Company Profile

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 Ghana was established in 1958, a year after Ghana gained independence. In Ghana, CRS works with local partners to tackle poverty on several fronts including improving health and nutrition; increasing access to safe water and improved sanitation; promoting agriculture to enhance food security; and increasing financial assets through Savings and Internal Lending Communities. 

Job Description

• Job Title: Field Officer (REST)
• Department: Programming (Health)
• Band: C
• Reports To: Community Mobilization Specialist
• Country/Location: Ghana/Northern and Upper East Regions (Karaga, Gushegu, Mamprugu-Moaduri & Builsa South districts)
• Start Date: June 2017
• End Date: June 2020

Job Summary
A United States based Foundation has approved CRS Ghana’s Rural Emergency Health Service and Transport (REST II) Project for a period of three years (June 2017 – June 2020). As a member of the Rural Emergency Health Service and Transport (REST) project team, you will work with the Project Specialists and project partners (Ghana Health Service) in the implementation of REST project strategies and activities, coordinating various project activities and events in support of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work to serve the poor and vulnerable. Your service and community relations skills ensure that the local partners and communities feed into and benefit from the project that consistently applies best practices and continuously works towards improving its impact.

Job Responsibilities
Project Implementation:

• Support the coordination and monitoring of project activities at the field level, ensuring implementation schedules are met as per the detailed activity plan, and that adherence to systems for quality project implementation are strengthened.
• Coordinate communication and facilitate information sharing among the project team, implementing partners, and project beneficiaries at the community level to assist local partners in strengthening the community interest, involvement and support networks.
• Liaise with various community stakeholders and mobilize them to ensure full involvement of community leaders, community representatives, and local government representatives in the overall implementation and improvement of project activities.
• In coordination with the District Implementation Team (DITs), support capacity building events for community representatives.  
• Coordinate, supervise, monitor, and report on mentor and volunteer activities.
• Work with community based agents and compile data provided at the community level as per project requirements and contribute to the preparation of reports.
• Prepare and submit monthly project updates to the immediate supervisor

Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability and Learning (MEAL):

• Work with MEAL Specialist to ensure that project MEAL systems comply with agency standards and donor specifications.
• Support MEAL Specialist on field monitoring and evaluation activities and partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Proactively identify issues and challenges and report them to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Document lessons learned and other human interest stories with the MEAL Specialist and Community Mobilization Specialist
• Support the use of ICT4D technologies as per the project requirements at the community and health facility levels
• Actively seek and respond to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other stakeholders and report appropriately.

Scope

• Not Applicable

Travel Required:

• 90% of time (in the field)

Key Working Relationships:

• Supervisory: None applicable
• Internal: REST Community Mobilization Specialist, REST MEAL Specialist, REST Project Coordinator, Health Program Manager, MEAL Coordinator, REST Field Officers
• External: Ghana Health Service, District Assemblies, Local Leaders/Chiefs, District Director of Health Services

Required Skills or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Community Development, Public Health, Nutrition or related field.
• 1-2 years of work or volunteer experience in community development, community engagement and mobilization.
• Computer literate and skills in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Possession of License to ride a motorcycle.
• Knowledge of local language (Dagbani, Mampruli, etc.) would be preferable.

Personal Skills:

• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with diverse groups.
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented.
• Presentation, facilitation and communication skills.
• Ability to ride a motorbike in rough terrain
• Knowledge of local level issues

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.

• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning

MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) Competencies:

• Accountability: Improving our accountability to a range of stakeholders through increased participation, transparent communication, responsive feedback mechanisms, and adherence to internal and external quality standards and requirements.
• Analysis and Critical Thinking: Engaging with data, challenging biases and assumptions, posing thoughtful questions, pursuing deeper understanding of evidence through reflection and perspective-taking, and making informed programming decisions.
• Monitoring: Implementing monitoring activities, including timely collection of quality data, set up and maintenance of databases, facilitation of participatory reflection on monitoring results, and submission of timely progress reports.

Required/Desired Foreign Language:

• Not Applicable