Job Summary
The Program Manager I will provide program management, technical, and
coordination support to EMPOWER partners in South America to strengthen El Niño
preparedness and readiness for rapid, partner-led emergency response. The
position will support implementation of preparedness activities across priority
countries and hotspots, helping translate hazard, vulnerability, market,
operational, and partner-capacity information into practical readiness actions,
quality program designs, and activation-ready response plans.
Working under the guidance of the Program Manager II and in coordination with
technical, MEAL, supply chain, finance, safeguarding, and operations colleagues,
the Program Manager I will accompany partners to complete priority preparedness
deliverables, address program bottlenecks, test readiness arrangements, and
maintain country-level materials that can be rapidly adapted when an
EMPOWER/RAPID response is activated.
Roles and Key Responsibilities
Support implementation of the El Niño preparedness workplans across assigned
South America countries or hotspots in coordination with EMPOWER partners,
country teams, RAPID counterparts, and technical and operational colleagues.
Maintain detailed activity plans, deliverable trackers, meeting records, and
follow-up actions that connect program, MEAL, partnership, cash and voucher
assistance, supply chain, finance, safeguarding, and operational readiness
tasks.
Compile and synthesize available hazard, vulnerability, exposure, seasonal,
and scenario information to help identify priority locations, population
groups, likely needs, access constraints, and preparedness triggers for
drought, floods, food insecurity, wildfires, and related El Niño impacts.
Support stakeholder and service mapping with partners, including government
authorities, Caritas structures, humanitarian coordination bodies, community
actors, technical services, financial service providers, and other response
stakeholders.
Facilitate partner working sessions to develop or update country- and
hotspot-specific contingency plans, response strategies, sector and modality
options, targeting approaches, geographic priorities, and scalable response
scenarios.
Gather technical inputs and support documentation of minimum program quality
standards, intervention packages, eligibility and prioritization criteria,
referral pathways, assistance quantities or transfer values, and safe
adaptation or substitution rules.
Coordinate routine follow-up with supply chain and operations colleagues so
proposed relief kits, in-kind assistance, and cash or voucher options reflect
assessed needs, market capacity, cultural appropriateness, protection
considerations, delivery feasibility, lead times, and cost drivers.
Incorporate validated market and logistics findings into program drafts,
implementation schedules, modality recommendations, delivery sequencing,
contingency options, and procurement inputs.
Support partner readiness for cash and voucher assistance, including
participant-data requirements, accountability and complaints mechanisms,
protection and inclusion measures, reconciliation processes, monitoring, and
failed-payment follow-up.
Prepare and update activation-ready program materials, including rapid
assessment tools, response concept drafts, targeting and registration
approaches, implementation plans, staffing assumptions, budget inputs,
procurement requests, risk registers, and donor narrative inputs.
Monitor assigned preparedness activities and any activated response tasks,
flag delays or quality concerns, and support timely corrective action in line
with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and
humanitarian good practice.
Work with MEAL and information-management colleagues to adapt practical
indicators, data-collection tools, monitoring plans, feedback and response
mechanisms, and learning questions for partner use.
Support integration of safeguarding, protection mainstreaming, gender, age,
disability inclusion, accountability to affected populations, conflict
sensitivity, and disaster risk reduction across assessments, designs, partner
tools, simulations, and readiness plans.
Assist with partner readiness assessments and partner-specific action plans,
ensuring that agreed actions, responsibilities, deadlines, support needs,
risks, contingencies, and escalation points are clearly documented and
followed up.
Organize and co-facilitate coaching sessions, workshops, simulations,
tabletop exercises, and readiness tests, and prepare agendas, materials,
participant records, and follow-up notes.
Provide day-to-day accompaniment and practical technical support to partners,
adapting tools and guidance to partner priorities and promoting sustainable
local ownership of preparedness systems.
Contribute to proposal development and resource mobilization through
research, technical inputs, drafting, budget inputs, staffing assumptions,
and compilation of supporting documentation.
Document decisions, lessons, tested approaches, readiness gaps, good
practices, and recommendations, and maintain orderly shared files for
knowledge management and handover.
Compile the final El Niño preparedness package for assigned countries or
workstreams, including analyses, plans, tools, MEAL materials, partner action
plans, training resources, ownership arrangements, and maintenance
recommendations.
QUALIFICATIONS
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in international development, international relations,
humanitarian response, disaster risk management, food security, public
health, social sciences, project management, or a related field.
Minimum of three years of relevant experience in humanitarian program
management, emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk reduction, or
related programming, including field-based experience.
Experience supporting moderately complex projects, preferably with an
international NGO and with activities implemented across dispersed geographic
areas.
Experience contributing to assessments, contingency planning, response
design, implementation planning, budgeting, monitoring, or reporting.
Demonstrated experience working with and strengthening the capacity of local
partners; experience with church or faith-based partners is an advantage.
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree in international development, international relations,
humanitarian response, disaster risk management, food security, public
health, social sciences, or a related field.
Knowledge of humanitarian principles, standards, coordination systems, and
emergency program quality requirements; familiarity with CRS and Caritas
Internationalis programming and standards is an advantage.
Experience with El Niño, drought, floods, wildfires, food security, cash and
voucher assistance, WASH, shelter, protection, or other relevant preparedness
and response programming.
Experience coordinating program activities with MEAL, supply chain, finance,
operations, safeguarding, and compliance functions.
Experience working in South America and in remote, insecure, or
access-constrained environments.
Experience contributing to emergency proposals, donor reports, partner
training, or preparedness simulations.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Good program management skills across emergency preparedness, needs
assessment, response design, implementation, monitoring, adaptation, and
close-out.
Good analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to organize and
synthesize hazard, vulnerability, market, operational, and partner
information into clear actions and products.
Working knowledge of project budgets, donor requirements, proposal
development, and grants management.
Working knowledge of MEAL, including practical indicators, data-collection
tools, analysis, feedback mechanisms, and reporting. Experience with
KoboToolbox, CommCare, or similar tools is desirable.
Ability to facilitate partner-led processes, build trust, adapt technical
support to local priorities, and promote sustainable ownership.
Strong planning, coordination, documentation, facilitation, presentation, and
organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple assignments and
meet deadlines.
Strong professional communication and relationship-management skills, with
the ability to work effectively across cultures, organizations, and technical
functions.
Proactive, resourceful, culturally sensitive, solution-oriented, and
results-focused.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, web-conferencing platforms,
and common information-management systems.
Required Languages: Professional fluency in English and Spanish is required.
Professional proficiency in Portuguese is strongly preferred.
Travel: The assignment will be primarily remote, with in-country or regional
travel to priority partners, countries, or hotspots as approved and
operationally required. The selected candidate must be willing and able to
travel up to 50% within South America and work effectively across time zones and
in diverse operating environments.
Supervisory Responsibility: No
Agency 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 U.S. based staff a comprehensive benefits package, including medical,
dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan. Salary
and benefits packages for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. are
based on the country of employment/in-country office where the candidate will
perform the role. CRS´ work culture is a collaborative, mission-driven culture
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, 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.