About CRS:
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 Kenya since 1965. Over the years, CRS’ focus shifted from direct relief and food distributions to a comprehensive development program that works with partners and enhances local capacity. CRS Kenya programs now support children affected by HIV, and community-based efforts to increase household incomes, improve family health and sanitation, and enhance agriculture livelihoods.
Background:
CRS is implementing a 5 year OVC program, MWENDO, which seeks to empower local and county-level OVC stakeholders to strengthen the formal and informal HIV and child protection systems and services and the linkages between them, including cross-sectoral service referrals and coordination to ensure quality service delivery for OVC and their HHs.
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Senior Project Officer – County Systems Strengthening Lead, the Project Officer – County Systems Strengthening (PO – CSS) will be seconded to the county Department of Children Services (DCS) office to provide coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance. They will also coordinate all Mwendo services and activities within their individually assigned counties.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Provide daily technical assistance and accompaniment to DCS
- Support DCS to identify their assets, strengths, and goals for in-service professional development and use this information to develop costed annual work plans that incorporate capacity building activities; and a sustainability plan for continuing DCS development after the project ends.
- Support each county DCS to assess their assets, and needs, and use the results to create and implement costed organizational capacity strengthening plans.
- Working closely with the IMS Advisor support to roll out CPIMS and coach DCS to use data to identify trends, gaps in services and context-specific protection risks to children.
- Coordinate information exchange between DCS and local organizations, ensuring regular meetings, joint capacity strengthening events and, with CM Advisors, a coordinated roll out of the CM package
- Support technical capacity development; guide DCS to do quarterly data reviews and apply data to planning, decision making, and advocacy, including making an investment case to the County government for increasing resource allocation to child services
- Support DCS to include children’s activities in the County Integrated Development Plans.
- During start-up, support DCS to map existing AACs and determine areas of greatest need for new AACs.
- Together with LIPs will assist DCS to recruit and train VCOs and AACs
- Working closely with the Child protection team and DCS jointly train new AACs on the linkages between child protection and HIV and the new national AAC guidelines
- Provide technical assistance to DCS to develop the capacity of various stakeholders to coordinate community-level OVC interventions.
- Working closely with the Case Management team provide technical support to DCS, LIPs and AACs to undertake and institutionalize case conferencing
- Support the conceptualization and implementation of Mwendo program’s harmonized, standardized, and contextualized approach to holistic, costed sustainability planning at the Local Implementing Partner, government, civil society, community, household and individual levels to support OVC and household graduation/transition and social service system strengthening.
- Provide technical assistance and accompaniment to LIPs and counties to implement and monitor costed sustainability plans.
- Support to strengthen the ability of LIPs and key GOK entities to conduct intragovernmental advocacy to increase the timely financing of activities that support a HIV-sensitive social service system.
- Lead county-level organizational network analyses (ONA) to strengthen referral networks and promote linkages between community, facility and county-level protection and HIV services in collaboration with the Case Management Advisor, county level Government officers, LIPs, health facilities, networks and CSO/CBOs and other aspects of a HIV-sensitive social service system.
- Provide technical assistance to the AACs and the Department of Children services in social service system strengthening including, but not limited to governance/leadership, coordination/networking among OVC service providers, human resources, financing and information management/use.
- Support AACs and the Department of Children Services to enhance/introduce systems to improve the planning, coordination and communication among social service system actors across the county in order to effectively manage all OVC service providers in the County.
- Coach Social Workers (LIP staff) to do supportive supervision to ensure CHV performance is in line with international social work standards
- In collaboration with LIPs, provide mentoring, coaching and on-the-job training to key county-level entities to implement effective systems for planning, coordination and monitoring of the OVC response.
- Work with the Department of Children’s Services to improve monitoring and evaluation systems that feed into the national-level system.
- Provide technical assistance to the Children Department to develop the capacity of various stakeholders to coordinate community-level OVC interventions.
- Provide guidance and technical assistance to LIPs on the use and adoption of the latest tools and methodologies to support all aspects of project management related to capacity strengthening and sustainability plan implementation.
- Establish systems for monitoring and evaluating capacity to measure progress and generate an evidence base for successful and sustainable approaches to organizational capacity strengthening for county-level entities involved in the OVC response.
- Ensure effective data collection of all activities implemented at the county level.
- Provide timely inputs to Mwendo program’s annual planning, monitoring, reporting and budgeting processes in their county.
- In collaboration with the Communications & Knowledge Management Officer, document project results and impacts in various forms, including media stories, lessons learned, case studies, client satisfaction, etc.
- Represent the Mwendo program at the county-level, including attending meetings on behalf of Mwendo, making presentations at professional meetings and conferences on matters related to the Mwendo program related to capacity and system strengthening
- Coordinate all Mwendo activities in their assigned County.
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.
- Serves with Integrity
- Models Stewardship
- Cultivates Constructive Relationships
- Promotes Learning
Competencies Relevant for the Specific Position:
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by the Project Officer – County Systems Strengthening to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results:
- Experience working with government line ministries, civil society, donors, and local communities;
- Ability to set clear goals and manage toward them;
- Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning;
- Training/coaching skills;
- Understanding of development/relief issues;
- Commitment to humanitarian principles and action;
Supervisory Responsibilities (if none, state none):
None
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: Mwendo Core Leadership and Technical Advisors; Systems Strengthening Specialist; CRS Kenya Programming, Finance, Procurement, and HR/Administration.
External: Donors, government ministries/institutions at the national and county levels, relevant private sector entities within the County.
Required Qualifications and Experience:
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Social Work or equivalent degree
Knowledge
- Proven partnership and capacity strengthening experience.
- Minimum of 3 years of work experience, preferably in organizational/institutional development and provision of technical assistance to government entities at the county level and/or international non-governmental organizations or civil society (including faith-based) organizations preferably related to the HIV and/or OVC response.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain positive relationships with and accountability towards diverse actors including donors, LIPs, government, and civil society partners.
- Demonstrated ability motivate and inspire teamwork among diverse partners, without direct supervisory responsibilities.
- Excellent project management skills including the demonstrated ability to conduct assessments, analysis, monitoring, and reporting as well as the ability to develop practical solutions within set deadlines.
- Experience in quality improvement science, using data to inform decision-making and sustainability planning/monitoring a plus.
- Demonstrated problem solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and willingness to innovate
- Demonstrated ability to design and conduct trainings.
- Good knowledge of the health and social service sector in Kenya.
- Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks.
- Recent experience working in international implementing organizations.
Skills and Abilities
- Excellent written and oral communications skills in English
- Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
- Familiarity and understanding of donor-funded projects policies and procedures
- Experience in implementing donor-funded projects
- Demonstrated ability to work with and in teams
- Demonstrated ability to foster integration in programming approach
- Understating of GOK and CRS operating procedures
- Good understanding of GOK systems and procedures as it relates to planning and budgeting.
Required Foreign Language:
None
Required Travel:
The Project Officer – County Systems Strengthening will be based at the DCS County Office but will be expected to travel to the Mwendo Program areas of operation.
Disclaimer:
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
How to apply:
Written applications indicating the reference number of position applied for and CV including day-time contact phone numbers, as well as names and contact information of three references should reach the below-mentioned by Close of Business Friday, July 21, 2017.
Human Resources Manager
Catholic Relief Services – Kenya Program
E-mail : [email protected]
Note: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) does not charge any fees from applicants for any recruitment. Further, CRS has not retained any agent in connection with this recruitment
CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation
More Information
- Job City Nairobi