Project
Director, 4Children – Malawi

Closing date: 04 Mar 2017

Position
Title:
Chief of Party I-Project Director, 4Children Malawi
Department/Country:
Lilongwe, Malawi
Band:
D
FLSA:
Exempt

Reports To:
Country Representative, CRS Malawi

About CRS:

Catholic Relief
Services (CRS) 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. The CRS Malawi country program office
was established in 1997 focuses on three strategic objectives of Health &
Nutrition, Agriculture and Livelihoods and Emergency response and recovery.
CRS/Malawi’s principal office is located in Lilongwe with a sub-office in the
southern town of Blantyre. The Blantyre office contains the Program Management
Unit (PMU) for the Ubale, Title II program., a five-year program which began in
October, 2014 and implemented by a consortium of local and international
partners. The program team based in Lilongwe oversees several projects that
interact with the consortium programs for sharing/learning best practices and
ensuring consistent program practices and representation. CRS Malawi implements
its programs in all three (north, central, south) regions of the country and
partners with the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) in seven out of eight
dioceses, working on projects ranging from nutrition, early childhood
development, emergency preparedness, and agriculture and livelihoods.

BACKGROUND:

Coordinating
Comprehensive Care for Children (4Children) is a five‐year USAID‐funded project implemented by
a consortium of organizations led by Catholic Relief Services with partners
IntraHealth, Maestral, Pact, Plan and Westat. 4Children is designed to improve
health and wellbeing outcomes for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC)
affected by HIV and AIDS and other adversities. 4Children’s work utilizes
global evidence establishing that HIV and other adversities are best prevented
and addressed when families and children have access to both high quality
health and social welfare services. The project supports systems and structures
at country and regional levels to implement evidence-based interventions that
protect against risk, interrupt cycles of vulnerability, and build pathways to
resilience leading to an AIDS Free Generation and contributing to overall
improvements in quality of life and productivity for vulnerable children and
their families. Beginning in January 2017, 4Children Malawi will support a
program to scale up interventions for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in
Malawi’s Thyolo, Lilongwe, and Mzimba districts. The primary objective of the 4
Children program in Malawi is to mitigate the impact of HIV and prevent new
infections among targeted Malawian priority populations to enable them to
achieve their maximum potential as individuals and citizens. 4Children will
implement strategies that empower vulnerable families to provide care for themselves,
including their children, supporting a program that will provide child
protection and HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support services for
vulnerable households. 4 Children will work to scale up OVC integrated
interventions with a well-defined graduation strategy, and focus its
interventions on strengthening the continuum of care in Thyolo, Lilongwe and
Mzimba. Program interventions are expected to achieve the following results: 1.
Improved utilization of high quality HIV prevention, care and support, and
related mitigation interventions, as well as reciprocal referral and linkages
to ensure continuity of care across the continuum;2. Increased adoption of
behaviors that reduce HIV transmission, acquisition, and mitigate impact among
adolescents and youths; 3. Strengthened capacity of Malawian structures to
lead, coordinate, and implement comprehensive HIV prevention, care, and impact
mitigation responses.

JOB SUMMARY

The 4Children Malawi
Project Director (PD) will have extensive expertise in OVC programming, HIV and
PEPFAR programs, and will oversee the overall 4Children project in Malawi,
approximately $6 million in total funds over three years. S/he ensures
implementation of the program in line with PEPFAR priorities and in
coordination with 4Children technical advisors and partners, both in Malawi and
CRS’ headquarters in Baltimore, MD. S/he will ensure the project contributes
strategically and sustainably to ongoing OVC and HIV programming interventions
supported by PEPFAR, other donors, and the Government of Malawi. The PD will
ensure representation of the project and close ongoing collaboration with
PEPFAR implementing partners and other OVC partners in the project
implementation districts of Thyolo, Lilongwe, and Mzimba, and nationally. S/he
is responsible for overall management of the project as well as partnerships,
with the Technical Service Organizations (TSOs), the USG, the Child Welfare
sector and in particular, the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education
(MoE), the Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare
(MGCDSW), and other sectors relevant to OVC and HIV, Child Protection NGOs, USG
Implementing partners, and district social welfare offices, district health
offices, traditional authorities, and community-based organizations in Malawi.
S/he coordinates operational implementation, including adherence to
PEPFAR/USAID program requirements, ensuring project resources are managed
according to CRS and USG rules and regulations, and process and results are
documented in a timely manner.

SPECIFIC
RESPONSIBILITIES

Representation
and Advocacy:

In
collaboration with the Country Representative and Head of Programs of
Malawi and the 4Children Malawi Consortium (CRS, Pact, and Plan), act as
primary program contact to the donor and other local and international
stakeholders responsible for addressing all program matters.
In
collaboration with the Country Representative, Head of Programs, and
4Children Malawi Consortium, strengthen linkages with existing and
potential partner agencies.
In
collaboration with the Head of Programs, ensure that the program
communication strategies, including compliance with 4Children and the
donor’s branding and marketing requirements as well as CRS marketing and
communication procedures are followed.

Partnership

Engage
4Children consortium partners, as appropriate, during key stages in the
project cycle for their insights on the appropriateness of program
approaches and interventions and to support program quality.
Foster
positive collaboration between 4Children, CRS Malawi and PEPFAR/USAID/CDC
Malawi.
Forge
and manage complex partnerships with government, USG IPs, civil society,
learning institutions, UN agencies, and the donor community in Malawi and externally
as need arises.

Program
Quality

With
key program staff, ensure project objectives and results are fully
accomplished and meet expected technical quality standards
Ensure
that the project execution is in line with the program vision and all the
program plans are effectively implemented and in line with CRS agency and
country program strategies and guiding principles.
Ensure
key changes in program direction and focus are done in consultation with
the CRS/Malawi country team, 4Children technical advisors, 4Children
consortium members, Malawi government, and USAID.
In
collaboration with the 4Children Malawi consortium, identify needs for
technical assistance in a timely manner, contribute to the development of
scopes of work (SoW), and ensure that technical assistance needs are met
through collaboration with regional and headquarters support staff
supervision of technical support
Lead
the planning of project activities and set appropriate performance targets
ensuring adherence to technical standards, best practices, reporting time
lines and donor guidelines are respected.

Management
and Administration:

Oversee
the relevant scopes of work, associated budgets, sub-agreements and grant
management of all local implementing partners. In conjunction with the finance
and administration teams, develop, implement and monitor capacity building
plans to address any organizational capacity gaps for local implementing
partners, as needed
Oversee
the project’s financial management, as per the project budget, including
review and analysis of monthly budget comparison reports, preparation of
quarterly forecasts, local partner grant management, and timely submission
of annual expenditure analysis reports.
Ensure
timely submission of high quality project narrative reports, quarterly
performance data, as well as other reports needed/required by the local
government, donors, the region or headquarters. · Lead, manage and
supervise a team of CRS and partner (Pact and Plan) staff to meet program
objectives; including direct supervision TSO (technical service
organization) Coordinator, the HIV Specialist, and the OVC Specialist.
Ensure
Performance and Development Planning, coaching and appraisals of staff
performance are conducted in keeping with CRS’ performance management
system, addressing any issues of underperformance as appropriate.
Ensure
staff and project compliance with all CRS administrative, operational, and
financial procedures and policies, as well as applicable to the donor
regulations.

KEY WORKING
RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:
CRS/Malawi Country Representative, CRS Malawi Head of Programs, CRS Malawi
Finance, Operations, and MEAL staff; 4Children HQ Technical, Program,
MEAL, and Operations Staff; CRS Department of Program Impact and Quality
Assurance Technical Advisors, and EARO Regional Technical Advisors.
4Children
Consortium and Implementing Partners:
4Children Consortium including Pact and Plan staff seconded to the
project, and Technical Service Organizations (TSOs)
External:
USAID, the USG, National and Local (District and Traditional Authority)
government and ministries, the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of
Education (MoE), Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social
Welfare (MGCDSW), and other sectors relevant to OVC and HIV, Child
Protection NGOs, USG Implementing partners, and district social welfare
offices, district health offices, traditional authorities, and
community-based organizations in Malawi; donors; affected communities.

Supervisory
Responsibility:

The Project Director
directly supervises the TSO (technical service organization) Coordinator, the
HIV Specialist, and the OVC Specialist. The PD reports to the CRS/Malawi
Country Representative.

Agency-wide
Competencies

For all CRS Staff):
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each
staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired
results.

Serves
with Integrity
Models
Stewardship
Cultivates
Constructive Relationships
Promotes
Learning

REQUIRED
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Master’s
degree in Sociology, Social Work, Public Health, International
Development, or a related field.
10+
years of experience in programs focused on OVC and/or child protection
programming; experience with parenting/family strengthening programs, case
management approaches and social service systems strengthening strongly
preferred.
Demonstrated
knowledge and technical capacity in systems strengthening, child
protection programming, coordinating with national and local social
welfare and health authorities in developing contexts.
Experience
in Case Management and Referral System Strengthening, Household Economic
Strengthening, and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting a plus. Previous
experience in Malawi or in the Southern African Region preferred.
Familiarity
with USG rules and regulations and experience managing USAID projects in
Africa (Minimum 8 years managing significant USG-funded or programs of
similar complexity required; knowledge of key USG regulations including,
but not limited to, USAID 22 CFR and Part 226 Administration of Assistance
Awards to U.S. Non-Governmental Organizations, 22 CFR Part 145 Grants and
Agreements with Non-Profits, OMB Circulars A-122, Cost principles for
non-profit organizations and A-133 Audit of states, local governments, and
non-profits preferred)
Excellent
administrative, planning, budgeting and financial management skills,
including the ability to prepare and analyze work plans and budgets.
Proven
leadership and inter-personal skills and ability to build and motivate diverse
and talented teams.
Proven
experience in building and maintaining institutional linkages required.
Advocacy skills and facilitation skills are a plus.
Flexibility
to work both in a team and independently.
Cultural
sensitivity, patience and flexibility.
Demonstrated
personal accountability and driven to serve others.
Ability
to travel nationally and internationally as required, up to 30%.
Excellent
English oral and written communication skills required.
Proficiency
in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel and Outlook required.