CCD Technical Advisor, Localisation and Capacity Strengthening, Ukraine Response

Job Title: CCD Technical Advisor, Localisation and Capacity Strengthening, Ukraine Response

Reports to: CRS humanitarian markets advisor

Department: Humanitarian Response Department

About CRS

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.

About CCD

The Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) network is made of 14 INGOs committed to collaborating for improved impacts of humanitarian cash programming. Country-level CCD platforms include local actors, and one of CCD’s core focuses is to promote localization and local leadership in humanitarian cash responses. In support of the Ukraine response, CCD has set up a shared services hub to coordinate on joint approaches, and share information, technical resources and learning to strengthen member agency responses. Additionally, CCD will also set up innovative pilots to achieve transformational change in the areas of localization, linkages of CVA with social protection systems and data interoperability.

Note: This is a telecommuter position.

Job Summary:

You will lead on strategy development, and provide technical advice, guidance, and support to promote local leadership and local actor capacity strengthening as part of the Ukraine crisis response for Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) members and partners. You will provide technical assistance in line with industry best practice program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and in line with the needs of CCD members. You will provide support to CCD regional and country program teams to advance the delivery of high-quality cash programming to the poor and vulnerable. Your technical knowledge, advice and guidance will contribute to effective, adaptive and innovative support by CCD members to local actors, particularly civil society, across the Ukraine response.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Lead on strategy development, design and planning of the pilot, and provide advisory in the implementation of strategies in relation to Ukraine response
• Contribute to the development of standards, tools, and best practices in localization and partner capacity strengthening throughout the Ukraine response that effectively engages partners, donors and other humanitarian responders. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.
• Provide technical solutions to CCD team and partners, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply program design and implementation standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools, and M&E, ensuring high-quality implementation.
• Advocate for space and voice for local actors to take leadership roles in response coordination and decision-making across the response.
• Develop a coherent approach for partner capacity development, mapping needs, and opportunities, across the response building on member agencies’ existing practices
• Work to streamline systems for partner assessments, mapping, and capacity strengthening across actors where feasible.
• Contribute to regional and country-level efforts to pre-position local actors for growth opportunities.
• Advise on and contribute to capacity strengthening initiatives for local actors engaged in the response through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and mentoring and coaching to local actors.
• Contribute to knowledge management and learning through collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, assisting with measuring program impact, capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices, and research and internal reports.
• Establish and maintain relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions. Participate in forums in the area of localization and partner capacity strengthening to collect and share best practices and promote the role of local actors in the response.
• Lead CCD Localisation Working Group. Building on the learning from Ukraine crisis and In collaboration with the working group members, develop a framework and approach towards localization and CVA for CCD members that can be adapted in program design and partnership principles in-country by CCD networks and member agencies
• Synthesise learning on localization from Ukraine crisis and other CCD programs that can be disseminated to wider humanitarian community

Required Languages – English required, plus Polish, Romanian, Ukrainian or Russian strongly preferred

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel 50% or more throughout the region.

Duration – this position is for 12 months, with potential for renewal based on need and budget

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent 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.
• Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: CCD members at global level and in-country response team focal points for Ukraine response; CRS markets and localization technical advisors at regional and HQ level; CRS Country Managers and Response Team Leads; CCD pilot project team including CCD Social Protection Advisor, Data Rights and Interoperability Advisor, MEAL manager, Project Manager and other project staff.

External: Local civil society and NGOs engaged in the Ukraine response; Working Group leads; peer UN and NGO organisations involved in the response; donor agencies

Qualifications – External

Basic Qualifications

• Relevant Master’s Degree in international development, economics, or relevant field required
• Considerable experience supporting localization and working with local actors and capacity strengthening required.
• Minimum of five years relevant international working experience in an advisory or management role with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO.
• Previous experience providing technical assistance and developing successful proposals for external donor funding.
• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts in localization and partner capacity strengthening. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.
• Experience in business development, project design and proposal development in localization and partner capacity strengthening including technical writing.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation and training applying adult learning principles and practices.
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation, including applying data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Demonstrated understanding of partnership principles.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

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.

· Integrity

· Continuous Improvement & Innovation

· Builds Relationships

· Develops Talent

· Strategic Mindset

· Accountability & Stewardship

*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.

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

Note: All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside their home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical examination.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people – especially children and vulnerable adults – to live free from abuse and harm.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate or global telecommuter, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer