Regional Manager, Information – SARO

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.

In the Southern Africa region, CRS works in the following 7 countries: Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This position’s location is open, but would prefer the candidate to be located in the African time zones.

Job Summary:

You will provide leadership for the planning, deployment, capacity building, adoption, operational excellence, support, maintenance, and enhancement of global, regional, and Country Program (CP) ICT systems inclusive of those used in field projects (ICT4D -ICT for Development) in support of high-quality programs serving the poor and vulnerable. You will ensure that regional ICT needs, both in terms of technical solutions and staff and partner capacity, are met effectively and efficiently and that agency ICT standards and solutions are adopted within the region.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic guidance, planning (including budgets), oversight, and advice to ensure the regional ICT portfolio and regional and CP ICT system operations and service delivery are aligned with CRS’ global ICT strategy and objectives, meet local operational and programmatic needs, and are in compliance with global CRS ICT standards.
• Leads the transition and organizational changes required for all new systems and system changes, local and global, and is accountable for localized deployment and adoption of all ICT initiatives.
• Partner with program leaders and Global Knowledge Information Management (GKIM) to provide leadership for the alignment, integration, maintenance, and support of ICT4D solutions in program implementation. Enhance staff understanding of the use and benefits to improve program effectiveness.
• Ensure ICT staff actively engage in knowledge capture and exchange, and have the skills and capacity to support CRS programs and ICT4D solutions, leverage global ICT policies, procedures, standards and best practices, and provide quality service to end users.
• Provide leadership and guidance to ensure staff and partners have the capacity to use and effectively leverage CRS ICT resources, technology tools, and ICT4D solutions.
• Assess, analyze, and report on ICT capacity in the region in terms of functionality, security and service delivery, as well as the impact of global ICT initiatives on regional activity. Recommend opportunities and solutions to improve field operations processes through the use of ICT systems.
• Participate actively in internal and external knowledge exchange and experience sharing through ICT community forums and workgroups to stay abreast of technology advances and trends; contribute to setting global ICT objectives, policies and standards; and build the agency capacity in the ICT4D area.

Required Languages – must be fluent in written and spoken English, preferably also combined with French (to support our colleagues, offices and teams in Madagascar).

Travel– must be willing and able to travel up to 35-50%.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent leadership and relationship management skills with ability to negotiate, influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision.
• Excellent strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture, make sound decisions, and offer non-standard solutions.
• Able to communicate technical ideas and concerns in a non-technical manner.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
• Strong customer service orientation with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated facilitation, training, and coaching skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools.
• Knowledge of outsourcing methodologies and operating models, and experience working with professional services firms.
• Knowledge of ICT4D concepts and tools including mobile data collection, mobile financial services, data analytics, and spatial analysis.
• Knowledge of the general directions of the ICT industry (evolving products, services, etc.) along with a thorough understanding of the technical details.

• Master’s degree in IT-related field (Computer Science, Computer Networking, Programming, and Information Systems) required. Equivalent combination of relevant experience and Bachelor’s degree and/or training/certification may substitute for advanced education.

• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible related professional experience. Additional experience working outside home country preferred (e.g. TDYs, short- or long-term assignments included).
• Experience in implementing, operating, maintaining, and supporting complex systems employing system life cycles and best practices such as those embodied in ITL and ISO 9000 standards and SEI Capability maturity models.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

Supervisory Responsibilities (if none, state none)

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Members of GKIM, leaders of CRS’ regional and country program offices, CRS Senior Managers and Executives, and owners of CRS business systems. CP ICT staff, HoOPs, HoPs, CRs and regional TAs.

External: Consortiums focused on ICT/ICT4D within the non-profit sector. NetHope and ICT leaders of other NGO’s focused on the use of ICT in the relief and development sector. CRS Partners Organizations.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. 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 protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

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

Note: All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside their home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical examination.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting 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 an Equal Opportunity