Background:

More than four decades of conflict and natural disasters, particularly droughts, have resulted in persistent poverty in Afghanistan, especially in rural areas, as well as high levels of displacement to urban areas. The country’s long conflict has left many families displaced and impoverished, but the war’s end in 2021 has opened the possibility of reaching many previously inaccessible communities.

CRS has been working on behalf of Afghan families since 2002, providing emergency relief, WASH, education, improved agricultural techniques, and other life‐enriching services to tens of thousands of households. CRS is currently implementing programs in the provinces of Bamiyan, Daikundi, Ghor, Herat, and Kabul.

Job Summary:

As a member of the Country Program (CP) Senior Management Team, you will provide overall strategic direction, leadership, and management of the CP’s programming to ensure the establishment and successful implementation of large and complex programming serving the poor and vulnerable. Your leadership, management and knowledge will enable the CP to advance local leadership, deliver high-quality programming and continuously work toward improving the impact of its programming at scale. As part of the Senior Management Team, you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

You will work with staff and partners across multiple locations and conduct regular visits to provincial offices to provide oversight to program implementation. You will lead the establishment and advancement of local partnerships and actively lead partner capacity strengthening and staff development to ensure quality program implementation. You will also support technical advisors in strategic technical areas to continuously raise the technical quality of CRS’ work in Afghanistan as well as learning on a country level.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Effectively manage talent and supervise staff. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessment for direct reports. Contribute to developing staffing plans for large and complex projects and to the recruitment process of senior project staff.

• In collaboration with the Country Representative (CR), provide leadership and strategic direction for the design of CP strategic frameworks and plans, including the development of resource mobilization strategies to optimize the impact of programming interventions in line with regional and agency strategic priorities to catalyze outcomes at scale and advance local leadership.

• Oversee the identification, assessment and strengthening of appropriate partnerships and ensure the proper application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches. Develop and implement a local partnership strategy to advance CRS’ local leadership strategy.

• Lead high-quality project design incorporating project management standards and MEAL methods, appropriate to the scope, context, and technical requirements of projects. Coordinate the planning of activities across projects to ensure integration and efficiency in implementation.

• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing ideas, solutions, and difficulties and develop the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Promote accountability, learning and knowledge management overseeing application of the MEAL policy, as well as cross-sectoral and cross-department learning.

• Coordinate with CP operations leads to ensure appropriate project budgeting and efficient use and stewardship of project materials and resources.

• In coordination with resource mobilization staff oversee the business development cycle to ensure quality proposals per agency and donor standards. Represent CRS in donor engagements and strategic working groups to position CRS strategically for new funding.

• Ensure technical assistance and capacity strengthening for project teams and partners in project management standards and related MEAL, business development and operational activities. Identify training opportunities, develop training curriculums and deliver trainings.

Required Languages – Fluency in English. Knowledge of Dari is a plus.

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 50%. Frequent travel within Afghanistan, often short trips (via plane) to field offices and Kabul, as well as occasional international travel for agency and donor meetings.

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.

• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.

• Team leadership abilities.

• Presentation and facilitation skills

• Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented and results-oriented

Supervisory Responsibilities: Program Managers (4), Technical Advisors (4)

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Country Representative, Head of Operations, Project Director, Program Managers, Procurement Manager, Finance Manager, Human Resources Manager, Head of Offices, Senior Program Officers, Technical Advisors, Deputy Regional Director – Program Quality, and relevant members of Regional & HQ teams.

External: Government ministries at the national, provincial, and district levels; donors, partners, peer agencies, clusters, and UN agencies.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Master's Degree in International Development, International Relations or relevant field.

• Minimum of five years of relevant field-based program management, at least three years of middle/senior management experience.

• Experience in development of successful proposals, reports, strategic alliances, project design, project management, and monitoring and evaluation.

• Proven experience in establishment and advancement of local partnerships and in partners capacity strengthening.

• Experience in staff management, development, training, and mentoring, as well as in team building and strategic planning initiatives.

• Experience in community development, community mobilization, or similar grassroots, self-help initiatives.

• Experience in project grants management, including project design, budget preparation, expenditure tracking, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, etc., preferably for projects funded by multiple public donors, including USAID, BMZ, and/or the EU.

• Experience with successful business development activities capturing public and/or private donor funding.

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent English writing skills.

• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.

• Experience and abilities in capacity strengthening: developing curricula and facilitating trainings.

• Experience using MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge sharing networks.

Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• 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 enhance team and agency performance.

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

What we offer

CRS offers U.S. based staff a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan. Benefits packages for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. are based on the country of employment/in-country office where the candidate will perform the role. CRS´ work culture is a collaborative, mission-driven culture committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.

About Us

CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate, 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 committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse. The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

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.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements**.** All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.

How to apply

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