ASPIRE Fellow – Training Program job at Catholic Relief Services

About the Organization

Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, we have expanded in size to reach more than 130 million people in more than 100 countries on five continents.

Job Description

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.
CRS has been working in Uganda since 1965 and has a vibrant portfolio of projects, serving over a million vulnerable Ugandans and refugees each year through the Country Program 2030 Strategy. CRS programs in Uganda currently support five strategic priority areas, including Health and Social Services Systems Strengthening, Resilient Food Systems, Emergency Preparedness and Management, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Local Leadership. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with local organizations, including international and local NGOs, Ugandan government departments and ministries, the Catholic Church, and community based organizations for maximum impact and sustainability. CRS Uganda employs around 150 staff and has its main office in Kampala, with sub-offices in Yumbe, Kyangwali, Kasese and Hoima.
We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. Persons with disabilities (PwDs) are strongly encouraged to apply.
Program Summary:
The ASPIRE Program is a unique career-building opportunity for individuals who are passionate about relief and development work and have the skills, attitude, and approach to excel in positions with CRS. This structured and intentional field-based learning program is designed to prepare participants for positions of greater responsibility with CRS.
Under the supervision of experienced staff, participants actively support CRS’ relief and/or development projects over a 12-month period while building foundational skills in programming and operations. Through the foundational training, participants gain experience in project management, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL), project design and proposal development, partnership and capacity strengthening, supply chain, human resources and more.
To complement the core training, each participant also hones their skills in a specific area that aligns with their career objectives and strategically positions them for onward employment with CRS.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support implementation of current projects (e.g. participate in planning/review workshops, support activity implementation in the field)
Support appropriate management of cash and in-kind resources (e.g. monitor/analyze spending on project budgets, prepare cash forecasts, participate in financial reporting to donors, support commodity management).
Support timely and accurate reporting (e.g. review/synthesize data to report on project indicators, draft/edit narrative reports).
Support communication-related activities for country program and projects (e.g. draft program summaries, annual reports, partnership newsletters, social media content and webpage updates).

Project Design and Proposal Development

Support project design (e.g. participate in needs assessments and problem identification, stakeholder analysis, development of concept notes)
Support proposal development (e.g. participate in design workshops, draft sections of technical narratives and budgets, package/edit proposals for submission). Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Support MEAL activities in:
Project design (e.g. support data collection, needs assessments, gender analysis, gap analysis, development of results frameworks, Proframes, theories of change, evaluation plans, performance management plans).
Project start-up (e.g. support baseline assessments, development of MEAL manuals and accountability mechanisms)
Project implementation (e.g. prepare survey instruments using ICT4D, support collection of monitoring data, prepare donor reports, organize learning events, document learning)
Project close-out (e.g. draft final reports, support final evaluations and knowledge management activities).

Partnership & Capacity Strengthening

Support CRS partners with project management, project design and MEAL.
Support partnership strengthening and capacity building (e.g. participate in partnership reflection workshops, partner assessments and monitoring visits).
Finance, Supply Chain, HR, Compliance
Support strong financial management by analyzing budgets, monitoring & forecasting spending, reviewing supporting documentation for financial transactions by CRS and sub-recipients.
Support supply chain and procurement by assisting with inventory counts, data collection, bid analysis and vendor selection, contracting, receipt and warehousing of goods.
Support human resources by preparing job descriptions, reviewing applications/shortlisting candidates.
Support audit and compliance by reviewing internal controls, systems for fraud prevention, studying CRS policies and donor regulations.
Support staff safety by reviewing security protocols and manuals, updating as needed.

Qualification, Experiences and Competencies

Bachelor’s degree in related field of International Development, Agriculture, Health, Business, Communications, Public Administration, Finance, Human Resources, Supply Chain, Social Works, Social Science, Project Management, and Monitoring and Evaluation.
Must have graduated within 2 years of program start date (degree conferred between October 2022 and October 2024), with second upper and above.
3 - 24 months of related work experience (internships, volunteering, or paid work).
Candidates must exhibit a positive attitude and a willingness to learn, grow in the field of humanitarian work.

Preferred Qualifications

Proficient in both spoken and written English.
Must be open to traveling up to 25% of the time to field locations.
Willing to be stationed in field offices during and after the program.
Demonstrates excellence in collaborative, multicultural environments.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and research skills.
Possesses agility, proactivity, and a results-oriented mindset.
Persons with disability are strongly encouraged to apply.
Shows a commitment to respecting, promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion, including gender equality.