Technical Advisor II - Emergency Response and Recovery - LACRO Regional Focal Point

Job Summary  

You will provide technical advice, guidance, and support on a wide range of program design and implementation issues, with a focus on Emergency Response and Recovery, in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices.

You will support regional and Country Program (CP) teams to advance the delivery of high-quality programming for the poor and vulnerable. As the emergency focal point for country programs in the Latin America and Caribbean Region (LACRO), you will provide the following support, with a focus on LACRO:

• Rapid surge support for program quality, management, and leadership capacity for new and ongoing humanitarian responses;
• Guidance to CPs and partners on humanitarian funding opportunities and support for humanitarian proposal design and development, in coordination with regional teams and HRD sectoral technical advisors;
• Support for emergency program quality, management, knowledge management, capacity strengthening, and sharing, as requested, to ensure best practices and learning are shared across country programs and partners; and
• Application of a humanitarian lens to discussions on broader program quality initiatives within the region.

Your technical knowledge, advice, and guidance will contribute to the effectiveness, adaptability, and innovation of CRS’ Emergency Response and Recovery programming within the Region and globally.

Roles and Key Responsibilities 

• Contribute to the development and implementation of region and/or agency-wide strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in Emergency Response and Recovery that effectively engage partners, donors and governments. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.
• Provide technical solutions to regional and CP teams, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and the application of program design and implementation standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approaches to ensure high-quality implementation. Take on acting emergency leadership roles, such as Emergency Coordinator or Head of Office, and support the set-up and/or management of emergency field offices, teams, and relief operations, as requested, during field deployments.  Support may also be provided in other response functions, such as security, staffing, supply chain/logistics, finance, IT/communications, and administration, as needed.
• Contribute to regional and country program efforts to pre-position CRS for growth opportunities in Emergency Response and Recovery. Lead or contribute to the development of the technical design for large and/or complex proposals, including defining appropriate monitoring systems and indicators. Advise project teams on integrating donor strategies, priorities, and technical requirements into CRS’ approach.
• Contribute to capacity strengthening initiatives in Emergency Response and Recovery programming for staff and partners by supporting the identification of capacity gaps and technical assistance needs; helping develop learning and training strategies, agendas, and curricula; conducting trainings and workshops; and mentoring and coaching CP staff. Capacity strengthening approaches may include formal and on-the-job training, development or streamlining of operational policies and systems, and accompaniment of partners, as appropriate.
• Strengthen partnership approaches by working closely with local partners to improve technical quality and delivery.
• Contribute to knowledge management and learning by collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, assisting with measuring program impact, capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices, and research and internal reports.
• Establish and maintain relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions. Participate in forums in Emergency Response and Recovery to collect and share best practices and promote CRS’ work.
• Represent the agency and partners at humanitarian cluster, donor and coordination meetings in the field and at international cluster meetings, as requested.
• Promote health and wellbeing of CRS and partner emergency staff.

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.