Head of Office – Afghan nationals female only

About CRS

CRS is an international humanitarian agency working 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 are accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

Country Background

CRS began working with local partners in Afghanistan in 1998 and launched its own direct operations in 2002. CRS is currently implementing programs in the provinces of Bamiyan, Daykundi, Ghor, Herat, and Kabul. CRS currently maintains five (5) main offices in the country in Kabul, Bamiyan, Ghor, Daykundi, and Herat, as well suboffices that support the direct implementation of program activities.

Currently, there is more than 300 CRS Afghanistan staff and expatriates. CRS’ main program areas in Afghanistan are emergency response, agriculture, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

CRS has been implementing education programs in Afghanistan since 2003 and is a key education actor in the country.

CRS Afghanistan’s portfolio currently includes projects funded by institutional donors such as UK FCDO, USAID, UNICEF, and non-institutional donors such as Caritas partners, Lifes2Good Foundation, and funds privately raised by CRS. The CRS strategic plan for Afghanistan focuses on poverty and risk reduction, human development and emergency response in rural areas in western and central Afghanistan. CRS works to:

• Support people, especially girls and women from marginalized communities, to gain basic education.
• Support poor rural and peri-urban households to have increased livelihood security.
• Support vulnerable communities to survive shocks without long-term negative impact on their livelihoods.

Job Summary

The Bamiyan Head of Office will manage and represent CRS’ activities operating through its fully operational sub-offices in Bamiyan, Yakawlang and Dare-Chasht as well as satellite programming in Waras, Panjab and Sayghan to ensure implementation of high-quality programs serving the poor and vulnerable across 6 districts. Out of the Bamiyan office you will ensure the development and effective management of operational systems and resources and the delivery of high-quality programming in coordination with the CRS main office in Herat and its representational office in Kabul.

Work closely with a dynamic team of national and international staff and be responsible for supervising and ensuring the efficiency and accountability of the administration and finance units, and providing general management and oversight of the Bamiyan, Yakawlang and Dare-Chasht offices and satellite locations in Waras, Panjab, and Sayghan. The Head of Office will work closely with the Head of Operations and Program Managers, who report to the Head of Programming, to ensure high quality implementation of all programs in Bamiyan province, oversee staff safety and security, and represent CRS interests with government agencies, partners in Bamiyan and Kabul. The role will require close coordination with colleagues in Herat and Kabul as well as CRS’ other provincial offices in Ghor and Daykundi. You will be supported by the Country Representative, Head of Programming, Head of Operations, Program Managers, and other senior staff based in other CRS offices who often travel to Bamiyan. This position has significant responsibilities for strengthening the management quality capacity of senior local staff. You will work closely with the Head of Operations to build management systems and ensure program staff are supported to carry out their work. Particular emphasis will be placed on promoting leadership and management roles for women and other local staff.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• • Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, and complete performance management for direct reports. Monitor and assess performance to ensure adequate capacity. Contribute to staffing plans and recruitment process of senior staff. – Manage planning and implementation of all key activities at the office and sub-office level ensuring alignment with Country Program and agency strategic programming and operations excellence priorities and standards. Approve expenses, monitor spending, and make budget adjustments in line with operational and programmatic needs and donor requirements. – Serve as the security focal point. coordinator. Proactively manage security and mitigate security risks. Ensure a safe work and living environment through leading implementation of safety and security protocols and staff care and well-being best practices. – As the primary representative of CRS in Bamiyan, strengthen existing and develop new relationships with local partners, government and community organizations. – Proactively and effectively manage resources and promote stewardship, ensuring program and operations teams and partner staff have and optimize the appropriate human, financial, and material resources and tools. – Ensure high-quality project implementation, management, and compliance with programmatic standards, policies and procedures through project review systems and quality control (comprehensive M&E systems, budget review and analysis). Promote documentation of program reviews, success stories, and lessons learned. – Monitor day-to-day operations to ensure all operational services (HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Admin, ICT) are delivered with high quality in an efficient manner and adhere to policies. Manage risk and address challenges that affect the proper stewardship, optimal utilization and maintenance of program assets and resources (financial, human, and material). – Create and maintain the proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for the sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to small deficiencies. Identify capacity strengthening needs for staff and partners and coordinate with CRS Afghanistan program and operations teams to address capacity strengthening.

Coordination, Community and Government Relations (30%)

• Maintain a strong and supportive working relationship with other Heads of Office in Western Ghor, Herat, Daykundi and Kabul; foster an environment of shared learning and mutual support across the four other offices of CRS Afghanistan.
• Ensure timely submission of Ministry of Economy and other reports to relevant governmental departments with close coordination of National Finance Manager, Finance Department in Herat, Head of Programming, and Program Managers.
• Support senior admin and program staff to establish and grow relationships and partnerships with local and provincial government counterparts in Bamiyan, attending government meetings on behalf of CRS management proactively and upon request.
• Nurture strong, respectful relationships with target communities and program participants, and lead coordination efforts with Bamiyan government agencies.

General Support – Administration, Finance, HR and Operations (30%)

• Working closely with the Head of Operations and Country Program technical advisors to provide guidance/leadership in making systems efficient and transparent, create an overall collaborative, supportive and communicative environment, and ensure effective and cost-efficient management of all pooled budgets.
• Oversee the daily management of the Bamiyan offices to ensure the integrity of the administrative systems and procedures to assure compliance with accepted CRS standards.
• Assess and proactively manage the organizational structure of the Bamiyan teams, in collaboration with CP-level staff, to ensure fit for purpose and that the structure reflects the goals and vision of the work that CRS is doing in the field in Afghanistan.
• Prioritize and ensure the timely recruitment of highly-qualified staff, in adherence with CRS recruitment policies and procedures, and foster a culture of equitable recruitment principles.
• Ensure completion of staff performance management activities, i.e., staff performance plans and development plans are done, coaching sessions are conducted, and year-end evaluations/appraisals are completed and submitted to HR for further office recording/documentation.
• Provide regular, quality coaching and supervision to direct reports and support performance management of their respective teams.

Leadership and Staff Development (20%)

• Engage direct reports in a dynamic and targeted capacity building plan which reflects their capacities and professional goals accurately, build their knowledge and familiarity with CRS operational processes and procedures in support of program development, implementation, and donor compliance, and promote a growth mindset culture within the Bamiyan office and sub-offices.
• Support and contribute to the Supervisor Leadership Program and the Women’s Leadership Program in, through the facilitation of staff participation, TDYs, internships especially for promising female candidates, workshops and mentorship as appropriate.
• Take an active role in the CRS Afghanistan Country Management Team (CMT), contributing to the strategic vision of the country program.
• Ensure staff professional development plans are collected for further review and analysis to strengthen the capacity of the organization to carry out its mission.
• Lead the draft and implementation of yearly capacity building plans in September, including providing guidance on quality performance objectives and evaluations in collaboration with the Head of Operations for the Bamiyan teams.

Security Management and Staff Safety/Staff Care (15%)

• Proactively manage the daily security of all CRS staff in Bamiyan in collaboration with security focal points, regularly updating the Country Representative on incidents and trends, consulting with senior Bamiyan staff and external stakeholders, and proposing adjustments to standard operating procedures and security posture as-needed.
• Ensure that all staff are aware of staff safety and security protocols, including protocols related to COVID-19, that systems are in place to ensure full compliance, that communication occurs on a daily basis, and that all staff accept responsibility for their respective roles in maintaining a proactive and effective security management plan.
• Liaise with the Bamiyan office staff care committee and ensure that staff care activities are addressing key needs that are identified through a consultative process involving all CRS Bamiyan staff.
• Oversee roll-out and implementation of safeguarding policies among staff in Bamiyan and ensure staff have a common understanding of safeguarding approaches within the Country Program, and lead on Safeguarding incident investigations with the Country Representative as-needed.

Program Development and Support (5%)

• Build a strong and effective communication and coordination bridge between program and support units.
• In coordination with the Head of Programming, Program Managers, and the Country Representative, assist in the development of long-term rural development strategy for Bamiyan and take the initiative to identify and develop proposals for external funding by public and private donors.

Confidentiality

• Keep all documents and information related to CRS’ program activities, personnel and development plans confidential.
• Adhere to CRS’ principles of confidentiality in relations to staff, partners, vendors and other stakeholders. Report to the management potential irregularities or any misbehavior that occurs.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Business Administration, International Relations, or relevant field required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of 5 years work experience in a non-profit, development, and/or humanitarian organization with progressive responsibilities and some project management experience. Experience with an international organization a plus.

Required Languages – Fluent in English (written English must be very strong), Dari and Pashto.

Travel – Must be willing to travel roughly 40% of the time within Afghanistan (trips to field offices by road and some flights to other offices) and occasional international trainings.

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.
• 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.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
• Able to live in an environment where everyday comforts may not be readily available.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong familiarity of the local context with a family residence in Bamiyan Province is preferred.
• Experience working with projects funded by multiple public donors, including USAID.
• Experience in stakeholder management and establishing and strengthening community partnerships.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
• Knowledge of procurement and general office administrative/management issues.
• Proficient in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information management systems.

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

Supervisory Responsibilities

Human Resource Officer, Administration Manager and Officers, Procurement Officer, Finance Officer, Transport Officer, and Security Focal Points.

Key Working Relationships

Internal: Country Representative, Head of Operations, Head of Programming, Country Program Security Coordinator, Finance Manager, Human Resources Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Head of Programming, Senior Operations Staff, other Heads of Office, and Program Managers.

External*:* Local government ministries; donor staff; community shuras; local/international NGO offices; and UN agencies.

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.

EOE/M/F/D/V – CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Protection Acknowledgment: CRS prohibits all forms of abuse and exploitation towards children and vulnerable adults. As a professional candidate, you commit to adhering to the Agency’s policy on the protection, rights, and dignity of children and vulnerable adults and to safeguard them from abuse and exploitation as defined in CRS’ Safeguarding Policy.