FAO National Field Monitoring Officers Vacancies in Kenya

Vacancy Announcement no. 001/2012

National Field Monitoring Officers

6 positions

Issue date: January 4, 2011

Closing Date: January 13, 2011

Contract type: National Project Personnel (NPP)

Duration: Initially for 1year with a possibility of extension subject to availability of funding

Duty Stations: Garissa, Lodwar, Marsabit respectively with frequent travel to Nairobi and other FAO Project areas

Starting date: As soon as possible

Background

The Office of the FAO Representative in Kenya seeks to recruit National Field Monitoring Officers for its field offices to be opened in Garissa, Marsabit and Turkana Counties respectively.

Two (2) National Field Monitoring Officers shall be recruited for each field office, and will be based in the respective office locations.

The position is open to qualified Kenyan citizens.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the general supervision of the FAO Representative in Kenya and under the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator and in full collaboration with the National Crops Officer and all relevant partners, the National Field Monitoring Officer will fulfil the following key responsibilities:

• In liaison with the relevant government departments and in close collaboration with the FAO Representative and the Programme Coordinator (Livestock and Pastoralism) set up FAO Field Offices in Garissa, Lodwar and Marsabit respectively in order to better serve the relevant counties.
• Undertake field monitoring activities and support implementation of all projects active in Garissa, Turkana and Marsabit Counties respectively including preparation of Terms of Agreement for contracts, monitoring progress against indicators, monitoring expenditure against allotted budget, preparation and submission of timely reports as well as conducting and evaluation activities, impact assessments of projects and capacity assessments of Implementing Partners.

Reporting

The National Field Monitoring Officer will report directly to the Programme Coordinator and will submit monthly financial returns to the National Administrative Officer.

Key activities:

• Supervise the implementation of field activities by the different partners for all FAO projects implemented in the region
• Provide technical advice and support to the implementing partners in close collaboration with the Department of Veterinary Services, Department of Livestock Production, Agriculture and Irrigation
• Liaise with the FAO Kenya crops and livestock teams in the management of the area specific components of relevant projects.
• In collaboration with the National Administrative Officer, assist and provide technical advice for the procurement of all required materials for the projects;
• Liaise between the implementing partners, the relevant Livestock and Agriculture Departments and district steering groups to ensure harmonisation of activities;
• Report on the progress of the projects at regular intervals and identify weaknesses that can be addressed;
• Monitor the implementation of the projects in collaboration with the implementing partners;
• Monitor project expenditure against allotted budget
• Assist in internal evaluations of activities carried out under the respective projects;
• Contribute to the draft of the mid-term and final reports on the process, including any lessons learned and recommendations for future activities;
• Assist in the preparation of emergency and development related livestock and agriculture project proposals
• Assist in provision of partner project activities spatial data and sharing of documents and best practices using the Disaster Risk reduction website
• Carry out capacity assessments for potential and current Implementing Partners including assessment of areas of improvement in their delivery capacity and financial reporting.
• Support county level coordination and attend county/district level Steering Group (DSGs) meetings
• Take full responsibility for management of the respective field office including supervision of support staff based, ensuring office equipment and project vehicle are well maintained.
• Perform other related duties and activities upon instructions received from the Programme Coordinator or the FAO Representative.

Expected Outputs:

• FAO Offices in the respective Counties established
• Well executed and reported projects
• Monitoring and evaluation reports

Qualification and experience:

• A relevant Masters degree in International Development, Livestock, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment or related field of study or a Bachelor’s degree in related field with higher work experience
• At least 7 years of experience managing field offices and working in Livestock / Agricultural systems
• Excellent understanding of pastoralist livelihood systems / dry land agriculture systems;
• Experience in coordinating a complex project with many stakeholders;
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, and the ability to bring diverse stakeholders together over a common goal;
• Proven report writing ability, and
• Excellent written and spoken English and Kiswahili
• Previous experience with FAO/UN projects implementation is an added advantage
• Computer literacy is essential

NB: Remuneration will be based on the UNDP salary scale Service Band 4. This is dependent on level of experience.

FAO is an equal opportunity employer; qualified women are encouraged to apply.

Acknowledgements will only be sent to applicants in whom FAO has a further interest.

Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications may apply through email address provided below, including a CV not exceeding 4 pages (A4) clearly marked “National Field Monitoring Officer” and indicating the duty station you wish to be considered for, addressed to:

Only email applications will be accepted

Office of the FAO Representative in Kenya
United Nations Office at Nairobi
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri
P. O. Box 30470-00100
Nairobi Kenya

Email: Vacancy-Kenya@fao.org