District Capacity Strengthening Advisor Job Vacancy: Catholic Relief Services- Zambia Country Program [10 Positions]

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

CRS is currently seeking applications from qualified District Capacity Strengthening Advisor candidates for a USAID-funded Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistance (SUN TA) contract in Zambia. The maximum amount and duration of the award is $75 million dollars for seven-years (four years, with two optional eighteen month, at the discretion of the donor). This activity is expected to provide multi-sectoral, layered, high-impact technical assistance coupled with targeted, cost effective, evidence-based direct implementation to reduce stunting in targeted districts. The SUN TA activity will be responsible for need-based technical capacity strengthening for National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) and line ministries, at national, provincial and primarily at the district level. This will include capacity building in the development of annual work planning and costing of nutrition priority activities and interventions, mentoring regarding implementation of the activities by the line ministries, progress reporting, advocacy and governance strengthening, learning, and monitoring and evaluation. It will also include direct implementation to address time-sensitive gaps in programming. This activity will work initially in a minimum of 30 districts in Zambia, with the potential to increase the geographic scope in future years.

Position Summary

District Capacity Strengthening Advisors will report to Capacity Strengthening & Governance Expert and position to be based in a District to be determined. S/he will be placed in targeted districts and will support the annual planning process of existing District Nutrition Coordinating Committees (DNCC) and the formation of new DNCCs as requested. The District Capacity Strengthening Advisors will provide technical assistance to needs identified in each district’s approved SUN work plan. S/he will manage a team of Nutrition Integration Officers and M&E Officers to coordinate technical assistance to key line ministries as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide supervisory oversight to M&E Officers and Nutrition Integration Officers and ensure that the support and capacity building provided to district level staff is in alignment with the objectives of the project and that these teams are utilizing the project’s tools and resources in capacity building in a consistent way;
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with government officials at district levels as needed;
• Maintain clear, regular and effective lines of communication with regional and district level SUN TA stakeholders;
• Deploy capacity building tools, planning and implementation with district teams;
• Support DNCCs in the use of the annual planning process and the prioritization of the menu of interventions;
• Create and maintain good relationships among all SUN stakeholders, and district level staff to ensure participation in and support of program activities;
• Provide timely feedback to monitoring and evaluation teams on the effectiveness of technical assistance provided to district teams;
• Track and analyze any existing capacity building programs and initiatives relevant to the program and identify areas of collaboration;
• Communicate effectively and continually with stakeholders regarding ongoing capacity building; efforts, upcoming events, status of priorities and other information that affects program goals; and
• Provide mentoring to key line ministries at district level with emphasis on enhancing capacity building of provincial and district staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences or other related areas
• Minimum Eight (8) years of experience in project management, within international organizations or the private sector, including: management of human resources, project activities and/or budgets
• Minimum Five (5) years’ experience utilizing participatory assessment, mapping and planning tools with communities, government representatives and elected officials
• Strong organizational and time management skills; a demonstrated ability to work independently and under tight deadlines
• Demonstrated integrity, discretion and modeling of good governance practices in all interactions
• Excellent cross-cultural skills and familiarity with gender equality principles

Personal Skills

• Relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings
• Strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions
• Written and oral communication skills
• Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented

Travel requirement: 50% across at least 3 districts

Key Working Relationships
Supervisory: Nutrition Integration Officers and M&E Officers
Internal: Capacity Strengthening and Governance Expert, Monitoring and Learning Expert, and Nutrition Child Health Expert
External: SUN Stakeholders and key line ministries at provincial and district levels

Agency-wide 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.

• Trusting Relationships
• Professional Growth
• Partnership
• Accountability

Disclaimer: This job description is dependent on future funding. The 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Applicant Instructions: Please email a cover letter and current CV (inclusive three contactable referees) in MS Word format to: [email protected]. Please include the position you are applying for in the subject line. Do not at this stage attach copies of your academic qualifications.

The closing date for receiving applications is 28th March 2018. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
RECRUITMENT FOR THIS POSITION IS CONTINGENT ON PROJECT AWARD