Job Vacancy at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for Senior Project Officer – Community Engagement
CRS JOB ADVERT – INTERNAL/EXTERNAL
CRS is recruiting for the position of Senior Project Officer – Community Engagement – SP4 Urban Malaria Research.
If you are interested and your profile matches the requirements, please read the below job description, and follow the instructions to submit your application package.
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, health (including malaria), agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.
CRS/ Sierra Leone and Program Background
Catholic Relief Service (CRS) started work in Sierra Leone in 1963 carrying out the commitment of the Catholic bishops and the Catholic community of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. For over 57 years, CRS has been on the front lines in responding to emergencies and promoting health, education, agriculture, and urban resilience in Sierra Leone.
To date, the Country Program has a robust portfolio built around several major programs in Health, Agriculture, Nutrition, Education and Urban Resilience such as the USDA/McGovern Dole Food for Education and Nutrition (All Pikin for Learn) Program, Global Fund Malaria Program and COVID-19 Response Mechanism Project. In addition, the country program is working on several high-profile opportunities to improve water security in Freetown and support Freetown City Council to deliver its Transform Freetown strategy through slum regeneration.
CRS Urban malaria research project anticipate that by incorporating malaria activities in the Transform Freetown Project, a more holistic and sustainable approach to improving the health and reducing malaria prevalence can be achieved. In this regard, CRS Sierra Leone has committed to invest in a 24 months’ Urban Malaria research Project titled “Assessing and reducing malaria transmission in urban-poor areas of Freetown, Sierra Leone through improvements to housing, water, sanitation, and the environment”. This project has been aligned with the FCC’s Transform Freetown project targeting Kolleh Town and Cockle Bay informal settlement.
Job Title: Senior Project Officer – Community Engagement
Department: Programming – SP4 Urban Malaria Research Project
Reports To: Technical Advisor 11 – SP4 Urban Malaria Research – Urban Resilience Unit
Country: CRS-Sierra Leone.
Duty Location: CRS Country Office, Freetown with 80% travel to study locations
Job Summary
The Senior Project Officer will work with the Strategic Platform 4 (SP4) Urban Malaria Project Research Technical Advisor, transforming lives project led and Programme Director Urban Resilience to facilitate the achievement of the two project objectives through coordinating and reporting on all project activities, providing technical guidance and advice to implementing partner(s) advancing Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work by serving the poor and vulnerable. Your coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the SP4 Urban Malaria research project (80%) and Transform Lives project (20%) applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.
Roles and Key Responsibilities
- Organize and work in close collaboration with implementing Partners and CRS colleagues to conduct Knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) baseline studies in research and controlled communities relating to Malaria, housing WASH and environment in Western Area Urban informal settlements line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
- Ensure health Facility (PHU) staff, private for-profit health service providers, local authorities in the project communities are aware of the projects through continuous engagement and dialogue.
- Support to oversee data collection process in the field and be willing to lead all community engagement activities for the SP4 malaria and Transforming lives project.
- Provide community mobilization and technical support in the assigned project communities ensuring that enrolled household members fully participate and cooperate in the routine sampling test for malaria prevalence and all community engagement activities under the transforming lives project.
- Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
- Support Technical Advisor and Transform Lives project led to coordinate and oversee working relationships with Research & implementing partners for SP4 and Transforming Lives project, collaborating partners, project beneficiaries to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact.
- Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Support the two project leads to ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.
- Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.
- Ensure project documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices
- Develop activity Terms of Reference (ToR) and related budget for community engagement or trainings.
- Participate in all research, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) planning workshops and events conducted by CRS
- In collaboration with your supervisor, lead planning and implementation of community training/meetings on Advocacy and Systems Strengthening
- Contribute to monthly, quarterly, and annual reports narrative reporting. This will include Provision of weekly, monthly, and quarterly updates to supervisor.
- Comply with all Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and research protocols shared by CRS and the research partners.
- Comply and adhere to all CRS’s policies related to participant protection, abuse/exploitation, fraud health and safety.
Basic Qualifications and experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Community Development Studies, Social work, or Social Sciences in related fields.
- Minimum of 4 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of social research and community engagement/social mobilization
- Experience working in informal settlements
- Proven experience in community mobilization and engagement of health facility staff, including building a good relationship and with different community stakeholders.
- Proven experience in supportive supervision related to data collection and ability to use electronic (Tablet based) data collection devices. Proven experience working with research partners, data management is required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
- Staff supervision experience a plus.
- Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
- Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
- Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners
- Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
- Self-starter and resulted oriented individual with ability to influence others to produce result.
- Excellent time management and self-management skills with ability to support others manage their time in delivering multiple tasks.
- Strong relationship building skills with diverse community mobilization and engagement skills in delivering task.
- Ability to influence community stakeholders to get buy-in from consultants or research partners conducting studies.
- Full of Problem-solving skills, initiative, socially and culturally sensitive with ability to promote gender equality and social inclusion in data collection.
- Ability to identify and escalate risks/challenges and recommendations to management and study team.
- Supportive and participatory supervision, coaching, mentoring, facilitation, and on-the-job training skills.
- Ability to do presentation internally and externally to stakeholders.
Required Languages – English and Krio are required.
Travel– Must be willing and able to travel up to 80 % to study location
Key Working Relationships:
Supervisory Responsibilities (none)
Internal: Research Technical Adviser, Transforming Lives Project, Program Director Urban Resilience, MEAL team, Communications, Finance and Global fund field staff
External: Research Partners, Consultant, Statistic Sierra Leone, National Malaria Control Programme, Western Area District Health Management Team/Health facility staff and local authorities
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
***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 safeguarding-related topics.
WOMEN ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. CRS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
To apply for this position please send up-to-date CV and a supporting letter, copies of relevant certificates to SL_HR@crs.org. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted by rolling bases.
Also send a copy of your application package to the desk Officers, Ministry of Employment and Social Security, New England, and Extension Offices in Applicants’ Locations
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.
Closing Date for the receipt of application packages is 25th February 2022.
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