Header

Country Representative - Guatemala

10:23:00 AM
Position Title: Country Representative Dept/Location: Guatemala Job Band: E FLSA: Exempt Reports To: Regional Director Length of Assignment: 3-5 years
Primary Responsibilities: CRS Country Representative is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Guatemala country program and the Mexico program office including stewardship of agency resources, projects, and personnel. The Country Representative is CRS’ principal representative to the Catholic Church, the local & country-wide governments, donors, and the international and local civil society organizations in Guatemala and Mexico. Specific Duties: • Responsible for the overall coordination and direction of the Guatemala country program and the Mexico program office; provide necessary coaching and supervision for department managers directly under his or her supervision including the Mexico Head of Office; ensure high quality program design and implementation; ensure efficient management of public grants and private funds for compliance and high quality reporting; provide oversight of the financial management systems. • Familiarity and/or appreciation of the social teachings of the Catholic Church and its structure as well as an understanding that the principles of Catholic Social Teaching inform decision making at the Country Program (CP) level. • Represent CRS at the highest levels within Guatemala and Mexico: i.e. develop strategies to ensure strong representation with the local Church, local Caritas networks, United States Government, International Organizations (UN, EU), International PVOs, national PVOs, donors and CRS/HQ. • Seek and pursue opportunities to raise the profile of the work of CRS and its partners, as well as the needs and challenges of our beneficiaries. • Manage ongoing programs and develop and design new programs in the areas of health/nutrition, agriculture, emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk reduction, education, labor rights, migration, peace building, HIV/AIDS, and institutional strengthening, in line with the regional and partner strategies. • Provide the necessary leadership to ensure country program coherence with regional strategies through communication with the Regional Director and regional technical staff; with national strategies through coordination with relevant national agencies and donors. • Ensure program quality through implementation of country/region-specific project review systems, comprehensive Monitoring & Evaluation systems and staff/partner development. • Remain current on national and regional issues impacting CRS country programs and partners. • Ensure country program involvement in meeting the objectives of the agency strategic plan. Strategic Planning and Growth: • Provide vision and guide processes for developing the next CRS/Guatemala (2016) and CRS/Mexico (2017) country strategic program plans (SPPs) in accordance with regional and agency strategy. • Oversee short- and medium-term strategic planning for implementation of high quality programs. • Identify opportunities for appropriate expansion and growth of programs and the acquisition and investment of human resources. • Ensure that management and program quality standards are upheld and that the country program strategic plans are applied appropriately in both countries. Stewardship: • Responsible for the effective operation and functions of program quality/technical assistance, finance, material resource management, growth, administration, information technology, and audit. • Ensure that systems are in place to enable CRS/Guatemala and Mexico to adhere to agency policies and procedures and that those policies and procedures are understood by all Staff. Staff Development: • Supervise and mentor staff, including development of performance plans and assessment of performance. • Provide constructive feedback and counsel on appropriate career paths and professional development for CRS staff. • Oversee the management, coaching and development of national and international staff to build cadre of skilled and committed personnel. Security and Emergency Response Management: • Oversee the management of all security issues, including appropriate response to emergency situations as they arise. Supervise emergency responses. • Keep security, evacuation and contingency plans current and revise as appropriate or necessary and ensure adherence by all staff. • Brief new staff and visitors on the general context. Communications: • Ensure open communication with regional management staff, regional technical advisors, and HQ personnel. • Ensure open communications and encourage principles of a just workplace. • Maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages honest communication between CRS staff and partners. • Ensure positive and productive communication with the Episcopal Conference and with the dioceses supported by CRS. Supervisory Responsibilities: Five direct reports including the CRS/Guatemala Head of Program, Head of Administration/Logistics, Head of Finance, Human Resource Coordinator and the CRS/Mexico Head of Office. Country Representative 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. • Leads toward Strategic Results • Manages Risk and Complexity • Represents and Partners Strategically • Champions Learning and Performance 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
Key Working Relationships: Internal: Regional Director, Deputy Regional Directors for MQ & PQ, regional technical advisors, Director of Overseas Operations, Chief Financial Officer, Overseas Support Department, US Operations, Program Quality & Support Department, Human Resources, Purchasing and Shipping. External: Local Catholic Bishops Conferences, local Catholic Church agencies, representatives of the USCCB and other US-based and international Catholic organizations, local partner organizations, host country government agencies, donor agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, foreign governments.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required: • Masters in International Development/Relations or related field. • Eight years or more relevant, progressive middle management experience in a developing country environment. • Strong interpersonal, communication and organizational skills as well as good judgment and vision. • Strong experience with short and long-term planning; financial, personnel and program management. • Demonstrated qualities of strong leadership, cultural sensitivity, confidence, commitment and initiative. • Experience managing a variety of complex, high-value donor-funded (USG -Title II, OFDA, USDA, USDOL etc.) initiatives. • Demonstrated supervisory skills and understanding of the importance of staff development. • Demonstrated success in program development and fundraising. • Strong experience with institutional strengthening and partnership building. • Demonstrated ability to effectively represent the Catholic, American identity of CRS. Physical Requirements/Environment: • Normal conditions for an overseas office environment. • Given Guatemala’s high crime rate, personal safety and security is a concern and can be particularly challenging for a family with high-school aged children who might want to move around the city with friends at night or on weekends. There is no enforced drinking age and guns and drugs are prevalent. • Willingness and ability to travel to Mexico 2-3 times a year as well as to other overseas locations as necessary. Travel Requirements: The position is based in Guatemala City requiring travel approx. 25% travel. Foreign Language Required: Fluency in English and Spanish. Major Responsibilities of Position: Leadership/Management, Administration, Program Design, Finance, Mentoring/Training, Supervision.
Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position.
How to apply:
EOE/M/F/D/V

Post a Comment