Chief of Party II

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries worldwide. CRS programs assist individuals based on need, irrespective of creed, ethnicity, or nationality, and collaborate with local church and non-church partners to implement their initiatives.

The Chief of Party II will be responsible for providing strategic vision, leadership, and comprehensive management for these extensive and intricate projects, all focused on serving vulnerable populations. This role demands strong strategic leadership, management acumen, and technical expertise to ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and to solidify CRS's position as a leading agency in this field. As a senior leader, the incumbent will also proactively manage and mitigate security risks. CRS has maintained a presence in Kenya since 1965, fostering robust partnerships with the Catholic Church, national and county governments, civil society, communities, and the private sector. CRS Kenya possesses extensive experience across various sectors, including agriculture, livestock, food and nutrition security, livelihoods, market systems, water and natural resource management, health, and emergency response, with a long-standing presence in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Recent programming includes the $146 million Kenya Nawiri activity in Isiolo and Marsabit, a multisectoral project integrating nutrition, health, and resilient livelihoods. Additionally, CRS leads a USDA-funded Food for Peace emergency food security and nutrition program in Turkana and Marsabit, delivering crucial assistance and helping households transition from crisis to recovery and more resilient livelihoods.

1. Lead all aspects of project development, implementation, and consolidation, including demonstrating the project's contribution to industry thought leadership.
2. Serve as the primary point of contact for the donor and all public, private, and non-government stakeholders.
3. Ensure the project is designed and executed to meet donor expectations regarding timely and quality results and budget adherence, including strategies for phase-out and sustainability.
4. Lead coordination efforts between program and operations leads to ensure compliance with CRS program quality standards.
5. Effectively lead senior programming and operations talent, managing team dynamics and staff well-being.
6. Provide coaching and mentoring, strategically tailor individual development plans, and complete performance assessments for direct reports.
7. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process for senior staff.
8. Proactively manage and mitigate risks by monitoring national and regional issues that could impact staff and programming.
9. Ensure all CRS staff safety and security policies and plans are regularly updated and that all staff understand and adhere to them.
10. Promote, uphold, and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources.
11. Ensure compliance with donor grants, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration, and donor reporting.
12. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.
13. Represent CRS programming in international forums, highlighting innovative work.
14. Publish program results and deliver presentations.
15. Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and CRS’ branding and marketing requirements.
16. Manage relationships with consortium partner organizations, including organizing review/planning workshops.
17. Coordinate the roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations to ensure implementation aligns with CRS partnership principles.
18. Create and maintain proper conditions for learning, establishing a safe environment for sharing ideas, solutions, and difficulties.
19. Build internal capacity to detect, analyze, and respond quickly to deficiencies.
20. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff, ensuring the design and delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance.

1. Bachelor’s degree in international development, International Relations, or a relevant technical area.
2. Minimum of 8 years of relevant management and technical experience.
3. Minimum of 7 years of experience managing donor funds, including multi-country grants, with excellent knowledge and experience in budget management.
4. Minimum of 5 years of staff management experience and abilities conducive to a learning environment.
5. Experience coaching and mentoring senior program staff.
6. Demonstrated experience in successful program management, including managing complex, high-value, multi-activity projects with complicated logistics.
7. Established leadership in the sector, as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, etc.
8. Master’s degree in a related field (preferred).
9. Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships; knowledge of CRS partnership strategy (preferred).
10. Ability to represent and present at high levels.
11. Excellent knowledge of MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.
12. Excellent strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the capacity to see the big picture and make sound judgments and decisions.
13. Excellent relations management abilities, capable of relating to people at all levels internally and externally, and strategically approaching each relationship.
14. Team leadership abilities with diverse and multi-disciplinary teams, including coaching/mentoring skills.
15. Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
16. Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented mindset.