Background

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality and works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs. CRS has been helping po...

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Support the coordination, implementation, and monitoring of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Provide technical support and guidance in the assessment, planning, design, and implementation of family strengthening activities that enable and support CCIs and statutory institutions in their case management work.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• In conjunction with the Department of Social Development and County Directorate of Children Services, identify CCI that promotes reintegration, conduct regular household visits, and provide targeted services for reintegrated children and their households.
• Collaborate with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPwD), and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) on disability‑focused care reform supporting caregivers of children with disabilities through structured engagement and provision of targeted life-saving support services.
• Offer regular technical mentorship assistance and on job training to caregivers and frontline child protection practitioners on disability inclusion and care reform to promote scaling of inclusive family‑based care.
• Work closely with existing vetted foster parents and Kafaalah caregivers to provide family strengthening linkages and psychosocial support services through places of worship and health facilities.
• Enhance faith leaders’ engagement and Kafaalah at the household level as family-based care champions using the champion-ness model within interreligious networks.
• Strengthen and maintain networks with all partners including county government to ensure that children, youth, and families receive additional support through sharing information, collaboration, and leveraging of opportunities that would enhance opportunities for children returning/remaining in safe and nurturing families.
• Conduct joint support supervision with the relevant government ministries and departments to promote quality assurance and sustainability
• Support quality improvement initiatives and learning exchanges related to CRS’s approaches amongst CCIs, government, local implementing partners, and other key actors as a means of promoting good practice and learning.
• Document project results and outcomes in various forms, including media stories, promising practices, lessons learned, peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, case studies, client satisfaction, and program reports.

Required Language:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; ability to draft and edit reports.
• Excellent verbal communication skills in Kiswahili.

Required Travel:

The Advancing Care Reforms, Senior Project Officer will be expected to travel 50% of the time within the project areas of operation as needed.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage complex and sensitive organizational relationships, particularly between DCS, CCIs, LIPs, and families/ households.
• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound judgments.
• Strong writing skills in professional English, level of proficiency should allow the candidate to serve as the primary author of high-quality written reports to donors with minimal revision.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in one of the following disciplines: social sciences, international development, social work, community development, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years’ professional experience in child protection, family strengthening, or related social work fields.
• Strong understanding of Kenya’s childcare and protection policy environment, including current issues and priorities in care reform.
• Demonstrated experience in case management systems, including referral network design, assessment, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Expertise in disability‑inclusive child protection, community mobilization, and social norms change
• Experience working with faith and interreligious networks.
• Familiarity with Kenya's national care reform structures (TAC, AACs, Kafaalah committees)
• Experience with and desire to work directly with children and families.
• Experience working in both county level as well as community settings, preferably in care reform.
• Ability to provide use of appropriate adult learning approaches to training, technical assistance, and mentoring to implementing partners, CCI staff, and children and families.
• Experience in conducting assessments, interviewing, and working with children and families, data collection, and related activities.

• Support the coordination, implementation, and monitoring of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Provide technical support and guidance in the assessment, planning, design, and implementation of family strengthening activities that enable and support CCIs and statutory institutions in their case management work.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• In conjunction with the Department of Social Development and County Directorate of Children Services, identify CCI that promotes reintegration, conduct regular household visits, and provide targeted services for reintegrated children and their households.
• Collaborate with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPwD), and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) on disability‑focused care reform supporting caregivers of children with disabilities through structured engagement and provision of targeted life-saving support services.
• Offer regular technical mentorship assistance and on job training to caregivers and frontline child protection practitioners on disability inclusion and care reform to promote scaling of inclusive family‑based care.
• Work closely with existing vetted foster parents and Kafaalah caregivers to provide family strengthening linkages and psychosocial support services through places of worship and health facilities.
• Enhance faith leaders’ engagement and Kafaalah at the household level as family-based care champions using the champion-ness model within interreligious networks.
• Strengthen and maintain networks with all partners including county government to ensure that children, youth, and families receive additional support through sharing information, collaboration, and leveraging of opportunities that would enhance opportunities for children returning/remaining in safe and nurturing families.
• Conduct joint support supervision with the relevant government ministries and departments to promote quality assurance and sustainability
• Support quality improvement initiatives and learning exchanges related to CRS’s approaches amongst CCIs, government, local implementing partners, and other key actors as a means of promoting good practice and learning.
• Document project results and outcomes in various forms, including media stories, promising practices, lessons learned, peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, case studies, client satisfaction, and program reports.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage complex and sensitive organizational relationships, particularly between DCS, CCIs, LIPs, and families/ households.
• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound judgments.
• Strong writing skills in professional English, level of proficiency should allow the candidate to serve as the primary author of high-quality written reports to donors with minimal revision.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; ability to draft and edit reports.
• Excellent verbal communication skills in Kiswahili.

• Bachelor’s degree in one of the following disciplines: social sciences, international development, social work, community development, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years’ professional experience in child protection, family strengthening, or related social work fields.
• Strong understanding of Kenya’s childcare and protection policy environment, including current issues and priorities in care reform.
• Demonstrated experience in case management systems, including referral network design, assessment, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Expertise in disability‑inclusive child protection, community mobilization, and social norms change
• Experience working with faith and interreligious networks.
• Familiarity with Kenya's national care reform structures (TAC, AACs, Kafaalah committees)
• Experience with and desire to work directly with children and families.
• Experience working in both county level as well as community settings, preferably in care reform.
• Ability to provide use of appropriate adult learning approaches to training, technical assistance, and mentoring to implementing partners, CCI staff, and children and families.
• Experience in conducting assessments, interviewing, and working with children and families, data collection, and related activities.