Country Representative, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Job Title: Country Representative, Afghanistan and Pakistan Reports to: EMEA Regional Director Department: Global Programs – EMEA Region Salary Grade: 12

Background:

In Afghanistan, more than four decades of conflict and recurrent natural disasters, particularly droughts, and earthquakes have resulted in persistent poverty, especially in rural communities, as well as high levels of displacement to urban areas. The country’s long conflict has left many families displaced and impoverished, but the war’s end in 2021 opened the possibility of reaching many previously inaccessible communities. CRS has been accompanying Afghan families since 2002, providing emergency relief, WASH, education, improved agricultural livelihoods, integrated natural resource management and market system development, alongside other complementary life‐enriching services to households and communities across the country. Over the last year alone, CRS has been directly implementing programs in the provinces of Bamiyan, Ghor, Herat, and partnering with a growing base of local actors to implement interventions across provinces of Balkh, Lagman, Logar, Kabul, Kunar, Kunduz, Nangahar, Samangan, Sar-e Pol.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is also among the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, facing recurrent floods, droughts, glacial melt, heatwaves, and erratic monsoons that compound poverty, displacement, and food insecurity. In this context, CRS is catalyzing transformative change by influencing systems to effectively meet the needs and aspirations of the poor and vulnerable. CRS Pakistan is focusing on high-impact emergency response and recovery in provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, embedding disaster risk reduction and climate resilience approaches.

Job Summary:

As Country Representative, you will lead, manage and advance the programming and operations of CRS to serve the poor and vulnerable. Your strategic leadership will enable you to advance CRS’ reputation and impact while you proactively manage and mitigate security and other risks and liabilities.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Champion and lead the vision, mission, and strategy. Lead the design of medium and long-term goals. Ensure program and operations leads coordinate their objectives in alignment with the strategy.
• Ensure that all projects meet and exceed donor expectations and are designed and implemented for maximum impact and reach. Ensure the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring for Head of Programs, Head of Operations, Chief of Party, Head of Office. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Oversee the development of staffing plans for large and complex projects and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Lead the development of strategic partnerships with national and international organizations that leverages resources, reputation, and expertise in line with CRS partnership principles. Ensure strong representation with key stakeholders, local and national governments, US government and international donors.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans and ensure the updating of such plans.
• Promote, uphold and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Ensure compliance in operations functions. Provide oversight and analysis regarding monthly expenditures.
• Lead and direct the pursuit of strategic growth opportunities, prepositioning, and capture planning.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Promote accountability, learning and knowledge management overseeing application of the MEAL policy, as well as cross-sectoral and cross-department learning.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, International Relations or a related field.
• 8 or more years’ experience managing complex relief and development programs.
• Demonstrated experience successfully managing a variety of complex, high-value projects from multiple international donors, including USAID, DFID, and UN agencies; understanding of relevant donor regulations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, International Relations or a related field.
• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Experience working with Church partners a plus.
• Demonstrated experience successfully managing a variety of complex, high-value projects from multiple international donors, including US government funding streams, EU and national European funding streams, UN agencies; understanding of relevant donor regulations.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience coaching and mentoring senior program staff.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Excellent relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching/mentoring skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Required Languages – Professional working proficiency in English.

Travel - The position requires internal travel up to 60% of the time, including international travel between the two countries and ad-hoc travel elsewhere for agency and donor meetings.

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.

Organization context

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.