Chief of Party I – Inclusive Development of Sustainable Farming Systems, Uganda

Job Title: Chief of Party I – Inclusive Development of Sustainable Farming Systems, Uganda

Reports to: Head of Programs

Department: Programs

Salary Grade: 11

*Please note that this position is contingent on donor funding.

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the U.S. to assist the poor and disadvantaged overseas based on need, regardless of creed, ethnicity, or nationality. With over 8,000 staff, CRS is one of the world’s non-governmental organizations and has programs in over 100 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

CRS has been working in Uganda since 1965 and has a vibrant portfolio of projects, serving over a million vulnerable Ugandans and refugees each year through the Country Program 2030 Strategy. CRS programs in Uganda currently support five strategic priority areas, including Health and Social Services Systems Strengthening, Resilient Food Systems, Emergency Preparedness and Management, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Local Leadership. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with local organizations, including international and local NGOs, Ugandan government departments and ministries, the Catholic Church, and community-based organizations for maximum impact and sustainability. CRS Uganda employs around 150 staff and has its main office in Kampala, with sub-offices in Yumbe, Kyangwali and Kasese.

Job Summary

CRS in Uganda is currently recruiting a Chief of Party I to provide leadership and overall management of the upcoming Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) project on Inclusive development of sustainable farming systems in Lango and Busoga regions. The program will be built around the following major components: a. Farmer household and farming systems b. Sustainable land use, irrigation, and crop production c. Market and value chain development. Your leadership, management and technical knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming across all components and advance the position of CRS as a leading agency in food assistance, food security, resilience, value chain and market systems programming. As a senior leader you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of the development, implementation and consolidation of the EKN project, including sharing how the project contributes to the thought leadership of the industry. Serve as the primary point of contact to EKN as well as public, private and non-government stakeholders.
• Ensure the project is designed and implemented to meet donor expectations in terms of timely and quality results and budget, including strategies for phase out and sustainability. Ensure coordination between program and operations leads. Ensure the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) policy and procedures.
• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans, and ensure the updating of such plans.
• Promote, uphold and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Ensure compliance with EKN grants, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration and reporting to EKN. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.
• Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and CRS’ branding and marketing requirements and procedures.
• Coordinate relationships with consortium partner organizations, including organization of review/planning workshops. Coordinate the roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations in implementation in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong 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 with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Required Languages – English proficiency (both written and oral) is required. Proficiency of local languages in Lira and Busoga Districts is a plus.

Travel – This position will be based in the project office in either Jinja or Lira. The Chief of Party I must be willing and able to travel across project locations up to 40% of his/her time.

Supervisory Responsibilities (if none, state none): Program Staff

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Program team,Country Representative, Head of Programs, Head of Operations, Deputy Head of Operations, MEAL Coordinator, Business Development Specialist, Finance Manager, Deputy Finance Manager, Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality, Regional Technical Advisors, HQ based Project Support teams

External: Donors, partner INGOs and local NGOs, Caritas, and peer agencies.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in International Development, International Relations or a relevant technical area. PhD preferred.
• 7 or more years’ relevant management and technical experience.
• 5 years’ experience managing donor funds, including multi country grants. Strong knowledge and experience in budget management.
• 5 years of staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience coaching senior program staff.
• Recognized as a leader in the sector as demonstrated by peer reviewed publications, conference presentations etc.
• Demonstrated experience of successful program management, including management of complex, high-value, multi-activity projects, with complicated logistics.
• Technical knowledge of at least one relevant technical area: a. Farming systems b. Sustainable land use, irrigation, and crop production c. Market and value chain development.
• Broad international experience in managing Farming Systems and Agricultural programs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience as a Chief of Party or comparable senior leadership position.
• Experience engaging partners (local organizations, private sector, government, etc.) and empowering local stakeholders through locally driven interventions adopting durable approaches. Knowledge of CRS partnership strategy a plus.
• Prior experience with EKN-funded projects is a plus
• Ability to represent and present at high levels.
• Experience in gender-sensitive programming
• Excellent English writing skills.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

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 enhances team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team principles.

***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.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

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

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.