Senior Project Officer at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an International non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 100 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to programs in every country in which CRS operates. CRS re-established presence in Nigeria in 2000 and currently focuses on vulnerable children, agriculture, health and HIV, extractives and governance, and peace building programming.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Project Officer

Job Ref Code: SPOEDO11117
Location: Edo
Department: Programs / GF HIV
Position Band: D-1
Project: Health Programs/GF Investing for Impact Against Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS
Reports To: Senior Program Manager
Supervises: Technical Specialist, M&E Officer, Adherence Officer, Program Assistant, Project Driver

Job Context

• CRS is a Sub-Recipient to Family Health International (FHI 360) on the Global Fund New Funding Model HIV Program in Nigeria.
• The Program seeks to scale up gender sensitive HIV prevention services among children and adults in Nigeria.

Job Responsibilities
Program Management:

• Monitor target achievement across PHCs and SHCs and provide feedback to ensure target achievement.
• Work with Technical Specialist to mentor facility staff to ensure their provision of high quality services.
• Actively come up with strategies to ensure donor target achievements are met.
• Utilize data from M&E team to guide programming.
• Support community groups to carryout community mobilization activities to facilitate demand creation for supported facilities as necessary.
• Lead the community mobilization efforts by liaising with all co actors in the states and ward development committees
• Ensure that all support groups are functional and meeting regularly.
• Work with Technical Specialist to collaborate with facility staff and support groups to ensure all patients on ART are tracked and followed up on.
• Ensure adequate knowledge of all process and output indicators specified by the PR and donor.
• Compile state office staff work plans and send to the SPM for approval (monthly and quarterly).
• Write high quality monthly and quarterly program reports and submit to SPM.
• Provide leadership to the state field office.

Budget Management:

• Responsible for managing and appropriately utilizing facility budgets as directed by the SPM.
• Request for a bi-weekly cash advance for all the field office activities, in line with the approved work plan.
• Ensure all cash advances made to the state office and state office staff are liquidated promptly.
• Actively monitor the state office budget and flag any over and under expenditure to ensure that corrective actions are taken.

Partnerships and Networking:

• Liaise with other GF PRs and SRs in the state to ensure coordinated service provision to the CRS sites.
• Organize periodic partners’ forum to share updates and examine achievement of program goals
• Act as the primary liaison between CRS and the state government (GoN) officials – SAPCs, SITs, SACA, SMoH, LACA, LGA, Wards- to facilitate information sharing and networking.
• Liaise with the state PEPFAR IP to ensure that the CRS GF partner facilities can leverage available resources and are fully supported.
• Coordination and reporting of community activities and service delivery at PHCs.
• Develop and maintain healthy relationships between CRS’ GF partner facilities, CRS, the Catholic Church and its partners, the GoN and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Represent CRS at all state level meetings that CRS is invited to.

Training and Mentoring:

• Ensure that the following meetings hold and provide leadership at these meetings – weekly team meetings, monthly work plan review meetings, quarterly program review meetings.
• Request and monitor on-going on-site technical assistance visits to CRS’ partner facilities (PHCs and SHCs), coordinate responses to site issues, collaboratively share issues and responses both in documents and in Program review meetings
• Ensure all partners understand program priorities and promote buy-in from partners.

MEAL Responsibilities:

• Accountability: Actively seeks and responds to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other stakeholders.
• Analysis and Critical Thinking: Make informed decisions based on key project data findings, trends, comparisons between sub-groups of data, and by making explicit important assumptions.
• Learning: Facilitates connections between colleagues and peers to generate and share evidence-based learning.

CRS/Nigeria Program Responsibilities:

• The Senior Project Officer will also participate as a full member of the CRS/Nigeria Program Department.  This will include active involvement in all Program Department activities as needed.

Supervision and Mentoring:

• Supervise and mentor staff.
• Together with the HR Manager in Abuja, ensure all new staff receives proper CRS orientation; promote just workplace and diversity principles. Ensure staff well-being.

Audit:

• Actively promote compliance with key CRS policies and procedures relevant for the effective operations of a CRS sub-office. For example, orientation training for new sub-office staff should address relevant internal controls. Particular attention should be paid to the CRS Internal Control Policy (POL-FIN-ICS-024), the Segregation-of-Duties Procedure (POL-FIN-ICS-024.02), the Financial Resource Control in Cash Environments Procedure (PRO-FIN-CAS-007.01), the Agency’s Procurement Manual, and the Staff Safety and Security Guidelines. 
• In coordination with the Head of Operations, take timely, concrete actions to resolve any recommendations arising from audits and from management’s own periodic monitoring of internal controls at the Country Program’s sub-office(s), including through the annual Internal Control Questionnaire (ICQ) process.

Security:

• Ensure implementation and staff compliance to CRS Safety and Security Policies and Procedures towards minimizing staff exposure to safety and security risks, through ensuring staff adherence to safety and security best practices as contained in FSP, proper security orientation of staff and partners in the project through security briefings, improving quality of security information through gathering of security intelligence to guide staff movement within project activity area, manage movement of staff through issuance of security clearance across project activity area.

Representation and Advocacy:

• As team leads of sub offices, support agency-wide competencies and ensures field office is in compliance at all times.
• In consultation with the Head of Unit HSS, represent CRS Nigeria at state meetings, relevant technical working committees and well as with church partners.
• Collaborate and strengthen linkages with technical focal persons from relevant state and federal agencies.

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

Key Working Relationships

• Internal: Senior Program Manager, Clinical Coordinator, M&E Manager, Other State Team Leads, Technical Specialists, FCO, Head of Unit HSS, HoOPs, Head of Finance.
• External: SACA, SASCP, LGA officials, etc

Qualifications

• M.B.B.S., B. Pharm, BMLS or B. Nursing; with a Masters’ degree in public health or a related field strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years working experience in public health, with at least 3 years in HIV/AIDS programming.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a project in a HIV/AIDS service delivery setting, including working with government authorities.
• Demonstrated people management and interpersonal skills.
• Proven experience working with and through partner organizations in both the public and private sectors.
• Working knowledge of and experience with GF or USG projects will be an advantage.
• Ability to interface with multiple stakeholders, representatives, and partners in a professional manner on an ongoing basis.
• Excellent analytical and information-seeking skills, and good decision-making skills.
• Experience with participatory planning and evaluation methods preferred.
• Excellent English language- oral and written communication skills. Report writing skills are critical for this position.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Ability to travel 50% of time in assigned state.

Disclaimer:

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

Application Closing Date
13th November, 2017

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download the "Application Form Below" and send with a detailed 3-page resume in a single file word document to: [email protected] indicating in the subject line of their application the job title and reference code for the position and the state being applied for (e.g  SPOEDO11117)

Click here to download Application Form (MS Word)

Note

• CRS is an equal - opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, etc. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply”.
• CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation .