Livelihoods Project Officer

CRS BACKGROUND:

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian relief and development agency of the Catholic community in the United States and has been present in Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza (JWBG) since 1961. The CRS JWBG country program currently supports programs in the sectors of humanitarian relief, livelihoods, civil society strengthening, and social justice promotion through its field offices in Jerusalem, Gaza, and Bethlehem. For further information about CRS, please visit: www.crs.org.

Salalem is an innovative, five-year project that focuses on improving the networks and skills of young women and youth with disabilities, enabling them to enter and remain in the labor market. This project further seeks to build support from key influencers in the home, workplace, and community, creating an enabling environment in which young women and youth with disabilities realize increased agency and self-reliance. Through Salalem, these marginalized individuals in Gaza and the West Bank will become better prepared for jobs, with opportunities to contribute to the well-being of their families and communities.

JOB SUMMARY: 

The Livelihoods Project Officer (PO) will facilitate the achievement of project objectives specifically related to the Salalem Project. The PO will be responsible to provide technical guidance and advice to staff and implementing partner(s) on livelihoods activities. All activities will be completed under the supervision of the Project Manager (PM), in close coordination with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) PO, and local implementing partner(s). Strong leadership, coordination, and relationship management skills will ensure that the Salalem project applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact on those we serve.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned livelihoods activities through the project cycle – design, start-up, implementation and close-out – in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices. Provide technical support to partner and program teams on livelihoods activities including curriculum design, training implementation, and measuring outcomes for life skills, internship, entrepreneurship, workplace improvements, and social behavior change project components. 
• Train, manage, and lead livelihoods staff to achieve project objectives. Contribute to the recruitment process of project staff, and complete performance management for direct reports. Identify staff capacity building needs and ensure appropriate steps are taken to meet these needs and promote further professional development.
• Identify capacity building and technical assistance needs of local partners. Under the supervision of the Project Manager, coordinate capacity building and livelihoods technical support activities for partners to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per CRS, donor, and industry guidelines and standards. Monitor technical support activities to ensure effective impact.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Collaborate with project team to prepare reports per established reporting schedule. Ensure project documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements. 
• 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. Under the supervision of the Project Manager, and in coordination with the MEAL PO, ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle.
• Coordinate provision of any logistical and administrative support to staff and partners.

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BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree required. Degree in International Relations, Non-profit Management, or a related field would be a plus.
• Minimum of 4 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of livelihoods for an INGO.
• Knowledge of approaches and industry best practices for social behavior change, women’s empowerment, disability inclusion, and/or adult education programming strongly desired.
• 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, MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), and ICT4D systems (e.g. iForm, CommCare, PowerBI) a plus.
• Additional education may substitute for some experience.

Personal Skills: 

• Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities

Required/Desired Foreign Language: Strong written and oral English and Arabic required. 

Travel Required: Travel in West Bank required regularly. Project or country level travel anticipated on occasion (10%) e.g. to Jerusalem. 

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. 

• Trusting Relationships
• Professional Growth
• Partnership
• Accountability

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: 

Supervisory: Livelihoods Field Officer.

Internal: Reports to the Livelihoods Program Manager. Responsible for coordination within the project team including MEAL staff as well as with the Operations departments including Administration, Finance, Procurement, etc. Coordinates with project colleagues in Gaza regularly.

External: Serves as key point of contact on Livelihoods-related activities with project partner(s) in West Bank. Provides support for donor and Third-party monitor visits, as needed. 

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

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' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability status. 

Women, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented populations are encouraged to apply and to seek CRS support on the application process where additional accommodation is required.