Project Coordinator

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established to save, protect, and transform lives in need, CRS operates in more than 100 countries, providing assistance without regard to race, religion, or nationality. The organization focuses on various areas including emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation, and it welcomes individuals from all faiths and secular traditions who share its values and commitment to serving those in need. The agency's processes and policies reflect its dedication to protecting the rights and dignity of all people, especially children and vulnerable adults. CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens or permanent residents of the countries where it operates.

Job Overview:
The Project Coordinator will manage, coordinate, and oversee the implementation and closure of the Tudituale project, a resilience initiative funded by USAID/BHA, within the health zones of Yangala, Maswika, and Lubondayie in the Central Kasaï Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This role involves ensuring effective collaboration with partners and stakeholders to achieve the project's objectives, thereby advancing the mission of Catholic Relief Services in serving the poor and vulnerable. The Project Coordinator will leverage project management skills and knowledge in resilience, security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security, nutrition, and economic development to deliver high-quality programming and continuously improve the project's impact. The position requires strategic planning, resource management, monitoring, and reporting throughout the project cycle, ensuring adherence to CRS quality standards, donor requirements, and best practices.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Project Coordinator will lead the planning and coordination of technical activities, resource management (material, human, financial, and time), monitoring, and reporting at the three health zones during the project cycle, including initiation, implementation, and closure. Responsibilities include managing talent and supervising team dynamics and staff well-being, providing effective coaching, strategically adapting individual development plans, contributing to capacity-building processes, recruiting project staff, and overseeing performance management for direct reports. The Coordinator will ensure that learning is integrated into project activities throughout the project cycle, support accountability by coordinating project evaluation activities in line with MEAL policy, proactively identify issues, and report them to inform adjustments to implementation plans and timelines. Engaging and strengthening relevant partnerships with local consortium partners, state institutions, and other implementing agencies at the territory and health zone levels is crucial. The Coordinator will represent the organization to donors, INGOs, UN groups, relevant local partners, and local government and community actors in the Yangala, Maswika, and Lubondayie health zones. Additionally, the role involves coordinating necessary activities at the health zones to ensure the availability of financial, material, and human resources for quality project implementation, conducting periodic reviews of material, food, and budgetary resource needs, and following up with partners on timely financial reporting to facilitate proper resource utilization tracking. The Coordinator will identify personnel and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and contribute to capacity building and interventions required to support quality project implementation. Furthermore, the Coordinator will assist in preparing trend analysis reports and disseminating results from the three health zones, ensuring that project documentation is complete and organized according to agency and donor requirements.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a Bachelor's degree, with a Master's degree in international relations, development, food security, or social sciences being a plus. A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in project management, ideally in development, food security, or social sciences within an NGO context, is essential. Additional experience may substitute for certain educational requirements. Preferred qualifications include relevant experience in grant management, particularly with USG or other public donors, experience supervising staff, working with stakeholders at various levels, and strengthening community partnerships. The ability to contribute to technical proposal development is an advantage, as is experience in data analysis and contributing to evaluation reports. Proficiency in MS Windows and MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) is also required.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a Bachelor's degree as a minimum requirement. A Master's degree in international relations, development, food security, or social sciences is preferred and would enhance the candidate's qualifications for the role.

Experience:
The ideal candidate should have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in project management, particularly in the fields of development, food security, or social sciences, preferably within an NGO environment. This experience should include managing projects from inception to closure, demonstrating a solid understanding of the complexities involved in project implementation and stakeholder engagement.

Languages:
Fluency in French (both written and spoken) is required, along with proficiency in local languages of the Central Kasaï region. Knowledge of English is considered an asset, enhancing communication capabilities within the international context of the organization.

Additional Notes:
The position involves significant travel, with a requirement to be willing and able to travel up to 85% of the time. The Project Coordinator will supervise three Zone Coordinators and will work closely with the project implementation team, operations team, Program Manager, Deputy Program Manager, MEAL team, and other stakeholders. The role is full-time and may involve international recruitment, depending on the candidate's qualifications and the needs of the agency. CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff, and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse, and the successful candidate is expected to adhere to CRS' Code of Conduct.