Technical Advisor I - Cash Working Group Technical Co-Chair

at  Catholic Relief Services

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.

JOB SUMMARY:

The CWG Technical Co-Chair will work with humanitarian actors in NE Nigeria to facilitate an active and vibrant community of practice around cash and voucher assistance and build capacity of interested parties. The co-chair will harmonize approaches, build evidence and best practice in country through sharing of experience and contribute to national and global learning.
The co-chair drives collective progress and provides technical expertise for jointly agreed priorities established by the Cash Working Group, considering their collective views and seeking to achieve consensus and collaboration by the group. In line with member expertise and interest, other agencies may be designated to lead on activities.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

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

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in cash and voucher assistance. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.
• Strong grasp of humanitarian coordination systems. Previous experience leading and coordinating a Cash Working Group or similar coordination role preferred.
• Experience designing, implementing and monitoring cash and voucher assistance programs for different sector objectives and/or multi-purpose cash in a protracted conflict-affected context.
• Strong public speaking skills. Able to present information to an external audience and conduct trainings.
• Excellent coordination skills such as ability to liaise with various agencies/individuals, organize events, prioritize work and ensure a smooth flow of information and an environment of cooperation and information sharing.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
• Experience in research; collecting and analyzing information and presenting well-written reports.
• Excellent analytical skills with ability to influence decision-makers.
• Ability to work independently and to work with people located in different geographic locations and in other organizations.
• A sound understanding of the importance of gender in humanitarian work.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work in a wide variety of cultural contexts.
• Committed to Equal Opportunities (e.g. gender, race, disability).
• Innovative and creative to find lasting solutions to rapid, timely and appropriate humanitarian response.
• Experience and training in the Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis (EMMA) tool kit, or other market assessment methodologies, is an advantage.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks .
• Knowledge of capacity strengthening best practices.
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.
• Diplomacy and good interpersonal skills, together with the capacity to remain calm under pressure and not lose sight of strategic priorities.
  Required Languages – Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English.
  Travel – Travel to Abuja for CWG meetings and coordination meetings as needed.

ROLES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Co-chair and facilitate regular Cash WG meetings on behalf of OCHA, promoting active participation from local, national, and international actors.
• Support the development, and contribute to the implementation, of the Cash WG strategy, sector standards, tools and best practices in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments . Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.
• Support the effective coordination of cash assistance across the response, including Multi-Purpose Cash (MPC).
• Provide technical solutions to members, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply standards , best practices, partnership principles, tools and M&E, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.
• Support capacity-strengthening initiatives in CVA for Cash WG partners through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums. Build CWG capacity [2] through formal trainings, learning events and continued sharing/exchange of practical learning.
• Establish regular technical exchange with CWG members with a view to promoting an inclusive and transparent decision-making process.
• Support the development and dissemination of updates on current cash programming and support the coherent monitoring and reporting of CVA activities.
• Develop and support, whenever possible, harmonized tools, approaches and procedures in CVA, including the harmonization of vulnerability criteria, transfer values, modalities of payment, assessment and monitoring activities.
• Facilitate collaboration on joint assessments, planning, targeting and monitoring, when necessary. Provide technical support to coordinated (multi-sectoral) needs assessments and technical support and leadership to multi-sectoral response analysis.
• Ensure community involvement, accountability, and transparency in CVA.
• Highlight CVA interventions that are most likely to be effective in each situation, drawing upon lessons learned and examples of good practice for rapid and appropriate response.
• Encourage collective negotiations with service providers for effective CVA programme delivery.
• Engage with clusters and other relevant actors and advocate for the efficient and effective use of CVA, including MPC, throughout the response, supporting quality outcomes and accountability to aid recipients.
• Identify and advocate for opportunities to link emergency cash transfer projects with longer-term support to social transfers as part of social protection strategies, potentially significantly strengthening cash preparedness at the State level.
• Document cash-based experiences and maintain a repository of information, learning and reference resources.
• In coordination with OCHA support the development of the Cash-Based Grant section of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and support optimum inclusion of cash (and Multi-Purpose Cash (MPC)) in the HRP based on evidence.
• Collect and analyze program data, capture and share lessons learned and best practices for specific projects to facilitate improvements in decision-making and contribute to the cash transfer learning agenda .
• Contribute to maintaining relationships with donors, peer organizations, research, and other institutions, and participate in forums in the area of CVA to collect and share best practices.

Specific focus for FY25:

• Capacity Building & Learning : Identify capacity building needs through ongoing engagement with CWG member organizations and build capacity in cash transfer programming through conducting at least 2 basic trainings for CTP practitioners and national NGOs.
• Research & Advocacy: Keep an overview on market functionality and elasticity in NE Nigeria. Gather information on the impact of in-kind programming versus voucher programming versus cash-based programming. Advocate for market-based programming where this is considered most appropriate based on evidence.