Job Title: Program Manager I/Gender mainstreaming Advisor

Department: Programming/INECD

Band: 9

Reports To: Deputy Chief of Party

Country/Location: Rwanda (Kigali)

About CRS 

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works 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 is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, nutrition, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.

Catholic Relief Services has been present in Rwanda since 1960, and currently implements projects in nutrition, WASH, agriculture, youth entrepreneurship, and peacebuilding. The Country Program has over 40 staff and implements its projects through local and international partners, with strong coordination/collaboration with Government of Rwanda structures.

Job Summary:

The Inclusive Nutrition and Early Childhood Development (INECD) activity will promote nurturing and responsive care practices, especially in the areas of health, functioning, nutrition, and early childhood development (ECD) for caregivers and children. Specifically, the activity aims to improve health and nutrition outcomes among women of reproductive age and adolescents and improve infant and young child feeding practices. It also aims to address child development gaps and significant unmet physical rehabilitation and assistive technology (rehab/AT) and social inclusion needs for infants and children. The activity will focus on community-level service delivery, community-health facility linkages, and district level capacity development, as well as address issues of inclusion and participation, including access to programs and services for children and adults with disabilities, in line with Government of Rwanda priorities.

You will manage Gender programming in the INECD and be responsible for ensuring integration of Gender activities across INECD design and implementation advancing Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work in serving the poor and vulnerable, especially all women (including youth and women with disability). You will be responsible for addressing gender inequality in the household and community with regards to access to nutrition and ECD services.

Your management skills and knowledge will ensure that the CP delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of its programming.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and implement all gender activities throughout relevant project cycles – project design, start-up, implementation, and close-out – to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the project’s gender and social inclusion approaches including in research and data collection, as outlined in the detailed implementation plan and in line with the national gender and social inclusion strategy, CRS program quality standards, and donor requirements and good practices. Ensure project team and partner staff use the appropriate and gender related systems and tools.
• Work in close collaboration with the SBC Advisor to shift practices around gender roles for inclusive nutrition and ECD in the household and in the community.
• Effectively manage talent, supervise, and provide coaching especially with regards to gender mainstreaming. Contribute to the recruitment process of project staff.

• Champion learning in gender mainstreaming in inclusive nutrition and ECD with project staff and partner teams. Analyze and evaluate project performance data following MEAL policy. Proactively identify issues and concerns and use participatory processes to overcome implementation obstacles.

• Act as a key resource person in project design and proposal development in gender programming area, and proactively identify issues and concerns and use participatory processes to overcome implementation obstacles for inclusive nutrition and ECD in project outcomes.
• Coordinate the identification of staff capacity and gender technical assistance needs of partner organizations and capacity strengthening and required interventions to support quality project implementation.

• Help identify, assess and strengthen partnerships relevant to inclusive nutrition and ECD applying appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches.

• Coordinate and monitor financial and material resources relevant to project needs. Through planning and oversight ensure efficient use of project resources.
• Coordinate and compile high-quality project activity reports, technical documentations, and program lessons.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, development studies or related field required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience working on gender and social inclusion issues within community and civil society development programs, preferably in USAID programs and with an international NGO.
• Knowledge of gender and social inclusion issues in Rwanda including social, political, and cultural gender norms and challenges. Knowledge of the status of vulnerable and marginalized populations within Rwanda and their engagement in social, political, and cultural norms.

Required Languages

Oral and written fluency in English and Kinyarwanda. Professional proficiency in French a plus

Travel – The position is Kigali based. Must be willing and able to travel to the field up to 50% of the time

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse groups.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to write reports
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented

 Preferred Qualifications

• Project management experience in inclusive nutrition and ECD is highly desirable.
• Experience engaging with partner organizations.
• Experience contributing to the development of technical proposals.
• MEAL skills and experience preferred.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, 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

None

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: All INECD staff, relevant CRS Country Program staff

 External: MoH, Migeprof,  NCDA leadership, District Leadership, Local Partners, relevant TWGs, NGO working in INECD areas.

 ***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. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

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.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Interested and qualified candidates should complete the attached application form, Self -Declaration Clause and submit them together with one page Cover letter plus updated CV (maximum three pages) all in/as one document - via email only to: [email protected] not later than Friday, September 17, 2021, at 5:00 pm.

Please, include the below statement in your motivation letter:

“By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics”

Also, include your full names and title “Capacity strengthening” in the subject line. Due to the anticipated high interest in this post and the expected number of applicants, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Kigali. September 6, 2021 

                                                                 

 Jude-Marie Banatte

 Country Representative

CRS/Rwanda Program