Job Summary
The Program Manager II will provide time-bound program management, technical
support, accompaniment, and training to EMPOWER partners in South America to
strengthen El Niño preparedness and readiness for rapid, partner-led emergency
response. The position will coordinate preparedness programming across priority
countries and hotspots, translating hazard, vulnerability, market, operational,
and partner-capacity analysis into practical readiness actions, quality program
designs, and activation-ready response plans.
Working closely with the Supply Chain Management Technical Advisor II and other
technical and operational colleagues, the Program Manager II will align program
strategies, targeting, transfer modalities, technical standards, MEAL,
accountability, safeguarding, protection, and partner capacity strengthening
with sourcing, contracting, logistics, cash and voucher assistance, and
distribution readiness. The role will help partners identify and close priority
program bottlenecks, test readiness arrangements, and maintain an integrated
package that can be rapidly adapted when an EMPOWER/RAPID response is activated.
Roles and Key Responsibilities
• Lead the programmatic El Niño preparedness process across South America
priority countries in close coordination with EMPOWER partners, country program
or program office teams, RAPID counterparts, technical advisors, MEAL, and
supply chain and operations colleagues.
• Develop and maintain an integrated assignment workplan and deliverable
calendar that links program, MEAL, partnership, cash and voucher assistance,
supply chain, finance, safeguarding, and operational readiness activities.
• Coordinate hazard, vulnerability, exposure, seasonal, and scenario analysis
to identify priority countries, hotspots, population groups, likely needs,
access constraints, and preparedness triggers for drought, floods, food
insecurity, wildfires and related El Niño impacts.
• Lead 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.
• Support partners to develop or update country- and hotspot-specific
contingency plans, response strategies, sector and modality options, targeting
approaches, geographic priorities, and scalable response scenarios.
• Work with sector technical leads and partners to define minimum program
quality standards, intervention packages, eligibility and prioritization
criteria, transfer values or assistance quantities, referral pathways, and safe
adaptation or substitution rules.
• Coordinate with the Supply Chain Management Technical Advisor II to validate
proposed relief kits, in-kind assistance, and cash or voucher options against
assessed needs, local market capacity, cultural appropriateness, protection
considerations, delivery feasibility, lead times, and cost drivers.
• Integrate market and logistics findings into program design, including
modality selection, remote-area feasibility, delivery sequencing, contingency
options, and realistic procurement and implementation timelines.
• Support partner readiness for cash and voucher assistance by defining program
requirements for geographic coverage, transfer modalities, participant data,
accountability, complaints handling, protection, inclusion, reconciliation,
monitoring, and failed-payment follow-up in coordination with operations and
finance teams.
• Lead development of activation-ready program packages, including concise
needs assessment tools, rapid response concepts, targeting and registration
approaches, implementation plans, staffing assumptions, budgets, procurement
inputs, risk assessments, and donor-ready narrative components.
• Provide management, guidance, and technical oversight throughout preparedness
and any activated response cycle so that design, start-up, implementation,
monitoring, adaptation, and close-out align with CRS program quality principles
and standards, donor requirements, and humanitarian best practice.
• Collaborate with MEAL and information management colleagues to establish
preparedness indicators where feasible, baseline or reference data,
data-collection and analysis tools, monitoring plans, feedback and response
mechanisms, and learning questions.
• Ensure that safeguarding, protection mainstreaming, gender, age, disability
inclusion, accountability to affected populations, conflict sensitivity, and
disaster risk reduction are integrated across assessments, designs, partner
tools, simulations, and readiness plans.
• Assess partner program-management and technical readiness; facilitate
participatory prioritization and partner-specific action plans with clear
actions, responsible persons, deadlines, support needs, approvals, risks,
contingencies, escalation points, and maintenance responsibilities.
• Design and facilitate coaching, working sessions, simulations, tabletop
exercises, or readiness tests so partner teams can practice assessment,
decision-making, coordination, modality selection, activation, implementation,
monitoring, adaptation, and reporting.
• Contribute to partner capacity strengthening through tailored learning
strategies, agendas and curricula, workshops, mentoring, and coaching based on
priorities identified by partners.
• Support quality donor engagement and resource mobilization by contributing
technical analysis, program design, proposal writing, budgeting, staffing plans,
and donor discussions for El Niño preparedness and rapid response opportunities.
• Promote strong, equitable partnerships in line with CRS and Caritas
Internationalis partnership principles and facilitate timely resolution of
programmatic or coordination challenges through dialogue and appropriate
support.
• Contribute to knowledge management by documenting decisions, lessons, tested
approaches, readiness gaps, good practices, and recommendations that can inform
EMPOWER/RAPID programming in South America and other regions.
• Consolidate and hand over the final El Niño program preparedness package,
including analyses, contingency and response plans, assessment and design tools,
MEAL materials, partner action plans, training resources, ownership
arrangements, maintenance recommendations, and an exit debrief.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Strong program management and technical skills across emergency preparedness,
rapid needs assessment, response design, contingency planning, implementation,
monitoring, adaptation, and close-out.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to
synthesize hazard, vulnerability, market, operational, and partner information
into prioritized, realistic actions.
• Good grants management and budgeting experience, including design and
proposal development for public or institutional donors.
• MEAL and information-management skills, including development of practical
indicators, data-collection tools, analysis approaches, feedback mechanisms, and
reporting products. Experience with KoboToolbox, CommCare, or similar tools is
desirable.
• Ability to facilitate partner-led processes, build trust, adapt technical
support to partner priorities, and promote sustainable ownership of preparedness
systems.
• Excellent planning, coordination, documentation, facilitation, presentation,
and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and
deliverables across countries.
• Strong relationship-management and professional communication skills, with
the ability to work effectively with partner leadership, technical teams,
donors, government, and internal support functions.
• Proactive, resourceful, culturally sensitive, solution-oriented, and
results-focused.
• Advanced 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; French is an
advantage for engagement across target regions.
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 percent within South America and work effectively across time
zones and in diverse operating environments.
Supervisory Responsibility: No
QUALIFICATIONS
Basic Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in international development, international relations,
humanitarian response, disaster risk management, food security, public health,
social sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian
program management, emergency preparedness and response, or related technical
programming, including field-based experience and work on complex or rapid-onset
emergencies.
• Experience managing moderately complex projects, preferably with an
international NGO, across multiple countries or dispersed geographic areas.
• Demonstrated experience translating assessments and scenario analysis into
response strategies, quality program designs, implementation plans, and budgets.
• Previous experience providing technical assistance, strengthening local
partner capacity, and developing successful proposals for external donor
funding.
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; knowledge of CRS and Caritas
Internationalis programming and standards.
• Experience with El Niño, drought, flood, wildfires, food security, cash and
voucher assistance, multipurpose cash, WASH, shelter, protection, or other
relevant preparedness and response programming.
• Experience with market-based programming and coordination between program,
MEAL, supply chain, finance, operations, safeguarding, and compliance functions.
• Experience working with Caritas organizations, faith-based partners, or other
local humanitarian actors.
• Experience operating in insecure, remote, or access-constrained environments.
• Experience working in South America.
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.
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.
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.