The
Virtual Livelihood School of Africa (VLSA) is a partnership initiative of
Livelihood and Market Development Stakeholders in East and South Africa with
financial support from the Ford foundation.
It is being piloted in four countries – Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa. The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) on behalf of partners is recruiting a Livelihoods Promotion Manager (Anchor) to spearhead the development of the school.
Background information
The Virtual Livelihoods School of Africa initiative is a four-country
co-operative effort to create a learning facility that will generate knowledge
resources and learning tools towards measurable achievement of sustainable
livelihoods and poverty reduction. The four pilot countries are Kenya, Uganda,
South Africa, and Mozambique.It is being piloted in four countries – Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa. The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) on behalf of partners is recruiting a Livelihoods Promotion Manager (Anchor) to spearhead the development of the school.
Background information
Following a scoping study by faculty of the Livelihoods School in India in April 2011, initial stakeholders from all four countries agreed to work towards country level facilities which would converge through a virtual regional livelihoods school. Stakeholders agreed to work through country-level and regional task teams.
Each country team is required to expand the working/learning group of stakeholders that will devise plans to secure initial funding and conduct initial activities towards establishing the school.
This would include contracting an anchor, identifying organizations to incubate the school in the early years, building relationships for collaboration and exchange, establishing country local Advisory board and generating strategies to establish the school at country level.
Organization
The Virtual Livelihood School of Africa Kenya Chapter (VLSA – Kenya) Company Profile VLSA - Kenya is a partnership initiative of Livelihood and Market Development Stakeholders in East and South Africa.
It is being piloted in four countries – Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Mozambique. In Kenya the partners are KREP Development Agency, IIRR Kenya, Practical Action, Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock and Labor, Cooperative College, KARI, SNV and CASCADE International.
VLSA-Kenya will provide training and technical support services in livelihood promotion, market development, rural development, Micro Finace Development and social sectors to existing and aspiring development practitioners.
Job description
- Spearhead
the development of the virtual livelihood school-Kenya under the guidance
and supervision of the local advisory board (LAB) and the IIRR management
team – IIRR is the “Nester” organization
- Develop
strong partnership and collaboration mechanisms amongst partners that will
develop the Virtual livelihood school as a reference hub on livelihoods
and Market Development
- Organize
and coordinate meetings of the Country working group
- Develop
proposals and coordinate with LAB and IIRR to raise resources from
funding/donor agencies for capacity building funds in livelihood promotion
and market development initiatives
- Coordinate
livelihood related research initiatives by the school, support
documentation, publication and dissemination
- To
spearhead development/updating of joint training manuals and other
relevant documents and coordinate implementation
- Responsible
for organizing training programs - liaison with resource persons and other
service providers, agents, staff at training venues, identification and
registration of candidates, obtaining any fees, budgets for the course,
payments to faculty and service providers, accounting, conducting
examinations, linkages with NGOs, corporate and others.
- Design
a sustainable model for the systematic collection, storage and retrieval
of existing and new information for easy access and use by practitioners,
students and researchers
- Develop
necessary financial & market linkages for the promotion of selected
approaches
- Provide
technical support to the LAB, working groups and monitor implementation
progress.
- Participate
in cross-country and regional learning platforms to contribute to south – south
learning12. Development and management of a team to support the VLSA-Kenya
Secretariat
Profile of desired candidate:
Professional and Education: Master’s Degree in social sciences, agriculture economics or business.
Work experience: 7 years working experience in Government, NGO, learning institution or private sector implementation livelihood promotion/ enhancement projects including facilitation, fund raising and management.
Summary of Key competencies:
Professional and Education: Master’s Degree in social sciences, agriculture economics or business.
Work experience: 7 years working experience in Government, NGO, learning institution or private sector implementation livelihood promotion/ enhancement projects including facilitation, fund raising and management.
Summary of Key competencies:
- A
mature person able to coordinate the different agencies and deal with the
conflicting interest of the partner agencies
- Experience
or a fair sense of the functioning of the government system
- Ability
to remain transparent and participative – not judgmental: able to take
views rather than imposing personal views to facilitate ownership by
partners
- Good
understanding of the state of affairs and Livelihood Scenario in Kenya and
in East Africa. Exposure to the experiences that has been successful
elsewhere would be important
- Excellent
communication, presentation and documentation skills in English and
Swahili
- Concern
for poor and Gender equality
- Good
understanding of policy and policy processes to advice government
departments or work with agencies to influence the state
- Good
financial literacy: able to prepare budgets and interpret financial
reports
- Experienced
in adult learning processes
- Able
to develop educational curriculum and facilitate partners to appreciate
the need for participatory training techniques
- A
commitment to promote human and social development
- Good
interpersonal skills and ability to develop public relations and
networking
- Be
proficient in computing skills
The selected candidate will be recruited by VLSA Board and IIRR on contract basis and his/her services will be carried out in its nester organization – IIRR Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya.
If you are interested in the position, send us your application and resume (Ref VLSA-Kenya as the subject line) stating your current remuneration package by 31st January 2012 to:
Regional Human Resources Manager,
International Institute of Rural Reconstruction,
Africa Regional Center, P. O. Box 66873-00800, Nairobi,
Email: recruitment@iirr.org
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