Hybrid Program Manager II – Blue Carbon

at Catholic Relief Services

• Job title: Program Manager II – Blue Carbon
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Senior, Lead
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Baltimore, United States

About the role

• Program Manager overseeing design and implementation of the Bahamas Blue Carbon initiative. Collaborating with stakeholders for effective project management and climate finance.

Responsibilities

• Engage with technical partners and sponsors in the Bahamas to plan and coordinate activities.
• Manage CRS’ activities for the Program, including:
• (a) help prioritize project interventions for the short- and medium-term.
• (b) launch start-up activities in Q2 of 2026; and
• (c) collaborate with the Government of Bahamas to design a strategy for a long-term Sustainable Development Program.
• Identify and contract local partners and sub-contractors to support the start-up activities.
• Coordinate and support local partners and subcontractors, ensure quality implementation.
• Ensure all activities are in line with CRS quality principles and standards.
• Ensure timely and appropriate project expenditures in line with financial plans and efficient use and stewardship of project material sources.
• Ensure safeguarding and protection protocol are established and adhered to.
• Report to CRS, technical partners, and sponsors on progress, challenges, and recommendations.
• Establish monitoring and reporting protocol, aligned with the monitoring, reporting, and verification system that is being designed with technical partners.
• Coordinate technical support to local stakeholders in the Bahamas for strategic planning and how to best apply program design and implementation standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools, and M&E, ensuring high-quality implementation.
• Develop and maintain strong collaboration with CRS technical experts and, in agreement with partners, develop SOWs for in-country support for partners as needed -- especially for technical support in climate finance, environmental restoration and others as selected by the local stakeholders.
• Contribute to knowledge management and learning through collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, assisting with measuring program impact, capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices, and research and internal reports.
• Contribute to the development of CRS capacity in Climate Finance that effectively engage partners, donors and governments. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.
• Ensure a quality partnership between CRS and EMPOWER partners in line with CRS and Caritas Internationalis (CI) partnership principles; ensure coordinated, consistent partner strengthening efforts and support timely resolution of partnership challenges via dialogue and support from others, as appropriate.
• Support quality partner-led program development, through participation in donor discussions and ensuring quality program design, budgeting and reporting.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant fields: environmental management, program management – or extensive experience demonstrating technical knowledge and skills.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience managing relevant field-based development and environmental restoration projects.
• Experience in managing complex projects with multiple partners.
• Master’s Degree (preferred).
• Experience in an international NGO an advantage (preferred).
• Familiar with CRS principles (preferred).
• Demonstrated capacity for collaborating with government partners and other local stakeholders and the ability to manage multi-stakeholder planning and partner implementation.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
• Proven ability to work independently in a complex and dynamic working environment.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.
• Demonstrated experience in project management, including project design, preferably for grants from multiple public donors.
• Excellent communicator and partnership management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to write high quality technical reports.
• Experience engaging with partner organizations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Good presentation and facilitation skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Benefits

• Must be willing and able to spend at least 50% of time in the Bahamas during this contract period.