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.
Job Background/Summary:
This position is within the USG Donor Engagement Team and will have a specific donor portfolio of programs to cover, depending on the needs of the team. The successful Award Management Officer will demonstrate a high level of donor representation, programming knowledge and troubleshooting capabilities. Key relationships are with USG donors and country programs, as well as other departments and divisions within CRS. For public award-related activities, functional tasks include: administration of a portfolio of awards requiring support to country program offices in project implementation and management; successful submission and defense of public award proposals; sharing information within the department and with other relevant staff; and being a resource for, mentoring, and training other staff in resource acquisition, compliance, negotiation, and building public donor relations skills as appropriate. The Award Management Officer will also take on at least one area of global specialization related to public resources, such as development of expertise in dealing with a donor of particular importance to the unit portfolio but also to the rest of the agency. The focal donors for the Food Security Donor Engagement unit are the Office of Food for Peace, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and the Bureau for Food Security.
Key Responsibilities:
- Create, cultivate and maintain strong donor relationships. Undertake frequent travel to Washington to ensure contact with the donor and promote a positive CRS image with the donor.
- Maintain a positive donor image of CRS while diplomatically and effectively negotiating desired outcomes for Country Programs.
- Apply field experience in program management to identify trouble spots in implementation, assess implications for both the country program and donor, and strategize possible solutions.
- Minimize risk to CRS as an agency by proactively identifying and resolving problems before they arise to a critical level.
- Drawing on experience, advise HQ and field staff on public resource administration, and mentor less experienced staff, contributing to the broader knowledge base of team.
- Perform all duties for a specified portfolio of awards as follows:
o Handle day-to-day management of award portfolio, including prompt and proactive resolution of award issues.
o Represent and advocate on behalf of country programs to donors, ensuring strong working relationships with public donor officials; ensure that higher level issues are raised to the Team Leader or other appropriate staff for follow up.
o Understand and interpret donor regulations, guidance and work preferences to facilitate program award acquisition and management; communicate donor considerations and requirements to country programs; help country programs strategize on best approaches to take with each donor; ensure coordination with other Public Donor staff so that messages reach relevant staff in the agency.
o Review, revise, submit, defend, and negotiate proposals for public resources on behalf of assigned countries; handle award amendments, revisions, waiver requests, award closeouts and disposition of equipment, etc.
o Review and analyze financial reports periodically to support proper country management of donor and CRS cost share of award funding.
o Provide compliance guidance to country programs proactively, particularly in anticipation of potential liabilities; support their management of awards to minimize/mitigate risks.
o Communicate and coordinate with other departments on country-specific and/or regional public resource award issues, (e.g. Finance, Program Impact and Quality Assurance, Humanitarian Response Department, Purchasing, US Operations, Office of Legal Counsel, Legislative Affairs).
o The Award Management Officer will also take on at least one area of public donor specialization, developing an expertise in understanding and dealing with a donor of particular importance to his/her portfolio but also to the rest of the agency.
o Ensure that the auditable files (paper and electronic) of all public awards for assigned countries are maintained up to date, complete, and easily accessible according to CRS filing system for public awards.
o Update and maintain agency data collection systems such as Salesforce/Gateway proposal and award records.
o Contribute to the development of systems that facilitate improved award administration in HQ and by the country programs.
o Support country programs through TDYs as needed (e.g. evaluations, strategic planning, proposal development, etc.).
o Participate in annual review/analysis of country Annual Program Plans and budgets.
o Carry out any other tasks as assigned.
Agency-wide Competencies:
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
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: Country Programs, Regional staff, Finance, Purchasing, Shipping, PIQA, HRD, Business Development Specialists, Legal staff, Operational Excellence, and US Operations.
External: USAID Office of Food for Peace, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and Bureau for Food Security; other public donors and representatives of other PVOs.
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in international development or related field preferred.
- Minimum six years international development work experience, including a minimum of three years field experience developing proposals and implementing public awards in a developing country context and at least three years negotiating and backstopping USAID awards or equivalent experience with other US Government agencies or departments. Title II experience needed.
- Familiarity with USAID requirements necessary; familiarity with other public donor requirements helpful.
- Knowledge of CRS program technical areas and Catholic Social Teaching principles.
- Strong skills as a mentor, leader, and manager of critical agency relationships.
- Experience with and commitment to working in a team structure.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, think critically, and analyze/resolve problems proactively essential.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication and analytical skills.
- Working fluency with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet) required, experience with Salesforce and with SharePoint or similar communication platforms helpful.
- Ability and willingness to travel overseas up to 15%.
Foreign Language: Fluency in English required. Working ability in French preferred.
Disclaimer Clause:
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, 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.
NOTE: All interested applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application.
Equal Opportunity Employer
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