Livelihoods Technical Advisor I

Job Title: Livelihoods Technical Advisor I	Reports to:  Program Manager I
Department:  Shared Future	Salary Grade: 9

 

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, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

 

CRS Iraq is assisting individuals affected by conflict to lead a dignified life by implementing initiatives that promote social cohesion and empower young people. CRS Iraq offers educational and psychosocial support for children, as well as livelihoods interventions for adults.

 

About Shared Future

Enabling Durable Solutions for a Cohesive and Diverse Kirkuk and Ninewa Plains, or by its shorter name Shared Future, is a 7.25-year project launched in June 2018. In Phase I and II, the project implemented social cohesion and livelihoods programing, to support families returning to the Ninewa Plains with durable returns, after years of displacement caused by the rise and fall of the Islamic State (IS). In Phase III, Shared Future will expand geographically into Kirkuk to support youth livelihoods. This phase of the project will also emphasize a positive youth development approach in both Ninewa and Kirkuk, engaging emerging adults and late adolescents, to expand reach to younger youth. This approach seeks to create an environment where youth can achieve their full potential and contribute to the development of their communities and, in turn, durable solutions.

 

Shared Future’s Livelihoods program provides support to young people aged 18-30 by offering technical training in entrepreneurship and work readiness, as well as livelihoods grant assistance and coaching support. The program is carried out by a partner organization in Ninewa and directly in Kirkuk, with the aim of benefiting more than 1,300 individuals during the project period.

 

Job Summary: 

You will provide technical advice and support to a range of program design and implementation issues in the area of Livelihood in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to Country Program (CP) teams to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. Your advice, knowledge, and support will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive and innovative CRS’ Livelihood programming is across the globe.

 

As a technical advisor, your role will involve the responsibility of revising and adapting the curriculum, ensuring that staff members are trained to deliver it effectively. Additionally, you will establish standard operating procedures for programmatic interventions, including grant approval processes. Furthermore, you will provide support to the Livelihoods Program Manager in representing the organization at various coordination mechanisms.

 

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Support the development and contribute to the implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools and best practices in Livelihood that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.
• Provide technical solutions to Shared Future livelihood team, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools and M&E, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.
• Contribute to, and in some cases lead, the development of the technical design for proposals. Support the process of preparation, design, submission and approval of project concepts and full-fledged proposals. As needed, act as a technical writer on proposal development teams. Advise project teams on integrating donor strategies, priorities and technical requirements into CRS’ approach.
• Support capacity strengthening initiatives in Livelihood programming for staff and partner through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and coaching.
• Collect and analyze program data, capture and share lessons learned and best practices for specific projects to facilitate improvements in decision-making and contribute to the Livelihood learning agenda.
• Contribute to maintaining relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions, participate in forums in the area of Livelihood to collect and share best practices and promote CRS’ work.
• Contribute to the development of key tools for data collection purposes, including surveys, questionnaires, and other relevant instruments.
• Facilitate workshops to interpret data findings, engaging stakeholders to understand the implications for program improvement and decision-making.
• Collaborate with project teams to build the technical capacity of staff and partners in livelihoods programming

 

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics, Business Management, Development Studies, or field(s) related to livelihoods required.
• Minimum of three years relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, with minimum of two years relevant field-based experience in Livelihood.
• Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in livelihoods and small enterprise development. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.
• Experience in project design and proposal development. Experience in writing content for proposals.
• Knowledge of capacity strengthening best practices.
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.

 

Required Languages – Fluency in English is required; Arabic is a plus.

 

Travel – The position is based in Erbil, with 20% travel to project sites in Iraq, primarily in Ninewa and Kirkuk governorates. Regional and international travel for training, as needed.

 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
• Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment.
• Good technical writing skills
• Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
• Proactive, resourceful, and results-oriented

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

 

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

 

Supervisory Responsibilities: none

 

Key Working Relationships: 

Internal: Shared Future Livelihood Program Manager; MEAL Program Manager; Livelihoods Project Manager; Livelihoods Senior Project Officer; Livelihoods Project Officers; Livelihoods Project Assistants.

External: Project partners; other operational partners and colleague organizations; local government; UN agencies and relevant sector leads

 

***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. 

 

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.

 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer