Program Manager II – Technical Coordination for Restore Africa Program

About Catholic Relief Services: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS has worked in Uganda since 1965, initially providing emergency assistance to Sudanese refugees living in the north. Over the years, CRS has expanded its programming to address needs across the country. CRS’ projects in Uganda currently include agriculture and value chain, landscape restoration and climate change adaption, health and health systems strengthening, microfinance, and DRR, humanitarian response and recovery. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with other organizations, including the Catholic Church, faith-based organizations, international and Ugandan NGOs, government ministries, private sector companies and academia, for maximum impact and sustainability. CRS Uganda employs around 180 staff and has its main office in Kampala, with sub-offices in Moroto, Yumbe, and Kikuube districts. With our more than 30 partners, we served over 1m Ugandans in 2021.

The Global Evergreening Alliance (GEA), of which CRS is a member, has secured a six-years, $160 million investment for the Restore Africa Program, which covers six eastern and southern countries.

Job Summary: You will lead and ensure high quality technical support to a Land Restoration Initiative in Uganda under the Restore Africa Program of the Global Evergreening Alliance (GEA), of which CRS is a member. CRS in Uganda serves as the Lead Implementing Organization for this Land Restoration Initiative, in a standing partnership with World Vision Uganda and CARE International Uganda. The team is completed with ICRAF, ECOTRUST, and the Uganda Landcare Network. You will lead a team of technical sectoral experts/program managers and act on the behalf of the Chief of Party as needed. Your management and technical knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and advance the position of consortium as a leading entity in land restoration.

Job Roles and Responsibilities:

• Manage a multi-agency team to provide technical support to the Land Restoration Initiative in Uganda. Technical support will encompass value-chains, gender, assisted natural regeneration, agroforestry, community mobilization, carbon credit and other areas as needed • Manage key functions of the project to meet donor/investors’ expectations in terms of timely and quality results and budget. • Contribute to ensuring coordination between implementation, technical and operations leads. • In consultation with the COP, CRS/Uganda Country Representative and Head of Programs make efforts and support a strategy to complement services under the project through identifying, leveraging and creating linkages with other projects where appropriate. • Contribute to ensuring the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per CRS policy, procedures, and project management standards.

• Ensure all the project’s approaches are aligned with the GoU priorities, plans and policies • Address bottlenecks, communicate security responses/adaptations, identify appropriate programmatic pivots or shifts in consultation with COP and scale up best practices to achieve high quality program implementation. • Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Contribute to the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff. • Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans and ensure the updating of such plans. • Promote, uphold and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. • Maintain relationships with key staff of consortium partner organizations. Contribute to coordination of the roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations in implementation in line with CRS partnership principles. Ensure program staff cultivate and support partnerships with federal, regional, and district authorities. • Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and recommend trainings and technical assistance. • Regularly review the project strategy to ensure relevance and enhance program impact by suggesting appropriate alternative strategies and changes to the technical working groups as well as the project’s senior management.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience: • Master’s degree in International Development, International Relations, or a relevant technical area. • 7 or more years of relevant management and technical experience in the areas of natural resource management, land restoration and/or climate change financing. • 5 or more years in managing large technical teams, especially in consortiums • 5 years of experience managing donor funds. Strong knowledge and experience in budget management. • Demonstrated experience of successful management, including management of functions of complex, high-value, multi-activity projects, with complicated logistics. • Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience coaching.

Preferred Qualifications: • Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Knowledge of CRS partnership strategy a plus. • Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: • Strong 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. • Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching skills. • Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented.

Required Languages: English fluency, including excellent oral and written skills, required

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 40 % to project sites with occasional international travel.

Key Working Relationships: Supervisory: Greening Business Development Specialist (CRS), Gender Specialist (CARE), Assisted Natural Regeneration Specialist (WV), Agro-forestry Specialist (ICRAF), and Community Mobilization Specialist (ULN). Internal: Project-Specific: Finance and Operations Deputy Chief of Party, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Project Manager, Deputy Chief of Party I – Program Implementation Other: CRS/Uganda Country Representative, Head of Programming, Head of Operations, and US/Regional Technical Advisors. External: Implementing partner managers, Government of Uganda, organizations, representatives from for-profit and other non-profit organizations, representatives of non-traditional public donors including private sector, financial service providers, World Bank, and others.

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

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

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer