Project Manager, Early Childhood Development (ECD) at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Employer: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Position: Project Manager, Early Childhood Development (ECD)
Department: Programming
Duty Station: Mbeya, Tanzania
Reports To: Director of Programming, TaMoLe + Malawi
Supervisory Responsibility: Yes
Job Type: Full-time
Posted: 1 September 2026
Application Deadline: 15 September 2026

Job Summary

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is seeking a Project Manager, Early Childhood Development (ECD) to manage, coordinate, and monitor project activities and relationships with partners and stakeholders.

The successful candidate will contribute to achieving ECD project objectives, ensuring high-quality programming, effective project management, strong partnerships, and continuous improvement of project impact.

Key Responsibilities

The Project Manager will:

• Lead technical, budget management, monitoring, and reporting activities throughout the project cycle, including start-up, implementation, and close-out.
• Ensure project activities comply with CRS programme quality standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Supervise and manage project staff, including team dynamics and staff well-being.
• Coach staff, develop individual development plans, support recruitment, and conduct performance management.
• Ensure learning is integrated throughout the project cycle.
• Coordinate project evaluation activities in accordance with the MEAL Policy.
• Identify implementation challenges and recommend adjustments to project plans and schedules.
• Develop and strengthen partnerships relevant to Early Childhood Development.
• Represent CRS on ECD matters with donors, INGOs, UN agencies, local partners, government authorities, and community stakeholders.
• Determine the financial, material, and human resources required for effective project implementation.
• Conduct periodic budget reviews and follow up with partners on financial reporting and resource utilization.
• Identify staff and partner capacity-building needs.
• Contribute to capacity-strengthening initiatives and technical assistance.
• Assist with trend analysis and dissemination of findings.
• Review and maintain project documentation in accordance with CRS and donor requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• 5–8 years of project management experience, ideally within an NGO and in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in International Relations, Early Childhood Development, or a related field is an advantage.
• Grant management experience, particularly with United States Government or other public donors, is an advantage.
• Experience contributing to the development of technical proposals is an advantage.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Candidates should have:

• Staff supervision experience.
• Experience working with stakeholders at different levels.
• Experience strengthening community partnerships.
• Data analysis and evaluation reporting experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong critical-thinking and creative problem-solving skills.
• Sound judgment and decision-making abilities.
• Strong relationship-management and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong representation and communication abilities.
• Ability to prepare written reports.
• A proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented approach.
• Excellent attention to detail, accuracy, and timeliness.

Required Languages

• Fluent English
• Fluent Kiswahili

Travel Requirements

The successful candidate must be willing and able to travel up to 30% of the time.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should:

1. Prepare an application letter and CV.
2. Combine the application letter and CV into one PDF or Word document.
3. Clearly demonstrate relevant experience and suitability for the position.
4. Send the application via email to:

TZ_HR@crs.org

5. Use the job title as the email subject, for example:
   Project Manager, Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Application Deadline: 15 September 2026

Equal Opportunity

CRS is an equal opportunity employer. Female candidates, persons with disabilities, and individuals from recognized marginalized backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

CRS Tanzania uses a competency-based selection process, which allows candidates’ competencies and existing expertise to be considered alongside formal qualifications and experience.