About CRS
As the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community
in the United States, CRS carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the
United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. CRS works to
save, protect, and transform lives in more than 100 countries, without
regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work
is accomplished through integrated programming in emergency response,
health, agriculture/livelihoods, education, peacebuilding and more. 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.
Program Summary
The ASPIRE Program is a unique career-building opportunity for individuals
who are passionate about relief and development work and have the skills,
attitude and approach to grow into managerial positions with CRS. This
structured and intentional field-based learning program is designed to
prepare participants for positions of greater responsibility with CRS.
Under the supervision of experienced staff, participants actively support
CRS’ relief and/or development projects while building foundational skills
in programming and operations. Through the foundational training,
participants gain experience in project management (including
communications), monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning,
project design and proposal development, partnership and capacity
strengthening, supply chain, human resources and more.
To complement the core training, each participant also hones their skills
in a specific area that aligns with their career objectives and
strategically positions them for onward employment with CRS. The ASPIRE
Program is offered over a 12-month period and can be extended for up to 24
months (depending on agency needs and candidate experience).
Primary Responsibilities
Under the supervision of an experienced staff member and in collaboration
with CRS partners, the participant will support programming and operations
as follows:
Project Management
Support implementation of current projects (e.g. participate in
planning/review workshops, support activity implementation in the field)
Support appropriate management of cash and in-kind resources (e.g.
monitor/analyze spending on project budgets, prepare cash forecasts,
participate in financial reporting to donors, support commodity management).
Support timely and accurate reporting (e.g. review/synthesize data to
report on project indicators, draft/edit narrative reports).
Support communication-related activities for country program and projects
(e.g. draft program summaries, annual reports, partnership newsletters,
social media content and webpage updates).
Project Design and Proposal Development
Support project design (e.g. participate in needs assessments and problem
identification, stakeholder analysis, development of concept notes)
Support proposal development (e.g. participate in design workshops, draft
sections of technical narratives and budgets, package/edit proposals for
submission).
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
Support MEAL activities in:
Project design (e.g. support data collection, needs assessments, gender
analysis, gap analysis, development of results frameworks, Proframes,
theories of change, evaluation plans, performance management plans).
Project start-up (e.g. support baseline assessments, development of MEAL
manuals and accountability mechanisms)
Project implementation (e.g. prepare survey instruments using ICT4D,
support collection of monitoring data, prepare donor reports, organize
learning events, document learning)
Project close-out (e.g. draft final reports, support final evaluations and
knowledge management activities).
Partnership & Capacity Strengthening
Support CRS partners with project management, project design and MEAL
Support partnership strengthening and capacity building (e.g. participate
in partnership reflection workshops, partner assessments and monitoring
visits).
Finance, Supply Chain, HR, Compliance
Support strong financial management by analyzing budgets, monitoring &
forecasting spending, reviewing supporting documentation for financial
transactions by CRS and sub-recipients.
Support supply chain and procurement by assisting with inventory counts,
data collection, bid analysis and vendor selection, contracting, receipt
and warehousing of goods.
Support human resources by preparing job descriptions, reviewing
applications/shortlisting candidates.
Support audit and compliance by reviewing internal controls, systems for
fraud prevention, studying CRS policies and donor regulations.
Support staff safety by reviewing security protocols and manuals, updating
as needed.
Key Working Relationships
Internal: CRS Country Representative, Head of Programming, Head of
Operations, Program Managers, Finance, Supply Chain and HR staff
External: CRS partner organizations
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in related field (e.g. International Development,
Agriculture, Health, Business, Public Administration, Finance, Human
Resources, Supply Chain)
Recent graduate (degree conferred no more than 18 months prior to program
start date)
Strong speaking and writing skills in English
National of a participating country (India, Cambodia, the Philippines)
Willingness to travel (up to 10-15% of the time)
Strong relation management skills (ability to collaborate with people of
diverse backgrounds)
Strong analytical, research and problem-solving skills
Preferred Qualifications
Graduate degree (Master level or higher)
Six months or more of relevant work experience (may include internships,
volunteer or paid work experience)
Experience in communications, monitoring and evaluation, and/or proposal
development
Knowledge of local languages may be preferred for some locations (e.g.
Hindi, Tagalog)
Female candidates are preferred
Agency-wide Competencies
Based on the mission, values, and guiding principles of the agency, CRS
competencies are to be exemplified by all staff in fulfillment of his or
her respective roles and responsibilities.
Integrity
Accountability and Stewardship
Builds Relationships
Develops Talent
Continuous Improvement & Innovation
Strategic Mindset
Application Deadline: 30/11/2021
How to apply:
Please apply directly through organizational website:
https://www.crs.org/about/careers/aspire-program-asia