Deputy Chief of Party II, Program Quality (JEOP) - Ethiopia

The Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP) is CRS’ largest emergency program worldwide, providing life-saving food, cash and nutrition assistance to transitory food insecure households through a project participant targeting process. Caseloads range from one to three million individuals each month depending on the context of the crisis, making JEOP CRS’ largest emergency response initiative worldwide. JEOP seeks to protect lives and livelihood where natural or man-made disaster have resulted in harvest loss, livestock death, lack of own resources, and price increase of essentials. The consortium is led by CRS and currently includes CARE, Food for the Hungry, Relief Society of Tigray (REST), World Vision, GOAL and ORDA. CRS also works thorough local implementing partners Adigrat, Hararghe and Meki Catholic Secretariat (ADCS, HCS and MCS). The consortium partners are liable to shift based on future funding. 

As a member of the JEOP Senior Management Team, the Deputy Chief of Party II (DCoP II) provides strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for the consortium’s Program Quality portfolio, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, integrated, and accountable interventions that effectively serve vulnerable populations. Working closely with the leadership team, consortium partners, donors, and other stakeholders, the DCoP II guides the development and implementation of shared technical strategies, promotes harmonized approaches and standards, exercises delegated decision-making authority on program quality priorities, adaptations, and resource alignment, and provides leadership to program quality teams to foster performance, collaboration, and staff development. The DCoP contributes to overall project leadership and performance, including acting on behalf of the Chief of Party as delegated, while supporting achievement of program objectives, donor commitments, and continuous improvement efforts to maximize consortium impact.

• →Provide strategic direction and delegated decision-making for JEOP’s program quality frameworks, plans, and resource mobilization efforts to strengthen intervention impact and alignment with donor, regional, and agency priorities.
• →Strengthen consortium-wide program quality through technical guidance, harmonized approaches, shared learning, and effective stewardship of resources in line with donor and agency requirements.
• →Advance donor engagement, strategic communications, and business development priorities to support quality applications, visibility, and compliance with agency and donor standards.
• →Provide people leadership for program quality teams by setting clear direction, strengthening staff performance and accountability, fostering collaboration and professional growth, and ensuring workforce planning and staffing approaches are aligned with project priorities.
• →Guide high-quality project design and integrated activity planning that reflect project management standards, technical requirements, contextual realities, and opportunities for cross-sector efficiency.
• →Promote a strong culture of accountability, learning, and adaptive management by enabling knowledge sharing, MEAL policy implementation, cross-sector collaboration, and timely identification and response to program quality gaps.
• →Strengthen partnerships and partner capacity by promoting effective collaboration, appropriate use of partnership approaches, and technical support aligned with project management, business development, and operational standards.
• →Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and recommend trainings and technical assistance. 
• →Ensure high-quality donor reporting and proposal submissions by coordinating relevant technical, operational, and consortium inputs into clear, timely, and compliant deliverables.
• →Promote innovation and appropriate use of technology to strengthen program quality, adaptation, and learning across JEOP and consortium partners.
• →Support strategic representation and stakeholder engagement with government, donors, regional and global CRS teams, international agencies, NGOs, and consortium partners to elevate JEOP learning, influence technical dialogue, and contribute to the wider humanitarian community.
• →Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all CRS safety and security policies and plans  are updated and that staff are aware of and adhere to current plans.   

• Strong knowledge of USG grant regulations and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a technical team in two or more of the following areas: early warning analysis, nutrition, gender, protection/safeguarding, inclusion (disability, youth), environmental impact, and/or MEAL.
• Experience using MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge sharing networks.
• 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.
• Experience in leading/coordinating (former) USAID PREP processes, and (former) USAID report writing, and/or experience in leading proposal development and report writing for USDA.
• Knowledge and experience in Title II and IDA program areas of emergency food assistance, nutrition, cash assistance, consortium management, early recovery.
• Demonstrated ability to work both strategically and at an appropriate level of detail to lead a complex program and consortium, excellent analytical skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to understand sector-level best practices and challenges while coordinating JEOP program strategies via a participatory approach. 
• Excellent partnership skills and the ability to interact effectively with donors, collaborating agencies, and local partners.
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills. 
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented, and results oriented.
• Flexibility, persistence, and ability to work well with people and cross-cultural skills 
• Excellent English writing skills.

Required Languages – Strong command of English (required). 

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 25% within Ethiopia.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

• Bachelor’s Degree in International Development, International Relations or relevant technical field.
• Minimum of five years of relevant field-based program management, at least three years of middle/senior management experience.
• Minimum of two years experience managing donor funds.
• Prior management of USAID/USDA funding. 
• Demonstrated experience in consortium management.
• Experience in the development of successful proposals, reports, strategic alliances, project design, project management, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience in partner capacity strengthening, staff development, training, and mentoring, as well as in team building and strategic planning initiatives. 
• Experience in successful business development activities and project grants management, including project design, budget preparation, expenditure tracking, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, etc., preferably for projects funded by multiple public donors, including USAID/USDA/DOS.

• Master's Degree in International Development, International Relations or relevant field.
• Knowledge of Title II or IDA policies and procedures.
• Experience working with Church partners.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.

  Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions. 
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

What we offer

CRS offers U.S. based staff a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan.  Benefits packages for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. are based on the country of employment/in-country office where the candidate will perform the role.  CRS´ work culture is a collaborative, mission-driven culture committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.