Job Description
I. BACKGROUND:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental agency working across multiple development sectors to assist the poor and disadvantaged in over 100 countries worldwide since 1943. CRS' mission statement calls the agency to alleviate human suffering, advance full human development, and foster charity and justice in the world.
CRS has been in Haiti for over 62 years with its first office opening in Les Cayes, and now with a central office in Port-au-Prince and sub-office Jeremie. CRS/Haiti's signature program areas are in 1. Health and social services, 2. Emergency response and recovery, and 3. Agriculture and livelihoods; additional programs include urban programming, education and youth. The CRS Haiti Health department's current efforts are divided into 2 pillars -- Hurricane Matthew Emergency Response and Regular Programming with a health systems strengthening lens. The portfolio includes projects in MNCH/nutrition, WASH, child wellbeing, immunization advocacy and institutional strengthening. The child wellbeing programs include activities focusing on child protection, domesticity, labor, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and children and families infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Two child wellbeing projects, including a 1.5-year privately-funded pilot project, Family Care for Haitian Children, and a USAID-funded project, Coordinating Comprehensive Care for Children (4Children) will be launching in 2017.
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.
USAID Haiti has provided funding for a two-year 4Children country program buy-in in Haiti. CRS Haiti is leading the development of this project, which expects to be in implementation by October 2017. The primary objectives of 4Children in Haiti are to increase the availability of, access to, and uptake of: specialized evidence-based services for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in four districts in Haiti (Cap Haitien, Dessalines, Saint Marc and Port-au-Prince) and increase the capacity of OVC partners to provide quality case management and OVC services in Haiti. The latter includes harmonizing case management approaches, strengthening delivery of household economic strengthening (HES) activities to OVC families, strengthening violence prevention and response services, and supporting coordination and quality improvement efforts across the PEPFAR OVC portfolio in Haiti.
II. JOB SUMMARY:
CRS/Haiti is seeking a Start-up Specialist to ensure timely and quality program design and startup of the 4Children program, in close collaboration with the Head of Health, Health and Child Wellbeing Program/Project Managers, 4Children implementing consortium partners, 4Children HQ staff and other CRS staff and partners. The Specialist will also lead coordination with key stakeholders, building/maintaining strong relationships with IBESR, MAST, MSPP, USAID and local implementing partners, and strengthening the project design, capacities of project team members and partners.
The Start-up Specialist will have experience in OVC programming, HIV and PEPFAR programs or equivalent programs of size and scope. S/he will lead the start-up of program implementation in coordination with 4Children technical advisors and partners, located in Haiti, the LACRO region, CRS' headquarters in Baltimore, MD, and senior technical advisors. The Start-up Specialist will ensure representation of the project to USAID, the Government of Haiti and other stakeholders in the project implementation districts of Cap Haitien, Dessalines, Saint Marc and Port-au-Prince, and nationally. S/he is responsible for overall management of the project during startup as well as partnerships with local implementing partners, and relationships with the Child Welfare sector and the IBESR, MAST, MSPP, and other sectors relevant to OVC and HIV, including local child protection NGOs, USG Implementing partners, and district social welfare offices, district health offices, and community-based organizations in Haiti. S/he coordinates operational implementation, including adherence to program requirements, ensuring project resources are managed in accordance with CRS and USG rules and regulations.
In addition, s/he will play a lead role in the ongoing 4Children program development, including preparation for and participation in a second scoping mission with the 4Children team in June/July, provide in country assistance to team and partners, foster relationships with local and international consortium partners, and lead 4Children program start-up activities (i.e., partner selection and contracting, internal and partner work plans, budgets, staffing up and other programmatic and operational duties). The Specialist will provide a comprehensive handover of duties to the incoming 4Children Project Director.
For more information, or to apply for this job, please visit the CRS website by clicking the link above.