Background:
An overarching goal of LACRO’s 2010 – 2020 regional strategy is to achieve and sustain leadership, influence, impact and scale in a select number of Signature and Emerging Areas in service to the poor and marginalized. The strategy represents a ten year commitment to develop expertise, technical capacity, innovation, strong local and international partners, evidence-based learning systems, and targeted advocacy agendas in these areas.
We recognize that to have large-scale impact, CRS LACRO must be able to influence national governments, donors and the private sector to change their public policies, donor priorities and business practices to better meet the needs of poor, working families. This influence can only be achieved by laying out a compelling case of proposed solutions to problems, solutions that are backed up by valid data, built on field successes and failures, and complementary evidence. As such, LACRO has committed itself to developing its human resources capacity and focusing its investments in order to increase its capacity to produce rigorous outcomes from its projects, impact data and analysis; and ensure that techncial staff, guided by a clear influence agenda, have the time and resources to participate and represent CRS in key forums and to important stakeholders.
Given a growing demand for influence and applications based on research, LACRO established a regional Influence and Research Group (IRG) in October 2012 to develop LACRO’s human resources, influence and research capacity in the Signature and Emerging areas of Sustainable Agriculture, Agroenterprise (with a special focus in Coffee) and Water. This group is responsible for positioning CRS to be leaders in these areas through the development of influence and learning agendas; overseeing or conducting high-quality research relevant to these agendas; and presentation of evidence-based documentation to key stakeholders to inform and influence policies and practices in order to achieve fundamental change.
Primary Functions:
The overall objective for forming the IRG is that CRS is recognized as an industry leader and influential voice in select Signature and Emerging Areas in Latin America and the Caribbean such as Sustainable Agricluture, Agroenterprise, Coffee and Water. Toward this end it is expected that the IRG will increase LACRO’s capacity to influence policy and practices at scale through high quality research, evidence-based publications and presentations in the selected areas of focus. As such, CRS LACRO and its partners will actively influence public and private sector practices and policies to benefit equitable access and participation of poor and marginalized families in these areas.
The role of the Team Leader is to lead the newly established IRG in its activities which foster social change initiatives, including applied research and the develoment of LACRO’s influence agenda. The Team Leader will support and mentor members of the IRG to improve their skills, and coordinate the work among these members to learn from one another and catalyze synergy between the various activities. The Team Leader will also be a key liaison between the IRG team members, country programs, and the LACRO regional management team.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Management and leadership
Provide innovative intellectual leadership and technical direction to all stakeholders, including the IRG , a diverse, muti-disciplinary group.
Recruit and manage staff, consultancies and partnerships, which includes coaching/mentoring/supervising and performance management, to ensure that the group succeeds in strengthening CRS’ capacity to influence social and policy change in its priority themes.
Lead the IRG in the development of strategies, work plans, targets and clear deliverables.
Develop monitoring systems to evaluate progress toward goals and ensure that the IRG meets programmatic and financial targets.
Lead the IRG members in setting performance plans based on strategies and work plans, and coach them to strengthen their skills and performance.
Serve as the primary interlocutor between the IRG and the Advisory Committee and provide regular updates to this Committee on advances of the IRG.
Ensure cross-sectoral and sector Theme Group coordination and linkages-relevance of IRG work to CP priorities.
- Strategy development
Spearhead a transition from a focus on field programming to one that bridges research, development and influence in collaboration with IRG members and stakeholders.
Convene virtual and on-site meetings to develop an overall strategy for the IRG as well as individual sector/theme plans.
Develop a clear and shared vision with IRG, LACRO colleagues, partners and stakeholders for IRG research and influence and communicate this vision to all of them.
Lead the definition of LACRO’s learning agenda and its links to the issues LACRO wants to influence in the areas covered by the IRG (i.e. Sustainable Agriculture, Agroenterprise, Coffee, and Water Resources).
- Research
Identify and prioritize research needs according to the LACRO strategy, vision and priorities.
Identify appropriate human resources for research and negotiate agreements / contracts / SOWs.
Coordinate the implmentation of the IRG’s identified research activities.
Lead the development of communications and publishing in various media (i.e. working papers, research reports, briefs, blogs and journal articles).
- Representation
Ensure representation of the IRG in international fora and ensure that it is highly visible and strongly supported by donors, private sector iand other stakeholders.
Coordinate the organization of international conferences, workshops and training events.
Lead the development of new and strengthen exisiting partnerships related to the research and influence agenda.
- Positioning and Fundraising
Coordinate identified positioning activities in conjunction with the CRS Business Development Team.
Coordinate the development of influence/research proposals .
Leverage results from research to influence actors, policies and donors.
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
- Serves with Integrity
- Models Stewardship
- Cultivates Constructive Relationships
- Promotes Learning
Key Working Relationships:
INTERNAL: Deputy Regional Directors, IRG members (supervisory role for some), Country Representatives, Regional Technical Advisors, CRS Policy Advisors based in the US, CRS Advocacy Department, Foundations and Corporate Engagement Unit, PQSD and Communications staff.
EXTERNAL: Catholic Church, NGO and University Partners, Sectoral Coalitions / Platforms and Donors.
Personal Skills:
Proven intellectual leadership skills.
Exceptional (team) management skills; demonstrated record in leading multi-cultural,multi-disciplinary team and building partnerships for collaborative and cross-cutting research.
Exceptional communication skills and proven ability to work well within a dynamic and complex group of people.
Strong teamwork, coordination and strategic planning skills.
Good facilitation skills for meetings and workshops.
A passion for learning and strategic thinking.
Experience with applied research and action research preferred.
Proven expertise in programming, preferably in sustainable agriculture, agroenterprise and/or water, and working with local and national governments, research institutions and partners, preferably in Latin America.
Strong representational skills in networking, and building strategic relations with government ministries, donors, research institutions, private sector and other key actors for influence and leveraging resources.
Willingness to travel frequently throughout Latin America (30%) and occasionally to events outside the region.
Excellent writing skills in English and Spanish. Proven abilities in proposal and report writing, and formal document writing. Willingness to work with project technical staff and managers to build skills in documenting experiences and lessons learned.
Qualifications:
PhD preferred; Masters degree minimum, with equivalent experience in leading teams relevant to a senior position in an international NGO.
Minimum of 10 years experience in development and/or research institutions, and engaging multiple stakeholders to leverage influence preferably on issues related to or in Latin America.
Experience as a team leader: staff supervision, budget management, program planning, monitoring and evaluation
Understanding and experience in developing coalitions, networking and partner capacity building.
Excellent referrals from a wide range of respondents that may include NGOs, donors, government representatives, research institutes, private sector etc.
Excellent communication skills, particularly in leading meetings, facilitating events, etc.
Experience working with the Catholic Church in Latin America regarding public policy and social change processes
Foreign Language Required: High proficiency for oral and written English and Spanish.
How to apply:
To apply, please visit http://crs.org/about/careers/
Search for requisition I1086
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, efforts, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
EOE/M/F/D/V
