About CRS: “Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partner’s people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.”

In Ethiopia, CRS has a long and rich history of providing emergency relief and development assistance to the people of Ethiopia since 1958. At present, CRS/Ethiopia implements multiple projects through different partner organizations. CRS/Ethiopia has a highly diverse portfolio currently focusing on community-based food and livelihood security through activities in agriculture, health, peacebuilding, WASH, emergency relief, and savings and lending. CRS is active in nearly all regions of Ethiopia: Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), Somali, Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, and Dire Dawa Regions.

CRS strictly adheres to its Policy on Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults among its staff, consultants, volunteers, and affiliates. CRS is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer: women, minorities and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

As part of the CRS family, you will join the more than 5000 strong and vibrant individuals working globally to accomplish the mission of CRS. CRS/Ethiopia invites you, the qualified candidate, to apply for the following position;

Position Title:               Senior Project Officer – Learning and Knowledge Management

Duty Station:                CRS/Addis Ababa Office

Employment Term:     Indefinite period contingent upon funding of the program

Reports To:                   Program Manager I - MEAL

Required no:                 One

Application Deadline:  June 28, 2021

Job Summary:

The learning and knowledge management Senior Project Office (SPO) will lead the development and implementation of a holistic learning and organizational knowledge management system for CRS Ethiopia. The PO will support project and the country program coordinating the collaboration, learning, and adaptation initiatives to enhance program quality. The SPO will work closely with the MEAL and programming team to establish and actively support related processes, systems and products to help institutionalize the effective use of emerging data, information and knowledge products.

Job Responsibilities:

Program learning

·         Support the development of a program learning agenda for specific projects, and country program; and lead process for sharing findings and lessons learned.

·         Pull out emerging trends across projects/program.

·         Lead internal learning platforms and opportunities including annual learning events, and project review and reflection sessions

·         Share learning from programs with CRS staff and partners prioritize adaptive management and continuous learning.

Knowledge management

·         Develop and implement a comprehensive knowledge management plan that ensures effective capture, storage, and dissemination of program data and learning.

·         Work closely with the ICT4D team to develop an interactive dashboard and searchable knowledge database using available technology (Power Bi) and other means as an internal knowledge-sharing platform to facilitate application of tested knowledge management tools, models, and approaches

·         Continuously review and adapt the knowledge management process for the country program.

·         Leverage and enhance the CRS’s existing internal knowledge management systems and platforms (e.g. the CRS SharePoint site) to upload and share information

Reporting and dissemination

·         Support sector leads develop summary documents, progress reports, success stories, linking to the CP, regional and agency strategy and in alignment with key donor and government priorities.

·         Collaborate with the communications manager to produce audience-specific marketing content highlight best practices from each sector.

·         Organize programming period review and reflection sessions among projects/sectors; experience sharing with and among partners; and annual learning events.

Collaboration, learning, and adaptation

·         Foster internal and external collaboration across systems, initiatives, teams, or organizations; and support internal integration within specific projects.

·         Assess and develop strategic relationships with various local stakeholders like with government, donors, other NGOs, and communities to facilitate knowledge sharing through meetings, conferences, field exchange visits, and other online forums

·         Develop a mechanism to foster adaptive management at all levels based on new learning and information from feedback and response mechanism.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• MA/BA Degree in one of the Social Sciences fields of study
• 4 years of relevant experience for MA or 6 years relevant experience for BA degree
• Relevant work experience on learning and knowledge management, and Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability Learning (MEAL) experience is preferred.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, government, other peer organizations
• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Personal Skills

• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented

 Required/Desired Foreign Language -English

Travel Required (Willing to do frequent field travels (50-60%).)

 Key Working Relationships:

Supervisor: MEAL PM, HOPs

Internal: HOP, MEAL PM, PMs, EARO RTA, DFSA/JEOP/LRO

External:  Partners, MEAL working groups

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.

·         Trusting Relationships

·         Professional Growth

·         Partnership

·         Accountability