Senior Technical Advisor - Posting No. 1415
Date Posted
October 17, 2008
Employer
Catholic Relief Services
Location
Baltimore, MD
Job Description
Req #: D 07 087
Length of Assignment: 3-5 years
Job Summary/Background:
Provide technical leadership to implement the agriculture and environment strategy of Catholic Relief Services aimed at improving rural livelihoods, focused on agriculture linked to income, health, environment and disasters. The position requires an in depth understanding of and significant experience in international agriculture and agro-enterprise, focusing on sustainable agriculture, market development, watershed approaches, risk reduction, husbandry and participatory methods for small farm agriculture. Also requires familiarity with Livelihood Security or Sustainable Livelihood models.
Job Responsibilities:
1. Contribute to the development and/or support of the use/adoption of:
a) agency standards and guiding principles for agriculture, natural resource management and rural livelihoods programs
b) training strategies for agency-wide programs and learning
c) written guidance on topics related to agriculture, environmental review, natural resource management, livestock/small stock and rural livelihoods, as needed
2. Provide support to the agency's Integral Human Development Framework, contributing to training and materials development:
a) tools for identifying and reducing risk and vulnerability among the rural poor
b) tools for cross-sectoral livelihoods assessments and program development
c) initiatives to link development and emergency response programming
3. Support/engage in resource acquisition for program growth
4. Collaborate with field-based Regional Technical Advisors for Agriculture and support cross-regional learning.
5. Provide technical support to country programs and regions for grant proposal development, evaluation and review, program planning and design for agriculture/environment and rural livelihoods, and design of monitoring and evaluation systems.
6. Support ongoing collaboration and develop new initiatives with relevant international development, donor and research institutions, especially the CGIAR institutes. Represent CRS to relevant organizations and institutions for information and technical advice and collaboration, staff support and professional development.
7. Participate in appropriate professional development activities and maintain familiarity with current advances and developments in agriculture and rural livelihoods.
8. Participate and lead trainings for CRS staff.
Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: Senior Technical Advisor for Agriculture/Environment, Deputy Regional Directors for Program Quality, Headquarters technical staff, Regional Agriculture Technical Advisors, Regional Directors, Country Representatives, National Program Managers, public resource and business development staff based in Headquarters.
External: CGIAR institutions, professional networks, universities, international organization, and USAID.
Job Qualifications
Qualifications:
1. M.Sc. required - agronomy, crop/soil/animal science, natural resource management, agricultural economics or related field; PhD. preferred.
2. Thorough understanding of development issues and minimum of ten years overseas experience in international agricultural research and/or development
3. Significant previous experience in sustainable agriculture, watershed approaches, and familiarity with rural livelihoods models.
4. Experience with participatory methods and partnerships required.
5. Knowledge of the agriculture and rural development policy environment.
6. Strong cross-cultural and interpersonal skills demonstrated by ability to influence change without direct authority and work successfully with farmers and professionals.
7. Computer word processing and data analysis skills
8. Publication record in peer reviewed journals.
9. Successful grant/proposal writing experience.
Personal/Professional Skills:
1. Strong leadership and teamwork skills
2. Excellent written and oral communication skills
3. Training/adult education skills
4. Ability to explain advanced topics simply and clearly
5. Strong listening, survey and research skills
6. Ability to assess complex programs and situations rapidly and form accurate opinions
7. Ability to think strategically and innovatively
8. Ability to respond practically and tolerate rustic field conditions at remote sites
9. Ability to be flexible, persistent and diplomatic, gain respect among farmers, as well as with the highest levels of national governments and donor organizations
Physical Requirements/Environment:
Normal conditions akin to office environment; based in Baltimore at CRS Headquarters; willingness and ability to travel extensively, up to 30% of the time
Foreign Language Required: Fluent English, advanced French and/or Spanish.
Salary
Not Available
Contact Information
Andrea Morton, Recruitment Coordinator
Catholic Relief Services
228 W. Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-3413
TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION - Visit the Catholic Relief Services website at http://www.crs.org. Regrettably, email submissions cannot be accepted. In your cover letter please include requisition number, source code and salary requirements.
Phone - (443) 955-7105
Fax - (443) 825-3716
Cell Phone - Not Available
Email - Not Available
Website - http://www.crs.org