Program Manager II-RAPID Readiness

Position duration: Tentative July 1, 2026 – January 15, 2027 (6 + months)

Project Overview

Catholic Relief Services is implementing a global emergency response initiative designed to deliver timely, life‑saving humanitarian assistance in rapidly evolving crises worldwide. Over 18 months, the program enables fast, flexible action to address urgent needs arising from sudden shocks and protracted emergencies. It supports critical humanitarian sectors through context‑appropriate assistance while emphasizing operational readiness, rapid response activation, locally led implementation, accountability to affected communities, and safe, dignified programming. The initiative strengthens the organization’s ability to respond at speed and scale in complex and resource‑constrained environments, ensuring help reaches people most in need when it matters most.

Job Summary

You will manage and provide technical oversight of the development and implementation with a primary focus on emergency readiness and response management under RAPID. This includes ensuring systems and processes are in place to support rapid activation, high-quality implementation, and oversight of Emergency Program Managers (PMs) across multiple contexts. Your management skills and technical knowledge will ensure that CPs deliver timely, high-quality programming while strengthening readiness and response capacity.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Provide management, guidance, and technical oversight of all new and existing projects with a specific focus on emergency preparedness, start-up readiness, and rapid response activation, throughout the project cycle to ensure project design, start-up, implementation and close-out are in line with CRS quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices. 
• Effectively manage Emergency PMs across multiple responses and readiness activities. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailored individual development plans, and complete performance management for direct reports. 
• Lead the development of program learning - identify opportunities for learning, research and publications in the area of readiness and emergency response and implementation of MEAL policy. Facilitate the dissemination of promising practices and lessons learned to contribute to the agency's knowledge management agenda. Ensure integration of innovations and best practices. 
• Contribute to the proactive pursuit of funding opportunities, for new funding to ensure growth of readiness and emergency response in line with agency, regional, and Humanitarian Response Department strategic priorities. Serve as the technical lead and technical writer to ensure quality proposals in readiness and emergency response per agency and donor standards. 
• Oversee technical assistance and capacity strengthening activities for staff and partner organizations to enhance program quality and impact.
• Oversee the identification, assessment and strengthening of partnerships relevant to emergency response and the appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
• Ensure timely and appropriate project expenditures in line with financial plans and efficient use and stewardship of project material sources.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• MEAL skills and experience required.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment, including remote oversight of multiple teams or projects.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.
• Good experience in project grants management, including project design, preferably for grants from multiple public donors, including USG.
• Demonstrated ability to write and support high quality rapid technical proposals.
• Experience engaging with partner organizations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Good presentation and facilitation skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree 
• Experience in an international NGO an advantage
• Experience supporting or managing emergency or multi-country response operations preferred.

Required Languages: English required, French/Spanish/Arabic preferred

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 30 %. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.  Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.  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 safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.  The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.  All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.