Job Summary: 

Monthly Interval Resilience Analysis (or MIRA) is Catholic Relief Services’ recurrent resilience monitoring approach and is used for tracking contextual and well-being changes to strengthen CRS food security and resilience programming. MIRA provides real-time data on shocks, food security, and well-being in place of other, typically annual methods of tracking resilience, which facilitates better flexibility and responsiveness in CRS’ programming. Originally developed in 2016 by CRS and Cornell University, MIRA is currently active in nine countries, with the approach likely to scale further in the coming years.

The Technical Advisor III Resilience Monitoring Global Coordinator role will lead efforts to scale the MIRA approach, ensure quality design and implementation, facilitate thought leadership around resilience monitoring internally and with external audiences, and manage MIRA-related global staff and partners.

• Lead CRS’ global efforts on recurrent resilience monitoring, primarily through MIRA.
• Lead the development of a strategic plan for scaling MIRA within CRS in collaboration with key internal stakeholders.
• Work with technical experts across the agency to provide direct technical assistance to CRS countries and projects implementing MIRA.
• Develop and/or revise guidance for project design and implementation to ensure consistent and high-quality MIRA implementation across CRS projects using the approach.
• Support country teams to develop strategies for effective data utilization as part of CRS programs and amongst external stakeholders.
• Manage relationship with the learning partner (Cornell University), including oversight of the global contract and separate project-level engagements.
• Advance global discussions on context monitoring alongside other related CRS teams (emergency food security team, market monitoring team, agriculture/livelihoods team, etc.).
• Coordinate closely with the CRS’s Senior Technical Advisor for Resilience to ensure alignment with broader resilience-building efforts.
• Coordinate with CRS’ internal data analytics teams to ensure quality and relevant analytics for projects and to identify opportunities for more advanced analytics that benefit programming and thought leadership.
• Develop and share MIRA-related communications products through social media, webinars, and other avenues to promote CRS’ work.
• Engage with external partners at the global level (USG, donors, peer orgs, research partners) and country level (governments, donors, projects, research partners) to promote the adoption of MIRA and support co-creation or collaboration efforts.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to identify opportunities for collaboration in research using MIRA data.
• Manage global MIRA team and supervise staff, including developing and overseeing individual and group work plans.
• Lead the MIRA Community of Practice to engage internal stakeholders to share experiences and learn from each other.
• Regularly update and consult MIRA advisory group on strategy for expansion and quality assurance.
• Contribute to efforts to pre-position CRS for strategic growth opportunities in resilience monitoring, including support to proposal development and project design.

• Master’s degree in food security, resilience, development economics, or a related field.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of work experience in food security or resilience within the international development field, ideally with an international NGO, with a minimum of three (3) years field experience.
• Experience in the development and production of guidance, curricula, tools, and other products to support food security and/or resilience monitoring. Demonstrated experience supporting diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and informal methods.
• Knowledge of food security indicators and related analytics (e.g. IPC, FEWSNET), and also common resilience monitoring approaches.
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation including development of indicators, data collection tools and methodologies, statistics/data analytics, data visualization, and using data for programming purposes.
• Track record of contributing to successful business development activities capturing public and/or private donor funding.
• Demonstrated experience and success representing a comparable organization and influencing donors, government, international NGOs, local partners, etc. at global and country levels.
• Experience managing staff and contractual relationships with partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in food security, resilience, development economics, or a related field highly desired.
• Knowledge of data systems technologies highly desired.

Required Languages – Fluency in English. Working ability in French, Spanish or Arabic strongly preferred.

Travel – Willingness and ability to travel up to 30% time, including to and in difficult operating environments.

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.
• Very strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment.
• Very strong written and oral communication skills.
• Very strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills.
• Strong skills in managing diverse staff in different locations.
• Working fluency with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) required. Ability to use data analytics tools (e.g., SPSS) and data visualization (e.g., Power BI) strongly preferred.

Agency REDI 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.

What we offer

CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, generous retirement savings plan and the opportunity to work in a collaborative, mission-driven culture that is committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.  Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.  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 safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

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.

CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.  The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

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.

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

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.  All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.