USAID
Building Capacity for African Agricultural Transformation (Africa Lead II)
Project
Scope
of Work
Title: Technical / Program
Management Specialist
Location: Nairobi, Kenya (with
in-country and periodic international travel)
Period
of Performance: September
1, 2014 – August 30, 2015 (with potential for extension-funding dependent)
Background: The USAID Building Capacity for African
Agricultural Transformation (Africa Lead II) Project is a five-year effort to
support and advance the agricultural transformation in Africa as proposed by
the African Union Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program
(CAADP),
while
simultaneously contributing to the Feed the Future goals of reduced hunger and
poverty, by building the capacity of men and women African leaders,
institutions and stakeholders to develop, lead, and manage the structures
needed for the transformation process.
This
project has three components:
- The
establishment of institutional/organizational architecture to lead African
agriculture transformation at the national and regional levels, operating
at the highest level of effectiveness;
- The
operationalization of capacity to manage policy change and alignment
process; and
- The
effective participation and leading when necessary, of Non-State Actors
(NSAs) in the CAADP process.
Responsibilities: The
Technical / Program Management Specialist will have primary responsibility of
supporting both the Institutional Development and the Country Programs.
Under
the direct supervision of the Senior Organizational Change / Institutional
Development Specialist, and guidance from the Country Program Lead, the
Technical / Program Management Specialist will perform the following key
functions
Technical
Delivery:
- Provide
technical support and quality control for all aspects of program
development for Africa Lead II mission buy-in(s).
- Support
in grant development and short-term technical assistance (STTA) activities
in full compliance with USAID and DAI regulations and policies.
- Support
the development and support of grant making activities/Scopes of Work.
- Provide
technical assistance to grantees and potential grantees as required during
the grants preparation stage and in the implementation phase, working
closely with key operations staff.
- Support
AL II capacity strengthening initiatives to manage the policy process and
thus enhance the impact of agriculture and food security investments.
- Support
AL II activities around policy reforms and alignment through Institutional
Architecture Assessments (IAA); and mutual accountability through Joint
Sector Reviews (JSR).
- Support
the facilitation of Agriculture Policy Exchange and Learning Exchanges
(APLEs) as a forum for knowledge sharing and policy planning.
Program Development and Management:
- Support
the implementation of mission buy-in activities.
- Support
the Africa Lead II technical team in developing proposals, scopes of work,
grant concepts and activities.
- Maintain
all USAID mission buy-in activity schedules and status of the strategic
Gantt chart.
- Review
and track SOWs developed by Africa Lead II staff.
- Work
with KLC team to identify and draft KM/Learning products.
Reporting:
- Provide
to Senior Organizational Change/Institutional Development Specialist and
Country Program Lead weekly short bulleted list of priorities for upcoming
week and accomplishments from previous week.
Other:
- Participate
in weekly country program meetings led by the Senior Organizational Change
/ Institutional Development Specialist and the Country Program Lead.
Performance Criteria: Africa Lead II is a performance-based
project, highly dependent on individuals and team core competencies. Each staff
member will participate in a semi-annual evaluation and receive feedback. Based
on this evaluation, decisions related to promotion or salary increase will be
made.
Supervision: The Technical/Program Management Specialist will report to the Senior Organizational Change/Institutional Development Specialist. S/he will work closely with other members of the Senior Management Team- Country Program Lead, Finance/Administration, and Logistics—to ensure smooth coordination of activities.
Qualifications, Background and Experience:
Successful
candidates will have strong interpersonal, leadership and management skills as
well as relevant experience implementing programs to increase local capacity to
improve food security.
Specific
experience and specialization in the following areas is required: agricultural
policy reform and implementation, government capacity building, food security,
public education/awareness, and/or monitoring and evaluation of food security
programs.
Education:
- An
advanced degree in Project Management or a related degree is preferable.
Work Experience:
- Minimum
3 years relevant work experience in project design, development and management
of donor-funded community development projects.
Skills:
- Strong
organizational, management and administrative skills, preferably with
respect to report writing and monitoring and evaluation.
- Demonstrated
analytical ability and understanding of local and regional political
context, with the ability to think creatively.
- Experience
in working with local organizations on project design and assessing
technical and programmatic capacities.
- Experience
and/or good understanding of donor organizations, preferably USAID.
- Computer
literate in word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software
(Microsoft).
- Fluent
English language skills required.
If you believe you qualify for this job, kindly submit your CV
and current/expected salary to hrafricalead@dai.com
Only qualified candidates will be contacted.
