Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Junior Professionals Program 2021 for West African Women

Application Deadline:March 31, 2021.

The Junior Professionals Program is an opportunity for qualified, professional women in West Africa to transform their passion for international relief and development work into a career with Catholic Relief Services. Over a 12-month period, each Junior Professional will build core skills while working alongside experienced staff and supporting critical programs. Junior Professionals will benefit from strong mentoring and regional networking as they prepare for positions of greater responsibility with CRS.

LEARNING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Practical training: Through hands-on experience and extensive training, Junior Professionals will grow and develop their skills in project design; program management; monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning; partnership building; and operations.
• Mentorship: Each Junior Professional will be paired with a mentor who will be actively involved in providing guidance, feedback and career coaching.
• Customized professional experience: In addition to the core training, Junior Professionals will build their skills in a specific area related to their professional development goals, and strategically position themselves for onward positions with CRS. 
• Regional networking: All Junior Professionals will be part of the regional community of practice that will share successes, challenges, and lessons learned from their work.

MEANINGFUL WORK

Working together, CRS and the Junior Professionals will make great strides to end poverty and promote peace and self-reliance in West Africa. Junior Professionals will contribute to strategic and sustainable development projects in sectors like health, agriculture, education, emergency response, and peacebuilding.

Junior Professionals will help strengthen local governments’ and organizations’ ability to address the challenges in their communities and countries while advancing their learning objectives. This includes:

• Participating in project design
• Supporting real-time project assessments and data collection
• Developing and implementing monitoring and accountability frameworks
• Writing reports and proposals
• Organizing learning events
• Supporting operations (Human Resources, Finance, Supply Chain)

Required Qualifications:

• Graduate degree in related field (e.g. Economic Development, Agriculture, Health, Business, Administration, Finance, Human Resources, Supply Chain)
• Graduated within 18 months of October 2021
• Six months of relevant work experience (e.g. internship, practicum, volunteer or paid work)
• Excellent speaking and writing skills in the official business language of the country (French or English)
• Citizen of a participating country (see above)
• Excels in collaborative multicultural environment
• Willingness to travel (up to 10-15% of the time)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong analytical, problem-solving and research skills
• Agile, proactive, resourceful, and results-oriented
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application will be open from January 4- March 31, 2021. Prior to applying, please review the eligibility requirements and FAQs for important guidance on the cover letter and online application.

Prepare a cover letter

Prepare your resume or CV

Complete the online application

APPLY NOW

Follow the link below to access the online application for your country.

• Burkina Faso
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Liberia
• Mali
• Niger
• Sierra Leone
• Senegal
• The Gambia

SELECTION PROCESS & TIMING

Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2021. Strong candidates will be invited to an in-person interview in June. CRS will extend offers to the finalists in July 2021, after conducting background and reference checks.

The 2021 Junior Professionals Program will begin in October.

Due to the high volume of applications and rolling basis of the review, candidates will only be contacted if and when they advance to the next stage of the selection process.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Junior Professionals Program 2021