KE-Senior Travel Projections Specialist (National)

Job Description

About Church World Service

Church World Service (CWS) is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable solutions to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. CWS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability or veteran status in employment or in the provision of services.

Job Summary

This position is responsible for developing annual and quarterly travel projections and other reports per PRM ad-hoc request, monitoring processing trends and working closely with all relevant RSC Africa stakeholders in relation to travel projections and effective pre-CIS pipeline management. This position will continuously assess requirements as per the pre-CIS pipeline and work to align those requirements with changing demands, as outlined by various stakeholders. They will advise teams internally on how projections stack up against the pipeline reality and propose solutions to ensure alignment wherever possible. This position will coordinate closely with the Senior Departure Projections Specialist to ensure holistic pipeline management from submission through to departure. This is a non-supervisory position. 

Key Relationships

Internal to CWS 

• Deputy Director 
• Senior Pipeline and Case Quality Manager 
• Senior Programs Managers 
• Senior Circuit Rides and Travel Managers 
• Senior Case Quality Specialist 
• Data Integrity Supervisor 

External 

• Refugee Coordinator  
• UNHCR 
• IOM 
• RPC 
• Other NGOs (HIAS and Refuge Point) 

Working Environment  

• Office Environment. 
• Periodic travel to the field as may be required 

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Leadership and Management (15%) 
  • Provide input in strategic planning conversations to achieve RSC Program goals.  
  • Champions CWS policy, procedures, and organizational culture to staff, and contribute to strategies for ensuring staff fully understand and abide by CWS policies.  
  • Provide input on quarterly and/or annual departmental staff and work projections, which contribute to Programs annual budget.  
  • Provide input and apply cost saving measures to ensure program sustainability.  
  • Ensure a safe, healthy and professional work environment.  
  • Promote safe space, open-door and escalation policies.   
  • Establish and communicate clear expectations to staff where appropriate to foster a predictable and consistent work environment.   
• Program Administration (15%) 
  • Evaluates staffing needs as per projections and work plans and advises teams on how to increase alignment with requirements by proposing changes or solutions, as applicable.  
  • Track progress towards achievement of established projections, working with Senior Management to align more closely with established annual goals and objectives.   
  • Proposes how staff and resources can be deployed to ensure timely and efficient work output, in coordination with Programs Management.   
  • Provide input into the effective planning of circuit rides through coordination with other units within assigned teams and advising teams and management on performance against projections and by proposing solutions where there is deviation. 
• Representation (10%) 
  • Under the direction of the Senior Pipeline and Case Quality Manager 
  • communicate with partners on projections and pipeline details, to support effective shared planning, collaboration, and implementation. Represent RSC Africa in planning discussions, ensuring professional engagements and accurate, effectively represented data. 
  • Maintain effective relationships with RSC Africa/USRAP partners, including PRM, USCIS, IOM, UNHCR, RPC and domestic Resettlement Agencies.  
  • Ensure partner communication is professional, timely and proactive.  
  • Occasionally may travel to field sites to meet with/accompany PRM/USRAP partners and represent CWS/RSC Africa on processing or other programmatic matters.  
  • Acts professionally when representing CWS/RSC Africa to refugees, partners, the funder and colleagues. 
• Compliance (15%) 
  • Report any identified areas of significant compliance risk for the RSC Africa program. 
  • Ensure all functions within the team strictly adhere to DOS/BPRM, USCIS, RPC, CWS and RSC Africa policies, guidelines and procedures.  
  • Provide input on effects of external policy updates on the department’s internal SOPs and workflow and implement changes due to these updates.  
  • Ensure timely and accurate reporting of suspected fraud, malfeasance, and data breaches.  
  • Support regular process reviews for assigned tasks to compare requirements vs. current processing and outputs, and implement changes based on their outcome to ensure alignment. 
  • Identifies knowledge or processing gaps and recommends training based on pipeline review.   
• Data Management and Analysis (40%) 
  • Ensure RSC processing activities and deployments are planned, revised and updated as needed until confirmed, and staff are prepared while ensuring all functions are completed in the most operationally responsible manner.  
  • Closely monitor the movement of cases through the USRAP pipeline, ensuring cases are being processed and presented according to USRAP priorities and that those priorities are reflected in processing projections and pipeline analysis.    
  • Advises on annual plan and strategic planning goals as communicated by Management, with a view of ensuring alignment between strategic plans and the reality of the pipeline in travel projections. 
  • Prepares travel projections to guide Circuit Ride planning internally and coordination with partners externally, in coordination with the Senior Pipeline and Case Quality Manager 
  • Works with Data Integrity and IT to enhance the projections process making full use of modern applications to make the process efficient, accurate, and timely, while maintaining thorough knowledge of tableau. 
  • Prepares ad hoc PRM report requests within stipulated timelines. 
  • Identifies gaps and develops quality control reports that ensures holistic pipeline management for the RSC pipeline in coordination with Senior Case Quality Specialist, Program Supervisors, Program Managers and Data Integrity. 
  • Drives impactful and effective pipeline management through proactive and clear communication on identified issues, with a particular focus on the pre-CIS pipeline. 
  • Monitors processing timelines and clearance turnaround averages using appropriate tools and techniques, and in coordination with the Pipeline and Case Quality team. 
  • Leads regular meetings with program managers to discuss and analyze drop-off rates and processing trends. 
• Additional roles and responsibilities (5%) 
  • US passport holders may be required to facilitate DNA collection.  
  • Any other duties as assigned.

Educational Qualifications, Skills, & Experience Required

• Experience:  
  • A minimum of Six (6) years of paid work experience is required.  
  • A minimum of One (1) year supervisory experience preferred.  
  • Experience leading teams is preferred.  
  • Previous experience with USRAP preferred. 
• Skills:  
  • Strong analytical skills and excellent report-generation skills with the ability to understand, process and document information for a variety of audiences.  
  • Strong supervisory skills and understanding of performance management systems.  
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills.  
  • Advanced computer knowledge, specifically with MS Access, MS Outlook, MS Excel and other statistical analysis programs.  
  • Strong English communication skills, both oral and written. 
  • Education & Certifications:  
  • Bachelor’s Degree in a related field required, or four (4) years of paid work experience in lieu of a Bachelor’s Degree required.   
• Abilities:  
  • Ability to adapt to urgent priority changes including and not limited to primary assigned tasks changing in short notice. 
  • Ability to perform a full range of processing responsibilities, including but not limited to case processing, field processing, and facilitating cultural orientation sessions. 
  • Staff will be expected to Supervise staff to ensure policies and procedures are implemented and executed in accordance with guidelines and standard operating procedures. 
  • Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail, completing tasks within set timeframes. 
  • Exercise good judgement and seek guidance as appropriate when confronted with unanticipated problems. 
  • Deal effectively and courteously with a large number of associates, outside agencies, refugees and members of the general public. 
  • Manage large and diverse workload under pressure with competing priorities 
  • Maintain the integrity of official records. 
  • Analyze and solve complex problems and make sound decisions. 
  • Work with minimal supervision. 
  • Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail; 
  • Work independently and contribute to overall operations of RSC Africa. 
  • Actively participate in the implementation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) 
• Important Requirements: 
  • Strong English communication skills, both written and oral. 
  • Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment required. 
  • Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and willingness to support CWS’ Platform on Racial Justice as a CWS employee required. 
• Special Requirements
  • The candidate should be in good health, willing and able to travel extensively in often difficult conditions, and have a high degree of flexibility. Must have proof of Yellow Fever vaccination before traveling for 
  • RSC Africa. 
  • This position is based in Nairobi in Kenya. 
  • This position requires use of laptops at all time, competence in Microsoft office packages is required. 
  • This position may require travel in sub-Saharan Africa on short notice and under sometimes difficult conditions to meet demands of a dynamic operational program. 
  • Background check which includes references, and an educational and criminal check is required before the start of employment. 
  • A valid passport and the ability to maintain a valid passport throughout the entire appointment is required, 
  • which includes having enough passport pages for travel. 
  • Environmental: Incumbents in this position will be exposed to excessive noise, marked changes in 
  • temperature and/or humidity, dust and infectious diseases, harsh weather climates, long work hours, 
  • bumpy roads, extended travel, excessive sun exposure, and non-ventilated spaces. 
  • The US Embassy rates Kenya as both HIGH in crime and HIGH in terrorism.  Incumbents should fully understand the insecurities present within Kenya and the region.    
  • This position is Full time  
  • All employees should be prepared to work from the CWS office within their location of hire. Remote work arrangements may vary depending on location and the governing regulations based on prevailing context.