Job Summary:
Catholic Relief Services, along with UNICEF and otherย keyย partners such as national government is implementing advanced care reforms to promote safe, nurturing family care for children, including strengthening families, family reunification and preventing child-family separation, which can have harmful, long-term consequences,ย development of alternative family-based care, and influencing others to build momentum towards a tipping point of change for children. Specifically, CRS will advance care reform by promoting three key pillars of care reform in collaboration with DCS, National Council for Children Services, and UNICEF to promote parental care, strengthen child protection practitioners, and implement a data management system for care reforms.ย
Reporting to the Health Sector lead, the Advancing Care Reforms, Senior Project Officer will work closely with the Directorate of Childrenโs Services (DCS) at the national and county levels in ensuring key national care reforms are implemented in Kisumu County. She/he will support activities that strengthen child protection practitionersโ capacity to support the reintegration of children from residential care to family and community-based care in collaboration with the DCS through On-the-job training and Supportive supervision. She/he will support strengthened family-based care options that provide a safe and nurturing environment for children under their care. This will mainly target existing and newly vetted foster parents and Kafaalah caregivers to provide safe and nurturing care through Positive Parenting Training; Psychosocial support services in places of worship and government health facilities, and Family strengthening intervention linkages. She/he will also support the County to ensure that Caregivers of children with disability, allied child protection practitioners, and interreligious networks play an active role in preventing separation for children. To achieve this, She/he will lead the implementation of the Social Cohesion for Disability Inclusion approach to reduce stigma and discrimination through community sensitization to foster knowledge and attitudinal change and support for caregivers to access basic child services.
Roles and Key Responsibilities:
Support the coordination, implementation, and monitoring of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices. Provide technical support and guidance in the assessment, planning, design, and implementation of family strengthening activities that enable and support CCIs and statutory institutions in their case management work.ย Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.ย In conjunction with the Department of Social Development and County Directorate of Children Services, identify CCI that promotes reintegration, conduct regular household visits, and provide targeted services for reintegrated children and their households.ย Collaborate with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPwD), and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs)ย on disabilityโfocused care reformย supporting caregivers of children with disabilities through structured engagement and provision of targeted life-saving support services. Offer regular technical mentorship assistance and on job training to caregivers and frontline child protection practitioners on disability inclusion and care reform to promote scaling ofย inclusive familyโbased care. Work closely with existing vetted foster parents and Kafaalah caregivers to provide family strengthening linkages and psychosocial support services through places of worship and health facilities. Enhance faith leadersโ engagement and Kafaalah at the household level asย family-based care champions using the champion-ness model within interreligious networks. Strengthen and maintain networks with all partners including county government to ensure that children, youth, and families receive additional support through sharing information, collaboration, and leveraging of opportunities that would enhance opportunities for children returning/remaining in safe and nurturing families. Conduct joint support supervision with the relevant government ministries and departments to promote quality assurance and sustainability Support quality improvement initiatives and learning exchanges related to CRSโs approaches amongst CCIs, government, local implementing partners, and other key actors as a means of promoting good practice and ย ย learning. Document project results and outcomes in various forms, including media stories, promising practices, lessons learned, peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, case studies, client satisfaction, and program reports.ยย Required Language:
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; ability to draft and edit reports. Excellent verbal communication skills in Kiswahili.Required Travel:ย
Theย Advancing Care Reforms, Senior Project Officerย will be expected to travel 50% of the time within the project areas of operation as needed.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage complex and sensitive organizational relationships, particularly between DCS, CCIs, LIPs, and families/ households.ย Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound judgments. Strong writing skills in professional English, level of proficiency should allow the candidate to serve as the primary author of high-quality written reports to donors with minimal revision.ย Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented. Able to engage with a variety of stakeholders and work in a productive and participatory manner.ย Ability to effectively and efficiently explain and transfer skills and knowledge related to case management and reintegration.ย Ability to work in a team Attention to detail, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities with minimal supervision. Demonstrated commitment to respect, equity, diversity, and inclusion, including gender equality.ย Supervisory Responsibilities:ย None
ย Key Working Relationships:
Internal:ย Health Sector Lead and CRS Kenya MEAL Unit. External:ย GOK, Local Partners, faith-based actors, other stakeholders, and the community.ยQualifications and Experience:ย
Bachelorโs degree in one of the following disciplines: social sciences, international development, social work, community development, or a related field. Minimum of 3 yearsโ professional experience in child protection, family strengthening, or related social work fields. Strong understanding of Kenyaโs childcare and protection policy environment, including current issues and priorities in care reform. Demonstrated experience in case management systems, including referral network design, assessment, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Expertise in disabilityโinclusive child protection, community mobilization, and social norms changeย Experience working with faith and interreligious networks. Familiarity with Kenya's national care reform structures (TAC, AACs, Kafaalah committees) Experience with and desire to work directly with children and families.ย Experience working in both county level as well as community settings, preferably in care reform. Ability to provide use of appropriate adult learning approaches to training, technical assistance, and mentoring to implementing partners, CCI staff, and children and families. Experience in conducting assessments, interviewing, and working with children and families, data collection, and related activities. Strong understanding of and practical experience in child protection and care reform programming.Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. 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.ย
Personal Accountability โ Consistently takes responsibility for oneโs own actions. Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.ย Is considered honest. Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions. Collaborates with Others โ Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams. Open to Learn โ Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.Agency Leadership Competencies:
Lead Change โ Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation. Develops and Recognizes Others โ Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance. Strategic Mindset โ Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.Consortium-wide Competencies:
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CTWWC and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results:
Serves with Integrity Models Stewardship Cultivates Constructive Relationships Promotes Learningย CTWWC Core Values:
Child-focused. Children always come first in our work. We place the rights and needs of children and their safety, protection, and well-being and the center of everything we do. Accountable. We take responsibility for our actions when carrying out our programs, exercising great care in the use of our resources and seeking to deploy them to maximum effect, always considering the consequences and impact on children. Transformative. We support change to create a positive and sustainable difference to the lives of children, and transformation that brings lasting benefits. Inclusive. We aim to ensure access to opportunities for everyone. We endeavor to operate in open and honest ways in both our internal and external relationships, developing and delivering flexible approaches that address the needs of all. We involve young people both in matters that affect them and in our advocacy activitiesย MEAL Competencies:
Disclaimer:
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
What we offer:
CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package and the opportunity to work in a collaborative, mission-driven culture that is committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.
CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting men, women, boys, and girls safe from abuse, exploitation, and harm.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for this position, especially those from marginalizedย and people with disabilities backgrounds.
Data Protection/Disclaimer: Catholic Relief Services is committed to ensuring the security and protection of the personal information that we process and provide a compliant and consistent approach to data protection.
Recruitment Disclaimer: We wish to notify you that CRS does not demand or charge any fee/charges from the aspiring candidates for consideration of their candidature or at any time during the recruitment process, nor have we authorised any individual, agency, or firm for recruiting candidates for us. Any person seeking employment with CRS needs to be cautious and not trust any agency or individual claiming to be our representative and charging fees for providing/securing employment with us.
By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.
Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States.ย Catholic Relief Servicesย works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. ย Catholic Relief Servicesโย relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.ย 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. CRSโ 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.ย The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRSยด 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:ย This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.ย
CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
General Requirements
CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidateโs ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.ย ย 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.