TA III – Graduation Approach and Social Protection (GASP) Advisor

Job Title: TA III – Graduation Approach and Social Protection (GASP) Advisor

Reports to: Chief of Party

Department: Programming

Salary Grade: 11

Program: USAID-funded Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA)

Location: Tana or Southern Madagascar to be determined

This post is contingent on donor funding and donor approval of the candidate.

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 is accomplished through programs of emergency response, health, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), social services, agriculture, education, microfinance, youth and peacebuilding.

Context

CRS has been operating in Madagascar since 1962 supporting relief and development operations in the country. Through local partners, CRS has implemented programs in all 22 of the country’s regions, focusing on resilience, agricultural livelihood and land restoration, private sector engagement, education, health, WASH, Youth, and emergency response and recovery. CRS has also developed strong relationships with government line ministries, partners, and communities we serve in the country, implementing a multi-sectoral program portfolio. CRS has significant programming concentrated in the deep south of Madagascar, implementing, and supporting humanitarian response and recovery projects.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS)/Madagascar is preparing a response to the 2024 USAID Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) Request for Applications (RFA). The proposed program will address chronic food and nutrition insecurity and vulnerability in Madagascar. The estimated timeframe for this program is October 2024 – September 2029.

Job Summary: The overall goal of the proposed program will be to measurably reduce food and nutrition insecurity and vulnerability in targeted communes. The proposed program will take a multi-sectoral approach to reducing chronic food and nutrition insecurity, with a particular focus on enhancing resiliency and increasing individual, household, and community capacities to manage and mitigate risk.

The GASP Advisor will provide overall technical leadership and oversight for the design and implementation of the graduation approach and guide learning and adaptation for the Southern Madagascar context while ensuring fidelity to the key graduation principles. The Advisor will support staff and partners to implement all graduation components and ensure multiplier effects across and between components. The Advisor will design transparent, equitable and inclusive targeting processes and systems, and support linkages and alignment with local social protection systems, and adaptive safety and productive safety nets. The GASP Advisor will ensure that the social dimensions of food security and community resilience are effectively addressed across all activity components. The GASP Advisor will ensure that the approach addresses marginalized populations, gender inequality and youth integration. Finally, the Advisor is encouraged to apply and promote systems thinking to catalyze outcomes at scale.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the Chief of Party (COP), M&E Manager and Strategic Learning Advisor oversee periodic programmatic and technical reviews, manage changes in program direction and focus.
• Ensure technical interventions are sequenced, layered and integrated (SLI) appropriately at all levels of implementation within the activity and with USAID investments, the private sector, other donors, and the Government of Madagascar (GOM), particularly social protection programming.
• Participate in the collection, analysis, and utilization of information from a broad range of sources in close collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager, Resource Transfer Manager (RTM) and the Strategic Learning Advisor (SLA) to contextualize the graduation approach.
• Coordinate and integrate inputs from sectoral specialists (Gender Youth Social Inclusion (GYSI), Health & Nutrition, Agriculture Livelihoods, Social Behavior Change (SBC), Resilience) to strengthen the economic and social impact of the graduation approach.
• Oversee the contextualization of the five-components of a risk-informed graduation approach that considers cultural norms, and gender dynamics and is conflict sensitive.
• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for a contextualized graduation approach in collaboration with the GOM’s social protection programming and local stakeholders. The SOPs will set out the, at minimum: the:
  • Process for targeting graduation participant households.
  • Amount, timing, duration, modalities and sequencing of consumption support
  • Coaching and mentoring model
  • Financial inclusion approach
  • Training on business-related and other skills
  • Amount, timing, duration and modality of productive asset transfers
• Develop and oversee the training approach across the training cascade; ensuring the curriculum and training tools are participant-aligned and appropriate. Lead quality assurance and quality improvement efforts for implementation.
• In collaboration with the Chief of Party (COP), M&E Manager and SLA, use a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach to optimize an effective and efficient graduation approach for improved resilience and food security at scale. Document and disseminate learning.
• In collaboration with the Chief of Party, participate in coordination meetings with GOM, social protection actors and other key stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions. Participate in forums in the area of Graduation and Social Protection to collect and share best practices and promote CRS’ work.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics, International Development or related field required.
• Minimum of ten years relevant international working experience in an advisory or management role with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, international organization or government, with minimum of five years in the design and implementation of programming using the graduation approach.
• Demonstrated capacity to collect, analyze, present and use information from a broad range of sources.
• Experience working in an advisory and/or management role on the implementation of cash assistance in humanitarian and/or development programming, specifically in relation to poverty alleviation, food security, risk reduction, financial inclusion, health, nutrition, education, and/or child protection.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and training applying adult learning principles and practices.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, governments, international and peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.

Required Languages – Fluency in French and professional proficiency in English is required. Fluency in Malagasy is preferred.

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 50% with most of the travel in program field sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of experience designing and implementing the graduation approach with an in-depth understanding of how gender, age, and other socio-cultural factors play a role in targeting participants. Preference for candidates with extensive work experience in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.
• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts of the graduation approach, cash and voucher assistance, and social protection and their intersection with climate change, natural resource management, risk reduction, positive youth development, conflict sensitivity/social cohesion, and gender transformative approaches.
• General knowledge of other related disciplines, to ensure technical interventions are integrated, layered and sequenced.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply – if there are multiple equally qualified candidates, female candidates will receive preference.
• Candidates who speak Anosy, Atismo-Andrefana or Androy Regional dialects are strongly encouraged to apply – if there are multiple equally qualified candidates, candidates who speak these dialects will receive preference.
• Candidates with working experience in the Anosy, Atismo-Andrefana or Androy Regions are strongly encouraged to apply – if there are multiple equally qualified candidates, candidates with this experience will receive preference.
• Experience implementing USAID-funded Resilience Food Security Activities (RFSA) is a plus.
• Experience working with Catholic Relief Services Program Policies and Procedures is a plus.
• Malagasy citizens preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
• Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills.
• Proactive, resourceful and results oriented.

Key Working Relationships

Supervisory: To be determined by the final program design

Internal: CoP, RFSA MEAL Team; CRS Madagascar MEAL Manager and Information, Communications, and Technology for Development (ICT4D) unit, CRS Madagascar/Regional/HQ MEAL, Learning and Sector Technical Advisors.

External: Local/regional governments, partners, USAID, national and international research and learning/university partners, private sector and other relevant stakeholders.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

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

Agency REDI (Respect, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Competencies (for All CRS Staff)

• 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 looks 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.

Note: All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside their home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical examination.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people – especially children and vulnerable adults – to live free from abuse and harm.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate or global telecommuter, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

Equal Opportunity Employer