Project Officer – Peace Building Full Time NEW

• Job Title:                    Project Officer – Peace Building
• Department:             Program
• Band:                         VII (7)
• Reports To:                Peacebuilding Manager
• Country/Location:    Ethiopia/Jijiga
• Number required:    One
• Term of Employment: Definite term ( i.e. up to September 2025)

Job Summary:

About CRS: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work are accomplished through programs of emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. For nearly 60 years, CRS has taken the lead in responding to natural and man-made disasters affecting Ethiopia’s most vulnerable communities. Moving beyond emergency response, CRS’ disaster mitigation and recovery projects in drought and flood-prone areas have rebuilt individual and community assets through non-food aid in the form of agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation assistance. CRS’s humanitarian work in Ethiopia also provides livelihoods support to farmers and entrepreneurs, promotes equality and inclusion, and mitigates the impact of COVID-19.

As part of CRS family, you will join the more than 5000 strong and vibrant individuals working globally to accomplish the mission of CRS. CRS/Ethiopia invites you, the qualified candidate, to apply for the following position.

As a member of the Peace Building team that will be based in Jigjiga, you will be responsible to lead the local level implementation of project activities in in Oromia-Somali border areas, build the capacity of project participants, support and collaborate with partners in aligning projects of the consortium in the implementation area,  monitor and report on all project activities, collect, document and share project success stories.  Your thorough and service-oriented approach will ensure that the project consistently applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead the local level coordination and implementation of the ‘Strengthening Capacities for Peace and Reconciliation project between Somali-Oromia border communities’ project in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Lead the development of local level action plans by project participants and ensure coordination and collaboration among supported structures like Youth Peace Ambassadors, Women Peace Champions and Community Peace Committees.
• In collaboration with partner staff ensure the timely and quality implementation of the project in Oromia-Somali border areas.
• Provide the necessary support and leadership to community facilitators, youth peace ambassadors, women peace champions and local peace committees local level peacebuilding initiatives.
•  Support MEAL to develop assessment, monitoring & evaluation tools to measure peacebuilding and inclusion issues.
• Oversee drafting, revision, and finalization of periodic, mid-term, and final reports ensuring that high-quality reports are produced, with clear and impactful findings
• Lead in developing, adapting, and contextualizing training and communication materials, including translation of the materials into local languages
• Provide supportive technical and leadership backstopping and supervision to implementing partners including analyzing and compiling changes related to every project output and outcome.
• Provide ongoing, quarterly context analysis and advise adaptive measures to program activity and implementation approach
• Contribute to knowledge management and learning by collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, measuring program impact, and capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices.
• Monitor project budgets every month in coordination with implementing partners to ensure optimum expenditure of funds and timely and accountable financial reporting, including developing cash forecasts and submission of liquidation documents.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with government stakeholders and other strategic alliances in the region
• Provide leadership and technical support to implementing partners in formulating project action plans and harmonizing the plan to budget
• Lead the conduct of project quarterly review meetings, annual learning workshops and outcome harvesting workshops.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• BA/ MA degree in Conflict Studies, Political Sciences and International Relations , Social Sciences
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience for an MA degree and four (4) years for a BA degree
• Proven experience working on peace-building programs
• Fluency in English and the local language. Proficiency in Afan Oromo and/or Somali languages is mandatory
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• A previous experience in an international NGO is a strong advantage

Personal Skills 

• Demonstrated ability to work in a team-oriented environment with good interpersonal skills
• Observation, active listening, and analysis skills with the ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members
• Attention to detail, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Demonstrable experience in project administration, planning and implementation
• Strong knowledge of peace-building concepts, conflict analysis frameworks, and approaches to reconciliation.
• Experience in documenting success stories, lessons learned, and best practices to contribute to knowledge sharing and organizational learning.
• Experience in designing and facilitating community dialogues, workshops, seminars, and planning events
• Good report-writing skills with excellent written and spoken ability in Afan Oromo and/or Afe Somali languages
• Ability to relate sensitively to diverse groups.
• Sound knowledge of local context, local customs, inter-community relationships, clan alignments, local level political, social, and economic dynamics
• Self-driven and able to deliver results with minimum supervision. Committed to quality project implementation, meeting deadlines, and donor reporting requirements.
• Enjoys traveling relating to communities and establishing networks with different stakeholders.

Required/Desired Foreign Language: English, Afan Oromo, Amharic and Afe Somali

Travel Required: This position will be based in Jigjia with 75% travel to target woredas

Key Working Relationships: 

Supervisory: None

Internal: CRS staff

External: Stakeholders including government and partners

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and are used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually look for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.