Program Manager II, El Nino Preparedness South America – EMPOWER/RAPID

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

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.