Job Title: Technical Advisor (TA1) for Shelter and Settlements, Humanitarian Response Department
Location: HQ Baltimore (US) or Home based with extensive field based postings
Band: D
FLSA: Exempt
Reports To: Senior Technical Advisor Shelter and Settlements
ABOUT CRS:
Catholic Relief Services 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.
Background:
Catholic Relief Services was founded as an emergency relief organization and emergency related work still represents nearly one-third of the agency’s expenses. CRS is recognized by public and private donors in the US as one of the prime American emergency responders. CRS’ ability to respond effectively in the early stages of an emergency is crucial to the survival and well-being of hundreds of thousands of disaster-affected people. CRS’ holistic approach to emergency response and recovery, combined with its early presence on the ground to address immediate needs, enables CRS to accompany disaster-affected households and communities in resuming productive and dignified lives as soon as possible while building their capacity to better withstand future disasters. With staff in more than 50 countries, established partners in more than 100, CRS is able to establish operations within days of a disaster in almost any corner of the globe. CRS is recognized for a range of flexible, innovative interventions that provide cost-effective solutions to local needs and priorities. In the most disaster-prone locations, CRS works with communities, partners, governments and other actors to mitigate risk and strengthen response capacity ahead of potential disasters. The Humanitarian Response Department (HRD) provides leadership and support to CRS emergency programming. The HRD strengthens CRS’ impact through high quality, innovative programs; improved technical and management capacity at the field level; and active engagement in global efforts to promote excellence and learning in humanitarian response. The HRD has technical staff that supports emergency program planning, rapid response, and capacity strengthening of staff and partners worldwide. The TA1 Shelter and Settlement will be part of a Shelter and Settlement team of technical advisors within the HRD. Under CRS current strategy Shelter and Settlements is considered a Strategic Investment Priority (SIP) resulting in more country programs becoming involved in shelter and settlement programs. In 2015 CRS are conduction shelter and settlement programs in 19 countries, assisting approximately 20,000 households with emergency shelter solutions, and over 40,000 households with transitional shelter solutions. In providing safe and durable living conditions to the affected populations CRS strive to ensure culturally appropriate solutions that use local materials, technologies and skills. We seek opportunities to integrate our shelter programming with activities to restore livelihoods, improve water and sanitation, protect highly vulnerable populations, and ultimately support communities to become more resilient to future disasters. CRS also consider how our programming can positively influence local markets and help in the wider community recovery process.
Primary Function: The TA1 will provide technical assistance to strengthen CRS country programs’ and partners’ shelter and settlement emergency response and recovery programs. The TA1 will champion and contribute actively to the vision of the Shelter and Settlement component of the agency strategy.
Job Responsibilities:
- Provide in-country and/or remote technical assistance to country programs on specific projects as laid out in scopes of works.
- Provide technical support country programs for strategic planning, program design, inputs into proposal review and writing, budgeting, designing M&E, and program evaluation and impact review.
- Puts in place best practice shelter and settlement project systems and manage project start-up and implementation.
- Implements agency standards and strategy for specific technical area in country program projects and champions and promotes the agency strategy in particular the Shelter and Settlement Rapid Response and Recovery vision and work plan.
- Keeps abreast of emerging issues in technical area that can be incorporated into country programming. Provide on-going support for learning processes that strengthen the response of CRS and partners to technical-related challenges.
- Compile case studies and disseminates information on state-of-the-art approaches and other resources to country programs and partners.
- Facilitate CRS shelter and settlement community of practice. Organizing Webinars and keep SharePoint community of practice web page updated. Participate and lead in the SSRRR technical working groups.
- Supports capacity building in assigned technical area, assists with developing content for training and planning workshops in technical areas.
- Retain an up-to date database of all current shelter and settlement programs.
- Responds to donor solicitations under the guidance of senior technical advisor.
- Contribute to retaining an updated SSRRR suite of resources.
Emergency Competencies Each CRS staff member working in emergencies is expected to use the following competencies to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
· Communicates strategically under pressure
· Manages stress and complexity
· Actively promotes safety and security
· Manages and implements high-quality emergency programs
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff) : These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
· Serves with Integrity
· Models Stewardship
· Cultivates Constructive Relationships
· Promotes Learning
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: HRD Shelter and settlement team members, Director and deputy director of Humanitarian Response Department, DRDs PQ/MQ, OSD, PQSD, CRS Country Programs, CRS Shelter and settlement community of practice members, in country CRS / Caritas field team.
External: In country Shelter Cluster members, host-country government representatives; Caritas member organizations, Disaster management committees and universities, private sector and relevant research institutions.
Professional/Personal Skills:
· Ability of work in remote and disaster (natural and man-made) affected areas. Proven ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary and multicultural team.
· Always acts with professional integrity putting the affected community and the organization at the center.
· Has self-motivation and ability to work independently on certain tasks to the highest level.
· Ability to give clear and concise advice to country programs on recommended strategic direction, action points and budgeting.
· Has excellent soft-skills including being open to new ideas, transparent and diplomatic, being a relationship builder and facilitator, ability to quickly understand context specific issues and to think flexibility to offer the most appropriate advice.
· Ability to build organizational relationships with wide variety of stakeholders, being sensitive to the partner’s needs, resolving issues, responding proactively and respectfully.
· Have excellent communication skills, able to explain accurately challenges and solutions to non-technical persons including excellent writing and reporting skills.
· Has excellent listening skills, respecting equal inputs from a wide range of stakeholders and truly believes in the role of a participatory process.
· Representation skills at in-country shelter cluster coordination meeting and with government authorities.
· Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, and other formal and non-formal methods.
· Computer skills: must be familiar with WORD, EXCEL, computer-aided design AUTOCAD, sketch-up 3D visualization, desktop publishing graphic design programs.
· Must be able to draw accurate construction drawings for simple shelter designs.
Qualifications:
· Professional qualification and/or masters in architecture, urban planning, structural engineering, or construction project management
· Minimum three (3) years of professional experience and or shelter research/development experience of which includes min two (2) years of shelter and settlement humanitarian field-based experience.
· Good understanding of emergency and development issues and/or Master’s degree in international development, humanitarian relief.
· Excellent understanding of the sheltering processes and technical knowledge of materials specific to regions
· Proven experience in implementing community-based humanitarian shelter and settlement programs.
· Proven experience in design, construction, planning and construction project management, including construction contract administration.
· Experience with participatory methods community mobilization and local partnerships.
· Strong cross-cultural & interpersonal skills, demonstrated by ability to influence change without direct supervision and work successfully with clients and sector professionals.
· Grant/proposal review knowledge.
· Fluency in English (FSI 5); working ability in French and or Spanish (FSI 3) is strongly preferred.
Physical Requirement: A willingness to travel extensively for more than 50% of the time and spending up to 2-months in the field at any one time. Ability to live and work in disaster affected areas and a willingness to support humanitarian response and recovery programs wherever agency and affected communities needs dictate.
Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position.
CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation
Equal Opportunity Employer
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