CRS was founded in 1943 by the United States of America Catholic Conference of Bishops to assist the poor and disadvantaged, At the invitation of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), CRS commended its operations in Malawi in 1997 and with office in Lilongwe and sub office in Blantyre, Main areas of focus include Food Security, Health and nutrition, HIV and AIDS prevention and Justice and Peace Building
Local Governance Specialist – Country Program – Catholic Relief Services – Lilongwe
The goal of the Strengthening agriculture and Nutrition Extension Service activity project is to strengthen the capacity of the DAEs to facilitate coordination between agricultural and nutrition extension actors to provide more effective agricultural and nutrition extension services for smallholder women and men farmers particularly in the Zol, This will require an improvement in performance and transparency of all stakeholders, and increased engagement/oversight for accountable service provision
Report to Chief of Party, strengthening Agriculture and nutrition Extension Services Activity
Will be responsible for providing technical leadership to a high quality, results oriented program focused on improving agricultural and nutrition extension service provision, The position will be primarily focusing upon strengthening the Department of agriculture Extension services system (DAESS) to promote demand driven and pluralistic agriculture and nutrition extension services, through improved performance and transparency, increasing engagement/oversight for accountable service provision and strengthening the enabling for decentralisation
Is responsible for the quality of the design and delivery of the project’s capacity development and advocacy activities, s/he will work closely with logical govts and civil society partners within the DAESS to strengthen community engagement with local govt and improve participation of communities in decision making, management and monitoring of local service delivery providers
Support the department of agriculture and Extension Services Coordinating Committee and its Secretary, the planning and implementation and monitoring of local govt policies and programs, concerned with agriculture and nutrition extension services delivery, Manage design and implementation of technical and organisational training activities which increase the capacity of extension providers to respond to demands from female, male and young farmers (female and male)) Monitor grants for quality performance, Contribute to program monitoring, evaluating and periodic reporting, Propose and oversee other administrative and logistical aspects related to capacity development and advocacy activities, Other duties as assigned
Masters level Degree required in Public Policy, International development, Sociology, Political Science, Gender and development or a relevant social science discipline
Applicant must have a minimum of 7 yrs experience providing support to local government and to civil society advocacy capacity building, including a minimum of 3 yrs of demonstrated managerial and/or team leadership experience
A minimum of 5 yrs experience providing capacity development and technical support in support of improved local governance to other local govts or civil society organisations, A minimum of 3 yrs experience in citizen empowerment, particularly empowerment of rural female and male farmers and female and male youth to represent their constituencies in stakeholders panels at the District and area levels, A minimum of 2 yrs experience in grants management, proven experience building capacity of formal and informal farmers associations for greater advocacy and govt accountability, Demonstrated flexibility, adaptability and the ability to perform and collaborate under challenging conditions, Ability to train and develop capacity in DAES staff to remain accountable to female and male farmer sand youth accessing agriculture and nutrition extension services, Strong planning , community mobilisation and inter-cultural communication skills required, Experience working on a USAID funded or other donor project pertaining to technical and organisation capacity development, Previous experience liaising with local and regional govts, Specific experience and specialisation in promoting transparency and accountability of local govt structures, including public fiancé and oversight, and private sector engagement is strongly desired
Knowledge or understanding of social economic, and political context governing local governance policy issues in developing countries, Experience providing support to strengthening institutional systems to improve transparency and accountability, Knowledge of USAID and specific understanding of grants management, Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, creative problem solving, conflict and ethical management skills, Fluency in English is required, Excellent written and oral communication skills, Computer literate in word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software (Microsoft)
All applications should include a cover letter, a detailed CV, names, active email, contact phone numbers and addresses of at least 3 traceable refs, copies of Diplomas, Certificates and Degrees, Applications should be submitted to The Country Representative, Catholic Relief Services/Malawi, Manobec Complex, Plot no. 5/1, Private Bag B-319, Lilongwe 3, Malawi email is mw_recruitment@crs.org Deadline for all applications, Applications should be received no later than Wednesday 30th March Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview, CRS is an equal opportunity employer, Women are strongly encouraged to apply
