Position Title: Technical Adviser II – Cash Transfer Programming
Department: Humanitarian Response Department (HRD)
Location: Baltimore or International Telecommuter
Band: D
FLSA: Exempt
Reports To: Senior Technical Advisor for Food Security and Markets
Background: Over the past 5 years, there has been a significant increase in the amount of humanitarian and development programming that utilizes cash-based and market-based approaches. Between 2010 and 2014, the Emergency Food Security Programs, or EFSP, funded by Food for Peace, made more than $2.2 billion available for projects distributing cash and vouchers. Cash is increasingly a critical part of development assistance programming. The donor trend towards increased cash-based development programming continues this year. For FY16, Food for Peace Title II received an increase of $250 million over its FY15 level of $1.47 billion, and much of this can be used for cash responses. In addition to FFP, USDA’s McGovern Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition program has an increased appropriation this year that includes $5 million for LRP. In the health sector, there has also been increased programming of cash transfer programs that link with existing government social protection programs.
CRS’ Humanitarian Response Department (HRD) currently provides leadership and technical support of these skills through its five-member global team that represents CRS’ Market-Based Rapid Response and Recovery (MBRRR) strategic focus area. This team focuses on humanitarian response programming, but is increasingly being called upon to provide this same support to meet the increasing demand from DFAPs and other development programs. CRS has committed to building its global preparedness for staff and partners to design, implement and monitor quality cash-based programs. To that end, CRS is investing in strengthening its in-house expertise in cash transfer programs for food assistance, education, health, and other development programming. This position will be part of a six-person Food Security, Livelihoods and Markets Team, under the Humanitarian Response Department (HRD), and will work in direct contact with CRS’ Agriculture and Livelihoods team.
The TA for Cash Transfer Programs will be responsible for developing guidance, building capacity, and promoting strategic leadership on cash programming, market assessment, and response analysis; and supporting the development and implementation of quality cash transfer programs. This will include creating systematic relationships with private sector cash delivery systems and ensuring linkages with government social assistance programs.
To maintain influence, strategic leadership, our competitiveness, and our ability to be innovative in market-based responses, CRS seeks additional capacity to be able to design and support implementation of cash-based programs, including the following components:
• Cash-readiness. CRS is working to improve our organizational capacity to conduct rapid start-up and scale-up of quality cash-based programs. To do this, we must be able to identify and maintain centralized and local relationships with appropriate private sector service providers; understand how cash programs link with existing government social assistance programs; support operational start-up at the field level through sufficient local staff and global support staff; map out any policy changes that may need to be undertaken; and provide training and capacity building to CRS field staff.
• Response analysis. The shift towards cash-based programming requires robust response analysis, which is critical to determine appropriate modalities based on market, needs, and contextual analysis. Development programs will increasingly be called upon to justify the choice of imported or locally procured goods, especially food (via cash, vouchers, or in-kind distributions) based on solid response analysis.
• Flexible design. CRS programs must be able to shift modalities with relative ease depending on changes in market and operational context.
• Protection mainstreaming and accountability. CRS has developed operations guidance for cash programs that address concerns around protection and security. Expertise is needed to provide more support to continue to build capacity and maintain our leadership in this area.
• Innovation. CRS is gaining recognition in its leadership in cash-based approaches, promoting innovation in digital payment systems, innovative partnerships, and coordination.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide technical leadership to CRS country programs in the development of cash programs in development contexts, including technical design leadership for large-scale food assistance program grants.
- Provide technical assistance in implementation of cash components of multi-purpose, food security, education, health, or other programs.
- Conduct market assessments to determine the appropriate form of assistance, including cash, voucher, in-kind distributions, and market support interventions.
- Provide support to other members of CRS’ programming teams and Humanitarian Response Department to consider and use cash appropriately across sectors (agriculture and livelihoods, health, education, social assistance, protection, others).
- Support the development of materials and guidance for cash transfer programs in varying development contexts.
- Mainstream gender and protection into cash tools and guidance; contribute to financial and operational guidance for cash and market-based programming.
- Provide trainings to CRS Country Program and Regional Staff on market assessment, response analysis, and the design and implementation of cash and market-based programs.
- Oversee and ensure the successful implementation of cash programs, in adherence with international accountability standards such as the SEEP Minimum Economic Recovery Standards (MERS) and the CaLP Minimum Requirements for Market Analysis in Emergencies.
- Coordinate with CRS’ supply chain team to develop supply chain protocols that include cash programs.
- Lead and participate in CRS or multi-agency market assessments.
- As members of CaLP (The Cash Learning Partnership), participate in CaLP discussions and advisory groups as appropriate.
- Provide leadership in representation to CRS to global cash communities in Europe and other regions.
- Identify, document and share best practices and lessons learned from cash programs with regions and community of practice; develop and contribute to agency knowledge databases and technical libraries
- Publish articles and/or case studies on cash programs, independently or in collaboration with research organizations.
- Contribute to increasing CRS’ leadership and recognized portfolio in cash programs. 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
Key Working Relationships: Internal: Humanitarian Response Department (HRD); Program Implementation and Quality Assurance (PIQA) department; IDEA department staff; CRS country program staff; Technical Advisors for Food Security, Markets, Cash, and Livelihoods; Technical Advisors for Agriculture and Livelihoods.
External: The Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP), Caritas Internationalis, Food security PVO community, Donor agencies, research organizations, partners, private and financial sectors, and program beneficiaries
Qualifications:
- Masters’ Degree or equivalent experience in economics, agricultural economics, international development or related field.
- Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in cash- and market-based programming. Experience in both emergency and development contexts preferred
- Experience with market assessment and response analysis frameworks.
- Knowledge of SEEP Minimum Economic Recovery Standards.
- Strong proposal development and writing skills preferred.
- Experience working with and through local partner organizations.
- Basic knowledge of design requirements and regulations of major donors including the United States Government, Caritas, the EU, and UN agencies.
- Experience with and enthusiasm for coaching, mentoring and on the job training, capacity strengthening and partnership building.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to maintain performance expectations and strong working relationships in diverse cultural contexts, psychologically & physically stressful environments.
- Strong cross cultural skills and experience working with national staff in overseas offices
- Knowledge of French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese or other languages is desirable.
- Ability to represent CRS at coordination or other fora
Physical Requirement: Travel is expected be 30-50% for this position. Candidates should have capacity to live and work in difficult and stressful environments, and serve wherever agency needs dictate.
Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. Applicants for positions based in the US must be authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application.
CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
Equal Opportunity Employer
EmoticonEmoticon