Deputy Country Representative/NorthEast at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Req Number: I3777
Location: Maiduguri-Borno
Position Status: Regular
Position Type: Full Time
FLSA: Exempt
Reports to: Country Representative

Job Background/Summary

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has worked in Nigeria for more than 25 years. Through local partners, CRS has implemented programs in 32 of the country's 36 states, demonstrating the agency's extensive grassroots network and significant capacity to reach the rural poor. Focusing on agriculture, emergency response and recovery, and health,
• CRS is helping to strengthen health care systems, faith-based partners, other community-based organizations, and government institutions. CRS' current projects are improving the lives of more than 1.4 million Nigerians including in the northeast where CRS has been working since 2014 and operates a sub office in Maiduguri and project offices and outposts in Damaturu, Biu and Yola.
• CRS has a growing portfolio of emergency, early recovery and development programs in northeast Nigeria. As CRS strives to achieve quality program outcomes in the northeast within an extremely challenging and often insecure operating environment a Maiduguri-based Deputy Country Representative (DCR) will strengthen the agency's operations and demonstrate increased CRS leadership in northeast Nigeria amongst fellow INGOs, partners, and government for high quality emergency and development assistance to the people of northeast Nigeria.

Job Responsibilities
Management & Leadership:

• Ensure high-quality projects and high-quality operational support through daily mentoring/coaching of both PQ and MQ staff.
• Develop strategies towards retention, development, and management of high staff performance. Ensure that all CRS staff including new hires are well oriented to CRS' Mission.
• Enforce application of procedures in line with CRS policies and principles, local government standards, and donor requirements, as well as ensure that resource management systems remain current with regard to managing risk and liability to the agency.
• Together with the Emergency Director, where appropriate, participate in northeast -based UN and INGO meetings as they concern security and government-related issues such as taxation, compliance with rules and regulations, legal issues, labor codes and requirements, immigration requirements, customs issues, etc., in order to institute and enforce internal policies to ensure compliance and proper functioning of operations.
• Monitor and ensure implementation of Management Action Plans deriving from evolving requirement and events (summits, trainings, retreats, meetings, etc.), and organize monthly status updates.
• Ensure NE programs and operations demonstrate leadership in our commitments to the Grand Bargain, particularly as concerns localization, cash based programming, local area programming and strengthening the engagement between Humanitarian Assistance and Development Assistance.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Supervise Emergency Director, Head of Operations/NE, Security Coordinator NE, Chiefs of Party and Grants Manager/NE, NE Heads Of Office (including that of Yobe and Yola) and with oversight of all CRS staff in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe province.
• Monitor performance management of all direct reports, ensuring direct reports perform sound performance management of their own direct reports as well as those at other levels on the team.
• Maintain regular communication with HOOs to coordinate the work of the NE project-offices with attention to their needs and performance, while ensuring HOO communication and coordination throughout the country program consistent with the functioning of a cohesive organization.
• Understand issues at hand at field-offices and facilitate clarification with Maiduguri or Abuja units or departments concerned; coordinate with relevant authority (DCRs, HoOPS, HOOs) and provide guidance, as required.
• Ensure HOOs establish monthly action plans to share with relevant stakeholders to assist them in better monitoring of their sub-office activities.
• Similarly monitor and ensure that their requests are addressed with due diligence by support staff at the main office.
• Ensure representation of CRS in relevant cluster meetings by qualified staff.

Representation & Communication:

• In coordination with the Country Representative and the Emergency Director/NE and Chiefs of Party assure representation of CRS at various levels within government and other key humanitarian and development actors and stakeholders.
• Ensure communication flow between the Abuja office, Maiduguri sub-office and northeast
• project offices and vice versa by sharing of meeting minutes, situation updates, and other means of communication.
• Ensure effective, timely, appropriate strategic and operational communication across all CRS
• actors in the NE (Emergency Response, CGPP, Global Fund, FTF).

Security:

• Supervise the Security Coordinator for the NE and oversee overall security management in the NE; ensure cohesion, application of security instructions and guidance as well as regular updates of security procedures and manuals as available.
• Attend and/or ensure CRS' attendance at cluster security meetings and ensure sharing with staff.
• Establish a network system among the CR and security staff, including the Country Program's Security Manager, that monitors security reports for immediate action, as appropriate.
• Ensure that security is part of all new staff orientation, and all staff coming into the northeast receive security briefings.
• Ensure key security focal points across the northeast receive security refresher trainings, as needed.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Country Representative, Deputy Country Representative for Operations, Deputy Country Representative for Health, Deputy Country Representative for Agriculture Livelihoods. Northeast programs and operations staff, CARO DRD/MQ and RFO, HQ Departments
• External: Partner agencies, local government, service providers.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in international development, non-profit management or related fields strongly preferred or equivalent experience.
• Seven years of field-based experience managing staff and programs, particularly in complex emergency and insecure environments with a concurrent development program portfolio.
• Significant experience in general CP and emergency and development operations including security management.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender sensitive programming and operations.
• Ability to manage diversity and commitment to embracing diversity.
• Thorough knowledge of CRS management and program principles.
• Working knowledge of Church and Caritas structures a plus.
• Demonstrated qualities of leadership, sensitivity to cultural setting, communication skills, commitment, and sound judgment.
• Effective planning and organization skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to project offices.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, with added Hausa and/or Kanuri an advantage.

Agency-Wide Competencies
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:

• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning