Humanitarian Operations Technical Advisor I, RAPID CWARO – Remote at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)


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.
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 people based on need, regardless of creed, ethnicity, or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of partner organizations is fundamental to the work of CRS. CRS re-established its presence in Nigeria in 2000 and currently focuses on health, vulnerable children, agriculture, extractives and governance, and peace-building programming.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Humanitarian Operations Technical Advisor I, RAPID CWARO
Position duration: Tentative July 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027)
Location: Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Cameroon, Benin, Togo – Remote
Project Overview
- Catholic Relief Services is implementing a global emergency response initiative designed to deliver timely, life‑saving humanitarian assistance in rapidly evolving crises worldwide. Over 18 months, the program enables fast, flexible action to address urgent needs arising from sudden shocks and protracted emergencies.
- It supports critical humanitarian sectors through context‑appropriate assistance while emphasizing operational readiness, locally led implementation, accountability to affected communities, and safe, dignified programming.
- Emergency Operations Technical Advisors will support Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Cameroon, Benin, and Togo, providing readiness and response support based on evolving needs, with the composition of countries adapted according to context and operational priorities.
- The initiative strengthens the organization’s ability to respond at speed and scale in complex and resource‑constrained environments, ensuring help reaches people most in need when it matters most.
Job Summary
- The RAPID Humanitarian Operations Technical Advisor I provides deployable, technical and operational support to CRS humanitarian emergency responses under the guidance of HRD staff.
- The role contributes to CRS’ capacity, supporting target countries across a specified focus region, of emergency operations across core humanitarian functions, with primary emphasis on supply chain management—particularly procurement and logistics—and emergency suboffice setup.
- The Humanitarian Operations Technical Advisor I works closely with colleagues and other technical departments to support the establishment and strengthening operational functions, including human resources, finance, security, ICT, administration, and fleet management.
- S/he supports the application of CRS operational standards and donor requirements, contributes to operational learning and guidance implementation, and assists with capacity strengthening efforts for CRS country programs and partners to promote efficient, compliant, and effective humanitarian response operations.
Roles & Responsibilities
General
- Provide rapid deployment, in-country operational surge support during humanitarian emergencies, applying operational experience to support procurement, logistics, supply chain processes, and emergency suboffice setup.
- Support emergency operations planning, implementation, and close out through remote and onsite technical assistance, aligned with CRS standards, donor requirements, and good humanitarian practice.
- Assist with the setup and functioning of relief delivery systems, tools, and operational processes in active emergency contexts.
- Provide operational support across HR, finance, security, GKIM, administration, and fleet management, in coordination with relevant CRS technical and departmental leads.
Capacity Strengthening and Accompaniment
- Provide on the job support and basic technical accompaniment to CRS staff and local partners during emergency responses.
- Support delivery of operations focused trainings, briefings, and orientations for emergency staff and partners.
- Contribute to collaboration with local organizations and national and international CRS teams to strengthen operational capacity for emergency response.
Technical Standards, Learning, and Compliance
- Support the application of humanitarian operations standards, tools, and guidance for field operations and emergency supply chains.
- Contribute to updates and dissemination of tools and resources related to the Emergency Field Operations Manual (EFOM).
- Support operational learning by helping document lessons learned, challenges, and good practices from emergency deployments.
- Assist with emergency budgeting, basic cost tracking and support compliance with public donor regulations and operational requirements.
- Management of supply chain and accounting systems in new or rapidly evolving emergency responses.
- Promote awareness of staff care, safety, and security practices in emergency environments.
Coordination and Representation Support
- Support CRS participation in humanitarian coordination, cluster, and operations forums, as requested and under guidance.
Basic Qualifications
- Graduate degree in international development or related field (or equivalent experience).
- Minimum of 5 years of experience supporting or managing humanitarian operations in the field.
- Demonstrated field management experience with an INGO.
- Experience integrating cross‑cutting themes (protection, gender, capacity strengthening, governance).
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience setting up and managing humanitarian supply chains
- Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Knowledge of CRS partnership strategy is a plus.
- Familiarity with ICT/GIS an asset.
- Familiarity with CRS programming principles preferred.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Knowledge of emergency coordination mechanisms.
- Working knowledge of humanitarian supply chain operations, including procurement, logistics, warehousing, and basic commodity tracking in emergency contexts.
- Basic understanding of emergency field operations setup, including sub-office establishment, relief delivery processes, and operational coordination.
- Familiarity with donor regulations and compliance requirements relevant to humanitarian operations.
- Awareness of CRS operational standards, tools, and policies, including emergency operations guidance
- Strong familiarity with SPHERE, Core Humanitarian Standards
- Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions independently.
- Extremely flexible and can cope with stressful situations in emergency environments.
- Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in strategic planning initiatives
- Ability to work both as a motivating member and a leader of a diverse team
- Strong knowledge of effective management practices desired
- Strong MS Office skills
Required Languages: Proficiency (verbal and written) in English with French preferred as a secondary language.
Travel: Must be able and willing to travel at least 50% of time often at very short notice (within 48 hours) and for an average of four-six weeks (with a maximum of two consecutive months under exceptional circumstances). Should have the capacity to live and work in difficult/stressful environments and serve wherever agency needs dictate.
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.
- Salary and 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.
Application Deadline: 8, July 2026
METHOD OF APPLICATION
Interested and Qualified to Apply should use link below to Apply.
Note: this is the general coverage area of this role; this position is a Remote based position, and we will consider only qualified applicants located in these countries. Relocation is not available






