Project Manager – Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. We alleviate suffering and provide assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, belief or nationality. CRS maintains strict standards of efficiency, accountability and transparency. Last year, more than 92 percent of revenues spent went directly to programs that benefit the poor overseas.

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.

The CRS India program was established in 1946. The national office is in New Delhi with sub-offices in Lucknow and Chennai. CRS supported programmes are being implemented across several states of India. CRS India’s programme priority areas include Health, Child Protection, Ag-livelihoods and Disaster risk reduction, with a focus on systems approach to achieve transformational change at scale. CRS works with local partner organizations to support and empower vulnerable communities and households through implementation of development, relief and recovery programs.

Job Title: Project Manager – 1
Department: Program
Band: 9
Reports to: Head of Office- North India with dotted line to global Project Director
Country/Location: Uttara Pradesh / Lucknow

Background: The Sustainable, Targeted, Responsive approach to Optimize Nutrition and Growth (STRONG) for Adolescent Girls and Young Women is a five-year multi-country, multi-faceted endeavor that will empower AGYW (aged 10–24 years) to protect and promote their own health while, at the same time, strengthening and protecting the future families of participating young people by improving their knowledge of and access to infant and young child nutrition and health support. The project that will address critical nutrition needs of adolescent girls and young women, with an emphasis on a multi – regional perspective and incorporating a significant goods delivery component. Activities implemented in seven countries will contribute to the achievement of global results, targets, and indictors under one global award. In India, this program will be implemented in two districts of Odisha namely Gajapati and Raygada and two districts of Uttar Pradesh namely Sitapur and Shahjahanpur.

Job Summary:
As the India Project Manager STRONG, you will manage, coordinate, and monitor project activities and relationships with partners and other project stakeholders contributing to the achievement of STRONG project objectives and advancing Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable.

Your project management skills and knowledge of health and nutrition for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and advance work towards increasing the impact of this global project. Your advice, knowledge, and support will contribute to effective, adaptive, and innovative high-quality programming.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Project Manager will lead India’s STRONG technical, budget management, monitoring, and reporting activities throughout the project cycle – start-up, implementation and close-out – in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Effectively manage and supervise talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, contribute to the recruitment process of project staff, and complete performance management for direct reports.
• Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities following MEAL Policy.
• Proactively identify issues, report them to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Engage and strengthen partnerships relevant to STRONG, applying appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools, and approaches.
• Represent the project with donors, INGO working groups, UN, relevant local partners and relevant local government and community actors advancing nutrition for AGYW.
• Coordinate activities required for ensuring the financial, material and human resources for the quality
  implementation of the project in India. Conduct periodic budget reviews and follow-up with partners on timely submission of financial reports to facilitate proper tracking of resource use.
• Identify staff capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and contribute to capacity strengthening and required interventions to support quality project implementation.
• Identify, assess, prioritize, document, and manage risk and its impact. Assess the probability and impact of risk and recommend mitigating strategies and plans.
• Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and disseminate results. Review project documentation to ensure project file is complete with all required documentation and is filed per agency and donor requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in the field of Nutrition or Public Health or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience in project management, ideally in the field of Nutrition and for an NGO/INGO.
• Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Required Languages – Spoken Hindi and strong written and spoken English skills. Basic spoken skill of
  Odia language will be a plus.
• Travel Required: 30- 40% travel to project sites and to any other state as per the requirement of
  the project

Duration
The initial appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of an annual renewal based on extension of the project by donor.

Key Working Relationships:

Supervision: Meal Coordinator, Finance and Admin Officer and Two Project Officers.

Internal: Working relationship with Global Project Director, Head of Programming, Head of Operations,

Head of Office-South India, Manager-Health & Nutrition, Manager- Agriculture & livelihood, Nutrition-
Advisor, Agriculture and Livelihoods Advisor, Finance Manager

External: STRONG consortium members, Local NGOs implementing STRONG, INGO and NGO working in
nutrition, relevant government department at the district, state and national level

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with local stakeholders. Representation abilities.
• Ability to contribute to, and ensure quality of, written reports
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant complex grant management experience, especially for USG or other public donors, a plus.
• Staff supervision experience.
• Demonstrable experience of working with diverse partners, including NGOs and government.
• Strong budget management skills.
• Ability to contribute to the development of technical proposals, a plus.
• Experience analyzing data and contributing to evaluation reports.
• Exposure to supply chain and large-scale procurement and logistics
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

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

***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. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

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

If this role excites you, please apply to resume@socialsynthesis.in Social Synthesis is the talent partner for Catholic Relief Servcies