Program Manager II – El Nino Preparedness

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Oversee the El Niño preparedness initiative across priority countries in South America in collaboration with EMPOWER partners and CRS's technical, MEAL, supply chain, and operations teams.

• Create and sustain a comprehensive workplan and deliverable calendar that encompasses program, MEAL, partnerships, cash and voucher assistance, supply chain, finance, safeguarding, and operational readiness.

• Coordinate hazard, vulnerability, exposure, seasonal, and scenario analyses to identify key countries, hotspots, population groups, potential needs, access challenges, and preparedness triggers.

• Lead the mapping of stakeholders and services involving partners, government authorities, Caritas structures, humanitarian coordination entities, community actors, and service providers.

• Assist in developing country- and hotspot-specific contingency plans, response strategies, sector and modality options, targeting approaches, geographic priorities, and scalable response scenarios.

• Establish minimum program quality standards, intervention packages, eligibility criteria, transfer values or assistance quantities, referral pathways, and adaptation rules.

• Validate relief kits, in-kind assistance, and cash or voucher options based on needs, market capacity, protection, delivery feasibility, lead times, and costs.

• Incorporate market and logistics insights into program design, modality selection, delivery sequencing, contingency options, procurement, and implementation schedules.

• Aid partner readiness for cash and voucher assistance, focusing on participant data, accountability, complaint handling, protection, inclusion, reconciliation, monitoring, and follow-up on failed payments.

• Develop activation-ready program packages that include assessment tools, rapid response concepts, targeting and registration strategies, implementation plans, staffing assumptions, budgets, procurement inputs, risk assessments, and narratives suitable for donor review.

• Provide management, guidance, and technical oversight throughout preparedness and activated response phases.

• Collaborate with MEAL and information management teams on indicators, baseline or reference data, data collection tools, monitoring plans, feedback mechanisms, and learning inquiries.

• Integrate safeguarding, protection, gender, age, and disability inclusion, accountability to affected populations, conflict sensitivity, and disaster risk reduction into preparedness efforts.

• Evaluate partner readiness and facilitate tailored action plans with assigned responsibilities, deadlines, support needs, risks, contingencies, escalation points, and maintenance duties.

• Design and conduct coaching, working sessions, simulations, tabletop exercises, readiness tests, workshops, mentoring, and activities aimed at strengthening partner capacity.

• Assist in donor engagement and resource mobilization through technical analysis, program design, proposal writing, budgeting, staffing plans, and discussions with donors.

• Foster equitable partnerships aligned with CRS and Caritas Internationalis principles and address programmatic or coordination challenges.

• Document decisions, lessons learned, validated approaches, readiness gaps, best practices, and recommendations.

• Compile and transfer the final El Niño program preparedness package and carry out an exit debrief.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in international development, international relations, humanitarian response, disaster risk management, food security, public health, social sciences, or a related discipline.

• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian program management, emergency preparedness and response, or related technical areas.

• Field experience working on complex or rapid-onset emergencies.

• Experience managing moderately complex projects, preferably with an international NGO, across multiple countries or geographically dispersed areas.

• Proven ability to translate assessments and scenario analyses into response strategies, quality program designs, implementation plans, and budgets.

• Experience in providing technical assistance, strengthening local partner capacity, and developing successful proposals for external donor funding.

• Strong program management and technical expertise in emergency preparedness, rapid needs assessments, response design, contingency planning, implementation, monitoring, adaptation, and close-out.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

• Experience in grants management and budgeting.

• Skills in MEAL and information management.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, web-conferencing platforms, and standard information management systems.

• Professional fluency in both English and Spanish.

• Willingness and ability to travel up to 50 percent within South America.

• Ability to legally work in the location where the position is based.

• Capability to pass pre-employment medical clearance if applicable.

• A Master's degree, knowledge of humanitarian standards, relevant hazard and response programming, market-based programming, experience with Caritas or faith-based partners, experience in insecure environments, and familiarity with South America are preferred or advantageous.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package for U.S.-based staff, which includes medical, dental, life insurance, and vision coverage.

• Generous retirement savings plan.

• Benefits packages for candidates employed outside the U.S. based on the country of employment or in-country office.

• Collaborative, mission-driven work culture.

• Equal opportunity employer.

• Commitment to the CRS Code of Conduct and a safeguarding-centered workplace.