City Coordinator (Senior Project Officer)

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services 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, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

CRS Philippines, established in 1945, is the longest running, continuous CRS country program with extensive programming in peacebuilding, emergency response and recovery, and disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. The Philippines country program has over 100 staff members in Manila, Davao, and Cotabato offices. CRS Philippines is committed to collaborate with our strong network of church partners, national and subnational government agencies and secular NGOs throughout the country, strategically advancing local leadership to achieve sustainable development goals in the Philippines.

Job Summary:

As a City Coordinator, you will provide city level support to the five-year USAID-funded project Climate Resilient Cities, which will improve resilience by strengthening the adaptive capacities of cities in the Philippines to manage the impacts of climate change and access climate finance and to enhance stakeholders’ knowledge on climate information for planning and decision-making. Embedded in the city LGU, you will lead the city level team, supervise the Resilient Specialist and Climate Solutions Specialist, and oversee the implementation of the city-wide delivery of the CRC program and engagement with LGUs and local partners across all three outcomes. This position will ensure that the city level team has the supervision, resources and support necessary to tailor interventions to the specific context and will flag issues that require special support from the CRC Program Manager, technical specialists, Deputy Chief of Party, and/or Chief of Party. Your coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the project city for which you are responsible applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

Responsibilities for Internal Candidates

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Organize and lead the implementation of all assigned project activities in Iloilo City as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Develop, coordinate, and oversee working relationships with all local project stakeholders and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and implement project activities.
• Collaborate with CRC target city LGU leadership, local stakeholders and project team to ensure project strategies and activities are coordinated and project goals and objects are met.
• Coordinate with MEL Officer to ensure MEL plan is properly implemented and learning accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.
• Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.
• Coordinate provision of any logistical and administrative support to staff and partners.
• Ensure project reports and documentation for assigned activities are complete with all required documents and are filed per agency and donor requirements. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices.
• Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, contribute to the recruitment process of project staff, and complete performance management for direct reports.

Qualifications for Internal Candidates

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required. Degree in Development, Ecosystems Management or in the field of Ecosystems, Nature Based Solutions, urban planning, or public administration would be a plus.
• Minimum of 4 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of LGU capacity strengthening and/or Climate Change Adaptation with LGU or NGO.
• At least 3 years’ experience working in coordination with LGU leadership, with partners participatory action planning and community engagement a plus
• Additional experience may substitute for some education.

Required Languages – English, Tagalog, local language of project site a plus

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 45%.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Training on Nature-based solutions and/or Ecosystems-based Adaptation (EbA) is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Staff supervision experience a plus.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Knowledge on Geographic Information Systems a plus

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Direct supervision of CRS Resilience Officer, Project Assistant

Dotted line management of consortium Natural Climate Solutions specialists

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, CRC Program Manager, Technical Advisors, CRC MEL Director, CRS Resilience Officers, CRC Finance Officer, CRC Procurement Officer, CRC Communications Manager, other City Coordinators

External: LGU partners, consortium partners, Climate Solutions specialists

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 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 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.

***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.

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Same Posting Description for Internal and External Candidates

Interested applicants may submit their application on or before May 13, 2024 using this link. This position is open for Filipino nationals only.