Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Abuja Vacancy for Country Manager

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Abuja Vacancy for Country Manager

Dept/Location: Nigeria, Abuja
Req. #: I460

Background:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the overseas relief and development arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It was founded in 1943 and works in over 100 countries globally. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa as well as one of the wealthiest. It has wide diversity with more than 250 ethnic groups, but can generally be divided into three key subgroups: Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani. Elections for the Presidency, legislature and state governorships in April 2011 were managed transparently and were considered fair both internally as well as by national and international observers marking a historic milestone for Nigerian democracy.





Primary Responsibilities:
The Country Representative (CR) is responsible for leadership and overall management of CRS operations, activities and relationships in Nigeria, consistent with agency policies and procedures and the Central Africa regional strategy. S/he supervises a staff of approximately 60 international and national staff; oversees the effective and cost-efficient implementation of on-going projects; keeps the Regional Director well informed of program developments and priorities; pursues new funding and partnership opportunities in line with the regional strategy; participates actively in regional initiatives and working groups. S/he represents CRS with the Nigerian Government at national and local levels, local Catholic Church and other religious leaders, international and local NGOs, and Nigerian civil society partners. The Country Representative is expected to perform under limited supervision; most normal duties and responsibilities are handled independently following established policies, procedures and priorities, while complex and/or unique issues are handled in consultation with the Regional Director. Developing national staff capacities, partner capacities, partner ownership of programs and ensuring quality programming are key priorities.

Qualifications:
1. Masters degree in international development/relations, public administration, business administration, or related fields. 2. Prior assignment as a CRS Country Representative preferred; or, at least 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in CRS or a similar organization, preferably managing multi-sectoral and multi-partner programming. 3. Demonstrated leadership, management and supervisory skills. 4. Demonstrated ability to represent and advocate for the agency, its programming, and its views to partners and donors. 5. Strong inter-personal skills. 6. Excellent communications skills. 7. Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge and skills formally and informally to diverse audiences; desire and ability to mentor staff. 8. Demonstrated success in program development and fundraising. 9. Knowledge of CRS operations, policies and procedures. 10. Substantial experience with short and long-term planning; financial, human resource and program management. 11. Demonstrated ability to effectively represent the Catholic, American identity of CRS. 12. Knowledge of Church structure and protocol, and the ability to relate effectively to Church officials at various levels in the Church hierarchy. 13. Demonstrated ability to work effectively in challenging cultural environments, to delegate tasks appropriately, and to understand and respond to staff concerns. 14. Excellent organization and planning skills. 15. Knowledge of and working experience in Africa preferred. 16. Fluency in English required functional capacity in French an advantage.

Physical Requirements/Environment:
1. Normal office environment. 2. Ability to travel within Nigeria approximately 25-30% of the time.
Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position

HOW TO APPLY
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