Deputy Policy Advisor
(Two years contract based in Nairobi)
Introduction
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international
non-profit research organization.
IPA-Kenya (IPAK) is IPA’s oldest and largest country office and
the site of many of its most influential research projects.
IPAK is also the site of IPA’s largest scale-up
initiatives including Kenya’s National School-Based Deworming Programme and
Safe Water Programme.
The IPA-Kenya office was established in 2006 in Western Kenya
and now employs over 300 people.
About the Deworm the World Initiative
The Deworm the World Initiative (DtWI), operated in partnership
with IPA, actively supports the scale-up of the National School-Based Deworming
Programme in Kenya to improve children’s health, education, and long-term
development.
School-based deworming is proven to be an extremely effective
intervention with tangible health, education, labor productivity and earnings
benefits, and is one of the most cost-effective methods of increasing overall
school attendance and participation in endemic countries.
In Kenya, DtWI provides technical assistance to the Ministry of
Education and the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation and aims to treat 5
million children each year for 5 years.
Job Purpose
The Deputy Policy Advisor will help build and maintain political
will and support at the relevant national and county levels for school-based
deworming as an effective strategy for improving health and educational
outcomes for children.
The Deputy Policy Advisor will engage with policymakers and
technical personnel to strengthen institutionalization of the programme within
government structures, and increase capacity for long-term sustainability of
the school-based deworming programme.
The job will also support detailed and insightful policy
analysis aimed at informing and improving the programme’s ability to engage
effectively and strategically with the Kenyan policy process.
He/she will also help maintain current funding and identify
mechanisms for additional long-term programme financing by the Government of
Kenya (GoK), development partners and other major institutions.
Specific Responsibilities
Advocacy:
- Facilitate
relationships that support smooth programme implementation.
- Support
advocacy for long-term institutionalization of the programme. For long
term sustainability the programme must be imbedded in government
structures, engagement and planning for this long-term sustainability is a
key responsibility of the Deputy Policy Advisor.
- Engage
with Technical Officers of the relevant Ministries to implement decisions
made by programme management in the government.
- Represent
Deworm the World Initiative at Technical Working Group meetings.
- Support
engagement with high level policymakers including high level Ministry
personnel, School Health Inter-agency Coordinating Committee and the
School Health Technical Committee.
Programme Governance:
- Organize
and participate in meetings and conferences to ensure effective
partnership with key Ministry officials.
- Follow
up decisions of the Management Team with relevant actors.
- Support
the Steering Committee and Management Team Secretariats.
Communication and Protocol:
- Liaise
with the DtWI Programme team to ensure implementation of all governance
decisions made by the government.
- Communicate
with key government officials and partners to ensure strong understanding
of programmatic plans, constraints and logistics.
- Support
regular communication and consultations with Technical Officers at both
national and county levels.
- Support
the Programme team to convene meetings with government field officers and
technical officers.
- Gather
and ensure quick responses to any new information critical to programme
implementation.
- Timely
dispatch of communications to various stakeholders.
- Facilitate
participation of government officers in execution and observation of the
Programme.
- Draft
and follow up on communication with technical government officers.
- Follow
up on signatures and approvals for day to day Programme needs.
Qualifications
Education:
- Graduate
degree or equivalent professional qualification in a relevant subject,
preferably public health or education.
Experience:
- Substantial
experience working in a management or representational role in Kenya.
- Substantial
experience in policy influencing and/or advocacy.
- Experience
in conducting policy analysis and review.
- Representational
experience at the domestic policy level.
- Strategic
and operational planning and partnership management.
- Exposure
to project and programme management with financial and budget management
experience.
Knowledge and Skills:
- Knowledge
of GoK operations and decision-making processes at the national and county
levels.
- Knowledge
of the Ministries of Education and Public Health and Sanitation will be an
added advantage.
- Strong
communication, persuasion and diplomatic skills.
- Outstanding
written and oral communication/presentation skills in English and
Kiswahili.
- Strong
interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Strong
organizational skills.
- Thorough
knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
- Intellectual
flexibility and willingness to form and adjust opinions based on evidence.
- Experience
developing project/programme proposals for fundraising.
- Ability
to work effectively as a member of a multicultural team of IPA and non-IPA
personnel.
- Strong
critical thinking and judgment.
- Experience
in project and programme management; proposal writing for resource
mobilization and fundraising, financial planning and management including
budgets, and monitoring and evaluation.
How to Apply
If interested, send an application by e-mail to the address
below indicating on the subject line “Deputy Policy Advisor-DtWI
2013.01”.
The application should be accompanied with the following:
- Cover
letter explaining your interest in the position and why you qualify for
the job.
- CV/Resume,
including three references, daytime phone number(s), and email address.
Your CV/Resume should include your scores or grades and other measures of
academic achievement, and details about any relevant work experience.
- Current
and expected monthly remunerations (monthly gross salary and cash
benefits).
(Please do not attach certificates and testimonials at this
point).
Executive Selection, Strategic Dimensions Limited
Management and Development Consultants
E-mail: recruitment@strategicdimensions.co.ke with a copy to
priscillaoyamo@strategicdimensions.co.ke
Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will
be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position may be filled prior to the
application deadline.
The application deadline is Friday May 5, 2013.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted
