatures. Rising temperatures resulted in higher evaporation rates and subsequent increased rainfall across East Africa. In Uganda, the impact of the heavy rains has been enormous, triggering floods and landslides in multiple districts. In addition to climate change, a key underlying risk factor is environmental degradation on mountain slopes and in wetlands due to population pressure. In mountainous areas such as Mt. Elgon, many communities have been established along the riverbanks and in low lying areas that are particularly prone to flooding.

In the last year, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has led three emergency responses to provide life-saving support to households affected by landslides and flooding in Bududa, Bulambuli and Butaleja Districts in the Mt. Elgon sub-region. With funding from the START Fund, CRS private funds, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CRS and partner Caritas Tororo are providing immediate emergency relief and early recovery support to households affected by recurrent flooding. CRS would like to hone its voucher modality and market-based response when possible (instead of relying solely on in-kind distributions). Market-fairs focused on recovery may include agricultural outputs and/or DiNER seed fairs. Other recovery activities include cash-for-work programming and DRR initiatives. Moving forward, the CRS and Caritas team would like to complement emergency relief efforts with disaster mitigation activities that could help reduce the impact of flooding and increase the communities' resilience in the face of changing weather patterns. It is a critical time to focus on DRR interventions to reduce the impacts of these recurring disasters.

Along with the emergency flood response, CRS Uganda is currently managing a portfolio worth over $3.5 million, with funding from Latter-Day Saint Charities (LDSC), CRS Private Funds, and Education Cannot Wait to provide WASH, shelter, livelihoods and education infrastructure construction services to South Sudanese beneficiaries in Yumbe District in northern Uganda and Congolese and South Sudanese refugees in Kiryandongo and Kyangwali in southwestern Uganda.

Position Summary:

Provide general support to response teams; follow-through on guidance from HRD technical experts, assist Team Leads in design, implementation and financial and programmatic monitoring for interventions (including but not limited to: in-kind or market-based core relief response to early recovery, cash for work, DRR activities, capacity strengthening and coordination w/ local partners). Proposal and budget development for new funding opportunities expected as well.

The position will be supervised by the Senior Program Manager for Emergencies and will work with other Emergency staff as well as other Programming, Admin/Operations, and Finance staff. Through this position, the staff member will gain exposure to CRS emergency programming, planning and implementation, different business development and management techniques, Humanitarian Coordination and other coordination mechanisms. CRS' regular performance planning and development tools will be used to help the Emergency Fellow manage this assignment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure alignment with Country Program (CP) and agency strategic program quality and operations excellence priorities and standards in all emergency portfolio activities
  • Support to the development and implementation of a strong M&E systems using CRS tools and resources to maximize project impact on project participants.
  • Support the Senior Program Manager for Emergencies and emergency team with grant compliance.
  • Assist the Senior Project Officer with project implementation, assessments and partner trainings, as needed.
  • Assist the Senior Project Officer with the development of project reports, success stories and lessons learned.
• Assist with the development of new emergency and recovery projects and programs.
  • Contribute to the development of concept papers and assist in the design, writing, and coordination of project proposals.
  • Assist the Senior Program Manager for Emergencies with project start up.
• Translate and edit reports and other project documents, as needed.
• Create marketing documents and organize information-sharing sessions on CRS emergency innovations and results.
• Attend pertinent meetings, such as Humanitarian Coordination meetings, for representation and information-gathering

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Agency-wide Competencies:

These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfil his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

CRS Emergency Competencies:

These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfil 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

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Country Representative, Head of Programs, Senior Program Manager for Emergencies, Emergency Program Project Managers and program team, MEAL Officers, Finance staff, , Program Quality Manager, HRD staff

External: Local Partner staff, Government of Uganda and other stakeholders, donors, representatives of other humanitarian agencies operating in Uganda

Personal Skills:

• Ability to collaborate effectively in diverse, dynamic and talented teams.
• Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility.
• Demonstrated personal accountability and drive to serve others.
• Strong organizational and planning skills, detail-oriented
• Able to prioritize work, multi-task and meet deadlines.
• Willingness to work in a fluid security environment and the maturity to strictly work within clearly defined security protocols and systems.
• Able to analyse problems and design solutions at strategic and functional levels.
• Maturity and discretion.

Qualifications:

• Master's degree candidate in international development or other related discipline.

• Familiarity with project management principles, with emphasis on grant management, budgeting, MEAL, Emergency and Food Security programming.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, cultural sensitivity, demonstration of good judgment and commitment to the CRS mission.
• Familiarity with partner capacity building.
• Fluency in English (able to write reports and other documents in English).
• Understanding of Catholic Social Teaching concepts or willingness to learn.
• Familiarity with administrative and financial management.
• Excellent computer skills, ICT4D skills especially GIS mapping desired

Disclaimer: Duties and responsibilities are 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer