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

• Department:    Programming
• Location:     CRS Tamale Office with travel as required  
• Band/Grade:    D Low
• Reports to:    CRS Program Manager –Agriculture

Background:

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been working in Ghana since 1958 in Health, Agriculture, Peace Building, Water and Sanitation, Microfinance and Education programs.
• Since 2013, the Agriculture Technology Transfer (ATT) project has succeeded in reaching over 109,000 farmers with its agriculture technology messages.  But, the project will have to reach many more farmers in order to meet its objective of 40% of all soybean, maize, and rice fields in northern Ghana planted using certified seed. ATT seeks to aggressively scale up the dissemination of productivity-enhancing, labor-saving technologies in the production of soy, maize and rice.
• Catholic Relief Services Ghana Program (CRS) has also been promoting increased cultivation of soybeans (rotated with maize) in northern Ghana.  This outreach has been in collaboration with USAID’s Feed the Future-funded Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL). With SIL providing technical guidance, CRS has for the last three years worked with a network of over 2,400 women and men farmers, reaching them with technology messages and ‘Soybean Success Kits (SSK)’  to increase their productivity.
• ATT has over the last four years worked with 21 local and community-based organizations, but recognizes that the value addition of CRS’ network of farmers, close connection with the district agriculture offices and the experience gained from the collaboration with the Soy Innovation Lab will go a long way in ensuring availability and use of agricultural technologies to maximize and sustain productivity in Northern Ghana (ATT’s Goal), while touch the lives of u to 15,000 farmers.
• CRS seeks a Project Coordinator to work closely with the Agriculture Program Manager (APM), to lead a team in the management and implementation of the ATT Project activities in Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions.  The project aims to increase the availability and use of agricultural technologies to maximize and sustain productivity of maize, soybean and rice in Northern Ghana. The ATT-PC will supervise three (3) Zonal Mobilization Specialists (ZMS).

Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Key Responsibilities:  

• Provide dynamic leadership, technical support and team coordination to the project team and implementing partners of the beneficiary districts  
• Identify and establish agreements with lead agro-input companies to commercialize project identified technologies including success kits
• Manage and ensure effectiveness of project implementation partners, agro-dealers and other service providers
• Ensure the effective technical input from, and collaboration with IFDC/ATT personnel and management as well as other research partners as specified in project design
• Ensure optimal project quality and efficient delivery of project activities  
• Ensure that all implementing partners pursue a project of continual learning, documenting and capitalizing on experiences.
• Represent the program to Government, decentralized authorities, NGOs, private sector, etc, and to existing and potential donors as appropriate and other representation as may be required from the APM and management.
• Ensure the security and efficient management of all resources, equipment and documentation linked to the project.
• Ensure the efficient use of the human and financial resources available to deliver on the project targets.
• Provide an effective reporting interface with implementing partners at the Regional and District levels.
• Develop and lead the successful networking of actors engaged in the sector.
• Participate in the recruitment and evaluation of consultants for the Project within the framework of CRS policies and regulations.
• Facilitate and oversee the dissemination of best practices and lessons learned from project sites locally and nationally as a way of facilitating the visibility of the project model  

Management and Administration:

• Manage project budgets, including tracking of financial and material resources.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of project finances and progress status, review actual financial performance against the budget, and explain variances on a regular basis.
• Ensure staff compliance with all CRS administrative and operational procedures and policies, as well as applicable donor regulations.
• Approve project expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.

Representation and Advocacy:

• Provide overall leadership and oversight to the implementation, ensuring that partners and field staff adhere to their assigned scopes of work and memorandum of understanding/agreements, and ensuring all members of the implementation team work cooperatively and productively to achieve project objectives.
• Act as primary project contact and representative, taking responsibility for addressing all project matters, collaborating with the CRS Country Representative, Head of Programs and the Agric. Program Manager and the Senior Agric. Program Officer on overall partner and donor relationships.
• Strengthen linkages with existing and potential partner agencies, in collaboration with CRS Country Representative, Head of Programming and the Agric. Program Manager and the Senior Agric. Program Officer.
• Oversee project communication strategies, in collaboration with Agric. Program Manager and the Senior Agric. Program Officer, including compliance with donor's branding and marketing requirements as well as CRS marketing and communication procedures.

Human Resource Management:

• Lead, manage and supervise a team of CRS and partner staff to meet project objectives.
• Conduct periodic reviews of staff performance in keeping with CRS' performance management system and mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability:

• Work with MEAL teams to ensure MEAL systems comply with agency standards and donor specifications.
• Conduct regular site visits to monitor progress in project implementation, check on quality assurance and address emerging technical operational/management issues.  
• Ensure ICT4D technologies are used appropriately in the project MEAL system.

Growth Opportunities:

• Support the Agriculture Program Manager and the programming department to gather intelligence on the next level of funding opportunities and coordinate reviews of key funding calls to determine go/no go decisions.
• Participate in meetings relating to growth opportunities and document proceedings, follow-up action points/recommendations and ensure executions on timely basis.
• Support program managers to develop Project Idea Notes, draft concept papers, production plans, budget and budget narrations in response to growth opportunities.

Other Duties/Assignments:

• Carry out any other duties/assignments as shall from time to time be directed by the Agric. Program Manager, the Head of Programs or Country Representative.

Required Skills or Experience

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in agriculture, agronomy, or other related field.
• Minimum five years’ experience in agricultural or community development work at the field level.
• Knowledge of Ghanaian agricultural landscape and key actors.
• Previous experience managing an NGO agriculture project at the district level.
• Demonstrated capacity and experience with stakeholder management.
• Experience working with smallholder farmers and farmer-based organizations (FBOs).
• Demonstrated personal accountability, integrity and drive to serve others.
• Demonstrated commitment to improving gender equality and gender responsiveness in programming.
• Proven experience in building and maintaining strong linkages between partner agencies, including government and research institutions.
• Demonstrated strong writing ability.
• Excellent English language communications skills required – both oral and written.
• Proficiency in local languages of target districts in the three northern regions of Ghana.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work well as part of a team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Desired Competencies:

• Proven analytical skills, demonstrated creativity in analysis of situations and data
• Proven experience in managing partnership relationships in a participatory manner, managing teams and project implementation plans
• Experience in budgeting and budget management.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, cultural sensitivity, ability to work with people, good judgment and commitment to the Agency's mission
• Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, Internet, etc.).
• Willingness to travel in-country and internationally as required by the Agency.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Country Representative, Head of Programs, Agric. Program Manager, Senior Agric. Program Officer, International Fellow and Finance Manager, Senior/Regional Technical Advisor for Agriculture and Livelihoods/Nutrition
• External:  IFDC/ATT Project, Departments of Agriculture and other partners

PERSONAL SKILLS

• Experience in training and providing technical support to partners/community-based agents
• Strong work ethics and team building skills
• Excellent human relations and enthusiasm for new challenges
• Good networking skills and professionalism

Competencies

• Set clear goals and work towards achieving them
• Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders
• Manages financial resources with integrity
• Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning

Agency-Wide Competencies

• Upholds a Spirit of Service and Integrity
• Cultivates Constructive and Collegial Relationships
• Models Principled Stewardship
• Promotes continuous learning and innovation