Senior Project Officer for Women Economic Empowerment

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established in 1943, CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need across more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion, or nationality. The organization focuses on various areas including emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS Philippines, founded in 1945, is the longest-running CRS country program globally, with a dedicated team of over 70 staff members located in Manila, Davao, and Cotabato City. The organization is committed to collaborating with a strong network of church partners, government agencies, and NGOs throughout the Philippines to effectively address the needs of the poor and vulnerable populations.

Job Overview:
The Senior Project Officer for Women Economic Empowerment will play a crucial role in the Women Advancing Sustainable Livelihood and Economic Empowerment in the Bangsamoro project team. This position involves facilitating the achievement of project objectives by coordinating and reporting on all project activities while providing technical support to key stakeholders. The officer will utilize their coordination and relationship management skills to ensure that the project adheres to best practices and continuously improves its impact on the beneficiaries. The role requires active participation in crafting detailed implementation plans, organizing project activities, ensuring accountability through evaluations, and analyzing challenges to inform adjustments. The officer will also oversee relationships with local stakeholders, supervise project site inspections, and ensure proper tracking of resources and documentation.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Project Officer will be responsible for a variety of tasks including: crafting logical and detailed implementation plans that align with project goals; developing realistic budgets to support project completion; organizing and leading the implementation of assigned project activities in accordance with CRS program quality principles and donor requirements; ensuring that learning accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle; coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding stakeholders in reflecting on project experiences; analyzing implementation challenges and reporting inconsistencies to inform adjustments; overseeing relationships with local stakeholders and serving as a liaison; supervising and inspecting project sites to ensure adherence to standards; tracking resource use through budget reviews; coordinating capacity building and technical support activities; providing logistical and administrative support; ensuring complete project documentation; preparing trend analysis reports and case studies; and monitoring financial and material resources relevant to project needs.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Bachelor's Degree, preferably in International Relations, Development Studies, Social Work, Peacebuilding, or Governance. A minimum of 5 years of work experience in project support is required, ideally in community development, women and gender programming, and peacebuilding. Additional education may substitute for some experience, and vice versa. Preferred qualifications include experience working with partners, participatory action planning, community engagement, facilitating meetings and training, staff supervision, monitoring projects, and proficiency in MS Windows and Office packages.

Educational Background:
A Bachelor's Degree is required for this position. Degrees in relevant fields such as International Relations, Development Studies, Social Work, Peacebuilding, or Governance are preferred. Additional education may be considered in lieu of some experience.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, particularly in project support roles related to community development, women and gender programming, and peacebuilding initiatives. Experience in similar fields can be beneficial and may substitute for some educational requirements.

Languages:
Proficiency in English and Filipino is mandatory for this position. Knowledge of additional languages may be considered an asset.

Additional Notes:
The position involves approximately 40% travel to project sites. There are no supervisory responsibilities associated with this role. The successful candidate will be expected to adhere to CRS's Code of Conduct and commitment to safeguarding vulnerable populations. The organization prioritizes candidates who are citizens or permanent residents of the Philippines, and all offers are contingent on the candidate's ability to legally work in the country.