Technical Job At Catholic Relief

The role is designed for someone who can combine technical expertise with strategic thinking, program management, partnership development, training, and coordination. The successful candidate will provide advice and practical support to regional teams and Country Programs as they design and implement food security, livelihoods, and market-based interventions for communities affected by poverty, vulnerability, and humanitarian crises.

A significant part of the position will also be dedicated to Sudan. Approximately half of the role will involve supporting the CRS Sudan team in managing and guiding the implementation of Sudan's first Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) Plan. As the main coordinator of the FNS Plan Secretariat, the successful candidate will work with CRS and other humanitarian and development actors to coordinate activities, strengthen collaboration, and support continuous improvement of the plan.

Supporting High-Quality Humanitarian Programming

The Humanitarian Response Department's MBRRR Team provides agency-level leadership in cash and market-based programming as well as emergency food security and livelihoods. This position therefore requires someone who can look beyond individual projects and contribute to how these areas of programming are designed and delivered across CRS operations.

The successful candidate will provide technical guidance to regional and Country Program teams, helping them address challenges related to program design, implementation, monitoring, partnerships, and quality. Support may be provided remotely or through field visits, depending on program needs.

The position will also contribute to the development of strategies, standards, tools, and approaches that can be used across the organization. These efforts are expected to support consistent program quality while allowing teams to adapt their work to different humanitarian and development contexts.

An important part of this work will be ensuring that food security and livelihoods interventions consider issues such as gender, protection, disaster risk reduction, and other cross-sectoral priorities.

Technical Advice and Program Development

A major responsibility will be helping CRS teams translate technical principles into practical programs. The successful candidate will advise teams on strategic planning, program design, implementation standards, monitoring approaches, partnership principles, and established best practices.

The role will also contribute to identifying opportunities for future growth in food security and livelihoods programming. This can include helping regional and Country Program teams prepare for new funding opportunities and contributing technical input to large or complex proposals.

When supporting proposal development, the position may help define the technical approach, monitoring systems, indicators, and other components required to demonstrate program quality. The successful candidate will also advise project teams on how donor priorities and technical requirements can be incorporated into CRS programming.

Capacity Building and Staff Development

Building the skills of staff and partners is another important element of the position. The successful candidate will contribute to learning and capacity-strengthening activities related to food security, livelihoods, and market-based programming.

This may involve helping develop training strategies, learning agendas, curricula, and practical training materials. The position will also participate in workshops and training sessions and provide mentoring and coaching to Country Program staff.

The ability to communicate technical information to people with different levels of experience will therefore be important. Rather than simply providing technical instructions, the role requires someone who can help teams understand and apply good programming practices in their own operating environments.

Coordination of Sudan's FNS Plan

Around 50% of the position will focus directly on supporting CRS Sudan and the implementation of Sudan's first FNS Plan.

As coordinator of the FNS Plan Secretariat, the successful candidate will help organize and manage activities connected to the plan. This includes overseeing relevant activities and budgets and supporting efforts aimed at implementing and continually improving the plan.

The role will require regular engagement with a broad range of stakeholders. These may include CRS colleagues, humanitarian and development organizations, donors, the World Bank, senior leaders, research partners, and other actors working in Sudan.

Relationship management will therefore be central to the position. The successful candidate will need to establish productive working relationships, coordinate meetings when necessary, and maintain communication among stakeholders involved in the FNS Plan.

The position may also be responsible for administering sub-grants connected to the plan, including support for a data partner and additional research or workshops. The successful candidate will help ensure that activities are properly coordinated and that the FNS Plan can be effectively implemented if it is triggered.

Learning, Research and Knowledge Management

The position will also contribute to organizational learning by helping CRS understand what is working, what needs improvement, and what lessons can be applied to future programs.

This can include collecting and analyzing program information, evaluating strategic projects, contributing to impact measurement, documenting lessons learned, and identifying effective practices. The successful candidate may also contribute to research activities and internal reports.

Sharing knowledge will be important because the role works across multiple teams and geographical settings. Lessons from one program or country may help inform the development of another, particularly in areas such as market assessments, emergency response, livelihoods programming, and food security interventions.

The position will also participate in relevant professional forums to exchange knowledge, identify emerging practices, and promote CRS's work in food security and livelihoods.

Donor and Partnership Engagement

Strong external relationship skills are required for this position. The successful candidate will establish and maintain relationships with donors, peer organizations, research institutions, and faith-based civil society partners.

The role involves working with people who may not report directly to the position, meaning the ability to influence, coordinate, and obtain support through professional relationships is important.

Experience working with donors and partners will also be useful when supporting business development and proposal preparation. The successful candidate should understand partnership principles and be comfortable working with organizations and stakeholders from different geographical, professional, and cultural backgrounds.

Skills and Personal Attributes

The position requires strong strategic and analytical abilities. The successful candidate should be able to examine complex issues, identify practical solutions, and understand how individual program decisions affect wider organizational objectives.

Good communication skills are also essential. The role involves writing, presentations, facilitation, training, mentoring, coordination, and regular engagement with senior stakeholders.

Candidates should be proactive, resourceful, diplomatic, and focused on achieving results. Strong interpersonal skills will be particularly valuable because the position involves working across teams, countries, organizations, and professional disciplines.

English is required for the role, while knowledge of Arabic is desirable. The position also requires a willingness and ability to travel, with travel expected to reach up to 50% of the working time. Frequent travel to Sudan will be required, and candidates based in East Africa are strongly preferred.

Academic and Professional Requirements

Applicants should have a Bachelor's Degree in international development or a related discipline covering areas such as food security, livelihoods, or market-based response programming.

At least eight years of relevant international work experience is required, preferably in an advisory or management position with progressive responsibilities. Experience with an international NGO is considered relevant, while candidates should ideally have at least three years of overseas experience working across multiple regions as a technical advisor or program manager.

Experience in market-based programming, multi-sectoral projects, and food security and livelihoods is particularly relevant. Previous experience managing in-kind food assistance programs, including programs such as USAID Title II, would be highly desirable.

Applicants should also have experience providing technical assistance and contributing to successful proposals for external donor funding. A strong understanding of food security and livelihoods principles is expected, together with the ability to connect these areas with related disciplines.

Experience in market assessments and response analysis is important, particularly for determining appropriate programming modalities during rapid-onset humanitarian emergencies.

Candidates should also understand monitoring and evaluation processes, including developing indicators, designing data collection tools and methodologies, analyzing information, and presenting findings.

Experience creating curricula, tools, and other resources for market-based programming is another requirement. Candidates should be able to demonstrate that they can transfer technical knowledge through training, mentoring, coaching, workshops, and other learning methods.

Strong networking and relationship-building experience with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based civil society partners is also expected.

Additional Advantage

A Master's Degree in international development, food security, livelihoods, market-based response programming, or a related field would be an advantage.

Applicants should also be comfortable using Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with web conferencing applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge-sharing networks will support success in the position.

Overall, this opportunity is suited to an experienced humanitarian and development professional who can combine technical food security and livelihoods expertise with strategic planning, partnership management, capacity building, donor engagement, and coordination. The role provides an opportunity to contribute both to broader CRS programming and to the implementation of an important food and nutrition security initiative in Sudan.

Application

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