Country Representative, JWBG

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Country Representative, JWBG

Reports to: Regional Director for EMECA

Department: EMECA

Salary Grade: 12

About CRS:

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Background:

Catholic Relief Services has been operating in the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT) since the 1940s and established an office in Jerusalem in 1961. Our programs, undertaken in partnership with an extensive network of local organizations, aim to support peace with justice for all people in the Holy Land, while responding to the humanitarian needs and development aspirations of the Palestinian people.

CRS’s current programmatic portfolio focuses on humanitarian relief, family resilience, livelihoods, and civil society strengthening programs that contribute towards the promotion of a just, secure, and comprehensive peace in the Holy Land. CRS’s work is funded by a diverse array of public and private donors, and implemented in close partnership with the local Church, through a broad network of local partner organizations. CRS maintains four offices in JWBG, with the main office in East Jerusalem and field offices in the West Bank (Bethlehem & Ramallah) and the Gaza Strip (Gaza City).

Given the highly fluid operational environment in the West Bank and Gaza, strong CRS JWBG team, the diversity and innovation of CRS JWBG programs, the importance of the Holy Land to the USCCB and the global Church, and the country program’s long history and strong reputation, CRS is seeking a Country Representative with a record of accomplishment in strategic visioning, outstanding leadership, new program development, representation, and resource acquisition, and sensitivity and commitment to issues impeding peace and justice, and development in the Holey Land.

Primary Responsibilities:

Responsible for overall leadership and management of the CRS country program, including management of personnel, programs, Church, partner and donor relationships, and financial and material resources. As the CRS Country Representative in the Holy Land, significant external representation is expected. Duties also include guiding the development of new programs and partnerships, building local staff/partner capacity and networks, and representing CRS to a wide variety of people. Considerable emphasis will be placed on continued resource acquisition and diversification, including cultivation of current donors and development of new ones.

Specific Duties:

Personnel Management

• Lead and directly supervise the senior management team, including the Head of Programs, Head of Operations, HR & Employee Health Manager, Gaza Head of Office, and Technical Advisor.
• Ensure full implementation of the CRS performance management system for direct reports and their subordinates, including annual performance planning, regular coaching, annual performance assessment, and timely recognition of unique achievements and interventions for struggling staff.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and professional development, including utilization of CRS professional development plans, emphasis on CRS’s education policy, and frequent in-country learning and dissemination events.
• Recruit, develop, coach, and retain a diverse team of staff to build cadre of skilled and committed personnel.
• Demonstrate, maintain and encourage the principles of a just workplace.

Strategic and Program Management

• Lead the country program team, holding ultimate accountability for the success and reputation of CRS JWBG.
• Provide vision and guidance for annual programming, staff development, resource acquisition, and advocacy plans.
• Manage ongoing programs and guide the development and design of new programs in the areas of humanitarian relief, social justice promotion, livelihoods, disaster risk reduction, environmental sustainability, civil society strengthening, and advocacy, in line with CRS’ Regional and Agency strategies.
• Ensure coherence of country program activities and investments with strategy through regular communication and close collaboration with the Regional Director, regional staff, and colleagues in other country programs in the EMECA region.
• Ensure program quality through consistent implementation of project review systems, comprehensive MEAL systems, and staff/partner development.
• Remain well-informed about national and regional issues affecting CRS’ presence and operations in the OPT, its programs and partners.
• Ensure active country program involvement in pursuing and contributing to the objectives of CRS’ strategy for EMECA.

Financial/Administrative Management

• Work closely with the Head of Operations, Head of Programs, and Finance Manager to develop and monitor annual and multi-year program budgets.
• Ensure compliance with all CRS and donor regulations and requirements, as well as local laws.
• Identify areas of risk and take steps to reduce vulnerabilities.

Representation and Growth

• Represent CRS and share information regularly with local authorities, the Church, local partners, institutional donors, private foundations, other INGOs, the UN, and other relevant networks.
• Pursue strategic alliances with Caritas Internationalis and other partners; promote inter-agency coordination, cooperation and co-funding for relevant programs in the country.
• Identify and negotiate funding opportunities from institutional and non-traditional donors for ongoing and new programs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Excellent 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/mentoring skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
• Should have the ability to function well in a stressful environment, stay focused, and maintain sufficient work-life balance with limited options for downtime activity.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Head of Programs, Head of Operations, Gaza Field Office Manager, HR & Employee Health Manager, and Senior Program Advisor.

Required Languages – Fluency in Arabic is highly desirable.

Travel– Willingness and ability to travel extensively (at least 30%) within the West Bank and Gaza, and occasionally elsewhere in the Middle East.

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Regional Director and regional staff; other EMECA country representatives; EVP Overseas Operations; Chief Financial Officer; colleagues in Overseas Support Department, US Operations, Program Quality & Support Department, Charitable Giving, and Human Resources.

External: Catholic Church, Catholic Coordinating Aid Organizations/CCAO, local partner organizations, host country government agencies, donor agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, foreign governments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience successfully managing a variety of complex, high-value projects from multiple international donors, including USAID, DFID, and UN agencies; understanding of relevant donor regulations.
• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Experience working with Church partners a plus.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience coaching and mentoring senior program staff.
• Ability to represent the agency at high levels.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.
• Demonstrated record of effective leadership at the CR level
• Demonstrated ability to represent effectively the Catholic, American identity of CRS
• Effective interpersonal and communications skills in an inter-cultural setting
• Demonstrated accomplishments in strategic visioning and new programming development
• Proven success in resource acquisition, including cultivation of new donors and partnerships
• Experience in and affinity for institutional strengthening and partnership building
• Familiarity with the Middle East is a plus

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in international development, International Relations or a related field.
• 10 or more years’ experience managing complex relief and development programs including personnel, program and financial management

Agency REDI 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.

• Personal Accountability
• Acts with Integrity
• Collaborates with Others
• Builds and Maintains Trust
• Open to Learn
• Strategic Mindset
• Develops and Recognizes Others
• Leads Change

Physical Requirements/Environment:

· Normal conditions for an office environment

***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