Job
Title: Kenya Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs)
Resilience Programme (ARP) Livelihoods Project Officer
Job
Grade & Salary Scale: D
Reporting
to: Senior
Programme Officer, ARP
Location:
Nairobi,
with frequent travel within the ASAL regions of Kenya
Description
of Position:
To
be an active member of the Kenya ASALs Resilience Programme (ARP) team
contributing to the delivery of its integrated livelihoods/DRR/humanitarian
programme.
In
particular, to provide dedicated support to a new project funded by DFID,
especially in the preparation of quarterly donor reports.
The
project will be implemented with the Diocese of Lodwar, Turkana, and carried
out in collaboration with government offices, such as the NDMA, as well as
other implementing agents.
Background
to the Role:
In
recognition of the chronic and cyclical nature of drought in Kenya’s ASAL
regions, Trócaire has modified its programmatic approach and developed an
integrated ASALs resilience programme.
Within
the ARP humanitarian responses are situated within a broader and longer term
DRR and sustainable livelihoods context.
In
addition, components from other programme areas, such as Governance and Human
Rights, are incorporated to address underlying mechanisms that currently
undermine coping strategies.
The
programme has a team of 3 led by a Senior Programme Officer (SPO).
Contract
Duration: 3
years
Duties
& Responsibilities
Projects
- Within the context
of the ARP, support the implementation of the ARP-Loima project in
Turkana.
- design and
oversee a project-specific monitoring and evaluation plan.
- compile all
donor and internal reports (narrative and financial) for the project, with
input from the partner and under the guidance of the SPO.
- in conjunction
with partners, ensure that agreed reporting schedules (financial and
narrative) are met, all reports respond to the relevant project indicators
and that they are in line with institutional funding requirements and
organisational policy.
- liaise with
members of the finance team to ensure that all financial reports are
reviewed and signed off in a timely manner.
- provide ongoing
and comprehensive technical support to the DoL in the implementation of
the project
- carry out
regular field trips to the partner, the Diocese of Lodwar (DoL), its
communities and other implementing agents to provide ongoing oversight of
the project’s progress against the agreed workplan, budget and other
programming commitments.
- facilitate
capacity building for the partner including on the job training,
workshops, exchange visits and formal training courses in project,
technical and organizational issues
- propose and
support constructive solutions to emerging issues and unexpected events in
the light of field visits and ongoing communication with the partner.
- ensure that
partners have appropriate monitoring and documentation systems in place to
gather the information needed in a timely fashion.
- carry out
administrative procedures (through the Document Library and Agresso
systems) in relation to the project and in conjunction with the Programme
Administrator.
- ensure that
learning from all forms of review and evaluation is applied to the project
and amendments are implemented as agreed.
- work with
partners to gather lessons learnt, best practice and stories of change
across the project
- identify and
document lessons learnt; collecting information for case studies from the
field
- facilitate
learning amongst partners and ensure that this is captured and shared,
including with colleagues in Trócaire.
- support the SPO
(and, whenever necessary, regional and Head Office staff) in monitoring
food security, livelihoods trends and humanitarian needs that may
undermine food security and livelihoods in the fragile Kenya ASAL
Ecosystems.
- and with the
rest of the team ensure case studies are documented and shared and
materials for the web are regularly produced.
- other project
related work may be assigned by the SPO according to programme needs.
Organisational
Policies:
- ensure that all
relationships with partners are in keeping with the principles and values
set out in the organisational Partnership Policy.
- using the
Partner Capacity Building Framework, develop partner capacity building
plans to strengthen and support partners in areas where they are weak, and
together establish clear targets and indicators and review on a regular
basis.
- work with the
SPO and members of the finance team to ensure that all existing partners
have completed the Partner Governance and Finance Capacity Assessment and
that it is undertaken with new partners prior to making any commitments.
- promote
accountability of partners to target communities
- promote and
strengthen partnership with government particularly in building capacity
of duty bearers in target communities.
Networking
and communications:
Under
the direction of the SPO and as a team member:
- represent
Trócaire in relevant assessments, forums and networks.
- maintain
relationships with donor agencies, church partners and other groups
working on the ARP.
- liaise with
local government officials and ensure that partners keep local authorities
informed of Trócaire supported programmes.
- accompany
visitors (Trócaire or external) to programme sites and carry out
promotional or media work as directed from time to time.
- contribute to
the development of a quarterly newsletter for the ARP programme
- provide material
for Trócaire’s Communications, Campaigns, Fundraising and Education units
as required.
- coordinate with
the SPO to ensure effective communication with the organisational
programme team in Maynooth.
- under the
guidance of the SPO participate in relevant thematic working groups,
networks and learning forums, nationally and possibly internationally in
order to improve programme and advocacy learning, sharing and impact.
Programme
Evaluation and Development:
At
the request of the SPO contribute to the:
- ongoing analysis
of the sustainable livelihoods sector in Kenya and global developments
within the field.
- completion of
the Annual Programme Review process, incorporating clear evidence of
progress and challenges and adhering to internal and external reporting
requirements.
- completion of
mid-term and end-of-project/programme evaluations, annual development of
the ARP programme and design of any new programmes.
- ensure that the
learning from the evaluation process is explicitly incorporated into
future project implementation.
- adopt evaluation
methodologies that maximise opportunities for learning for Trócaire and
the Partners.
Institutional
Funding:
- support the SPO
and Regional Institutional Funding Officer (RIFO) in identifying new
institutional funding sources for the programme.
- support the SPO
to ensure that all institutional funding for the programme is managed in
line with donor requirements and that reports are compliant with donor
needs, including Irish Aid (IA) and Trócaire’s internal needs.
- ensure that
partners are aware of the grant management and reporting requirements of
back donors and where necessary provide training and support to partners
in order to meet these demands.
Additional
details of exceptional aspects of the job
- keep abreast of
developments in the development sector as a whole and within livelihoods/
humanitarian/ DRR sector in particular.
- undertake other
agreed tasks related to Trócaire sustainable livelihoods and humanitarian
programming and projects as needed such as assistance with preparation of
proposals, reports, project summaries, monitoring visits etc. at the
request of the SPO.
Qualifications,
Attributes and Other requirements specific to the role
Technical
Skills and Experience
- graduate
education and/or professional qualification in an appropriate technical
subject or subject relevant to development/livelihoods work and Project
Management
- minimum 3 years
work experience in the field of implementing development projects
(experience of work in a livelihoods context will be an advantage)
- excellent
written and oral skills in English (essential)
- proven ability
to maintain relevant, accurate and comprehensive records in the context of
work planning, coordination and reporting (essential)
Experience
of:
- regular donor
reporting, preferably for DFID or EC
- coordinating or
managing development programmes through local partners.
- carrying out
community-based needs assessment
- programme
planning, preferably through programme cycle management, and monitoring
and evaluation
- proven
experience in capacity building processes and techniques, and the
provision of technical advice through on the job training.
- financial
management within a development programming context
- implementing
social welfare (food-for-work, cash vouchers etc) programmes
- working with
international donors, especially DFID or EC
- working in
support of national NGOs and partners in developing countries.
Personal
skills
- action oriented
person with initiative and self-motivation
- excellent
all-round communication skills, both facilitating and presenting but also
producing written work of a high quality in English
- ability to
organize his/her work independently, ability to prioritize, meet deadlines
and multitask.
- good
inter-personal skills with the ability to communicate sensitively to a
broad range of people and organisations within a cross cultural context.
- ability to work
effectively within a team and in support of colleagues, and to provide
leadership and direction for the small team, retaining courtesy in
stressful environments.
- proven
organisation and administration skills, including familiarity with
standard IT packages and their applications and specifically Word and Excel.
- commitment to a
partnership approach.
- willingness to
work out-of-office/weekend when necessary, in response to work demands
How
to apply:
If you meet the above selection criteria, please send your curriculum vitae and a covering letter on ms word only to hr@trocaire.or.ke and state the reference number on the subject line.
Closing date: 14 Jun 2013
If you meet the above selection criteria, please send your curriculum vitae and a covering letter on ms word only to hr@trocaire.or.ke and state the reference number on the subject line.
Closing date: 14 Jun 2013
