Program Manager – Case Management and Referral

Reports To: Systems Strengthening and Institutionalization Lead – Nawiri Project Length of Contract: 2 years (up to 30th September 2024)

About CRS:

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) 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 a 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. CRS is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) supporting relief and development work in over 100 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity, or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) opened operations in Kenya in 1965. For over 50 years, we have worke d throughout the country to implement programs in agriculture, health, microfinance, water, sanitation, emergency relief and peacebuilding. We have built deep relationships with the Government of Kenya and the Catholic Church through ongoing collaboration and support. CRS’ projects in Kenya currently include agriculture, health, multisectoral nutrition, microfinance, emergency response, HIV care and treatment, and services for orphans and vulnerable children. CRS Kenya implements its programs through partnerships with local organizations, including the Catholic Church, other faith-based organizations and community entities for maximum impact and sustainability.

Background:

CRS, representing a consortium of international non-governmental organizations, local implementing partners and research institutions is leading the USAID Nawiri Program, a USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) funded 5-year Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) in Kenya. T he overarching goal of this multi-sectoral nutrition activity is to sustainably reduce persistent levels of acute malnutrition in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), focusing on Isiolo and Marsabit counties. The activity is being implemented in two phases:

• Phase I (1.5-2 years) Research, test approaches and collaboratively design a context-sensitive, multi-sectoral activity that sustainably reduces acute malnutrition.
• Phase II (3- 3.5 years): Multisectoral evidence-based activity implementation and adaptation and local system and institutional strengthening to sustain the nutrition outcomes.

Job Summary:

The Program Manager – Case Management and Referral will focus on adapting and strengthening the Nawiri Case Management approach based on standardized interventions and tools for identification, assessment, case plan development, service provision or referral, monitoring, and case closure of targeted malnourished children in the Nawiri program. The position will work closely with the Nawiri activity leads county, sub-county, and ward level coordinators to ensure that critical information collected within the case management process is used to inform government strengthening efforts and ensure appropriate linkages with and information sharing between the various stakeholders providing complementary services around and within the case management approach. S/he will be responsible for providing technical guidance to strengthen referral networks amongst and between other nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions for comprehensive and multisect oral interventions to reduce malnutrition. This will include identification of successful referral models within Kenya, developing and providing training in relevant guidance, delivery mechanisms, and promising practices.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership and guidance in the assessment, planning, and implementation of capacity strengthening activities to strengthen case management systems and referral networks. Particular attention will be given to providing technical assistance to develop household case plans that focus on graduation and transition and monitor their implementation as one way to track progress towards graduation from malnutrition.
• Support Nawiri consortium partners to diagnose gaps in existing bi-directional referral mechanisms and using this information to refine referral mechanism.
• Leverage the sustainability planning process to assess the existing case management processes and referral networks; ensure engagement of the county government teams in planning, and all steps of the CM process.
• Develop terms of reference for a technical working group (TWG) for case management and referral networks; solicit membership and support regular meetings and the development of products that support GOK Ministries, and other relevant stakeholders to improve case management and referrals.
• In coordination with activity leads, lead the development and implementation of strategies, approaches, and tools to strengthen case management and referral networks among the relevant nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive stakeholders. Liaise with TWG to ensure alignment with related national and county IMAM guidance and tools.
• Support the roll out and dissemination of updated guidance, standard operating procedures, and other job-aids to facilitate case management and referral at the household and community levels to health and other multisectoral nutrition services.
• Test, review and implement household graduation benchmarks in collaboration with the Nawiri activity leads, Caritas and other relevant stakeholders; ensure a mechanism for assessing and tracking benchmarks towards graduation is integrated into the case management system.
• Oversee quality improvement initiatives and learning exchanges related to case management and referral networks among GOK and other relevant stakeholders. Identify successful referral models within Kenya, developing and providing training in relevant guidance, delivery mechanisms, and promising practices.
• Develop scopes of work and oversee consultancies and short-term technical assistance as needed in relation to case management and referral networks.
• Work closely with Nawiri activity leads, Caritas and other stakeholders to strengthen their case management capacity and test, review, finalize and implement the developed standardized tools and approaches to increase the ability of volunteers and households to track their own progress towards graduation.
• Strengthen coordination and networking, linkages, and communication among GOK entities, Nawiri activity leads, other CRS programs implementing case management, Caritas, county, sub-county and ward level coordinators, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct monitoring field visits to Nawiri LIP (Caritas) to provide mentoring technical assistance.
• Provide timely inputs to Nawiri quarterly, annual planning, monitoring, reporting, and budgeting processes.
• Ensure a culture of accountability and learning through regular monitoring to project sites, providing oversight of studies and assessments, proper documentation of tools, and contribute to learning and building the evidence around case management and referral networks.
• Document project results and impacts in various forms, including media stories, promising practices, lessons learned, case studies, client satisfaction, etc.

Required Languages: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Travel Required: The Program Manager – Case Management and Referral will be expected to travel to Isiolo and Marsabit counties and potentially outside of Kenya to attend conferences, workshops or other activities related to the project.

Supervisory Responsibility: None

Key Working Relationships

Internal: Nawiri Leadership and Technical Leads, Nawiri Staff; CRS Kenya Programming staff, Finance, Procurement, and HR/Administration.

External: Donors, Nawiri consortium members, government ministries/institutions at the National, and County levels, health facilities, County level implementing partners and UN agencies, civil society and faith-based organizations providing multisectoral nutrition services, universities/research institutions.

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 a 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.