ACF International Program Coordinator (Food Security, Livelihoods, DRM / Resilience, WASH Portfolio) Job in Nairobi Kenya

Name of the position: Program Coordinator – Food Security, Livelihoods, DRM / Resilience, WASH Portfolio
 

Country: Kenya Base: Nairobi
 

Direct line manager: Country Director
 

Line management of: Technical Coordinators in the portfolio

Starting date: As soon as possible
 

Ending date: One year contract renewable depending on funding
 

Donors: ECHO, UNICEF, FAO, Charity Water, PENTAIR, DfiD.
 

Founded in 1979, ACF International (Action Against Hunger) is an international humanitarian organization that delivers programs in over 40 countries. 

Recognized worldwide as a leader in the fight against hunger, our mission is to save lives through the prevention, detection, and treatment of malnutrition, especially during and after emergency situations and conflicts. 

From crisis to sustainability, ACF tackles the underlying causes of malnutrition and its effects. By integrating our programs with local and national systems, we further ensure that short-term interventions become long-term solutions. 

With Head Offices in France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and Canada, our international network shares its combined resources, breadth of experience and technical expertise in pursuit of a world without hunger.

ACF is present in Kenya since 2001. 

Currently the mission is implementing program activities in West Pokot, Isiolo, Tana River, Garissa and Dadaab refugee camps.
 

Summary: ACF-Kenya is looking for developing INNOVATIVE and CUTTING-EDGE Food Security, livelihoods and Resilience programming in Kenya. 

ACF-Kenya is looking for someone with a clear vision, energetic and who is able to help developing and drive, for the coming 5 years, an innovative vision on Food Security, livelihoods and Resilience programming in Kenya to address under-nutrition (from chronic to acute malnutrition) in ASALs and non-ASALs and contribute to developing programing contributing to Ending Drought Emergencies in Northern Kenya. 

This is a senior position in the program team, a position requiring the capacity to translate this vision into concrete programming.

Temporary reporting to the CD, the Program Coordinator will provide overall programmatic leadership to and managing the Food Security, Livelihoods, Resilience, WASH portfolio. 

The position will, in the coming 6-12 months, report to the DCD-Program.

The Program Coordinator will line manage the Heads of the relevant technical departments within ACF Kenya as well as oversee parallel functions such as Program Quality & Accountability (PQA) monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) and country wide advocacy. 

The ideal candidate should have proven ability to coordinate, manage and develop small-, medium- and large-scale programs, should be conversant with the changing operational context in Kenya (devolution), have excellent knowledge of the livelihoods transformation in the Arid and Semi-Arid lands and be able to adapt ACF’s programming under the humanitarian and development resilience
agenda. 

The position is based in Nairobi but requires frequent visits to the field locations.

Objectives and Activities:
 

Objective 1: Ensure ongoing analysis of the humanitarian and vulnerability context and define ACF technical positioning
 

Activities

• Ensure the regular analysis and reporting of humanitarian needs, malnutrition causal factors and linkages at country level through regular high quality field assessments, participation in coordination forums, regular consultation with stakeholders and collection of secondary data
• Contribute to integrated surveillance activities as applicable through input on development of tools, analysis and interpretation, etc.
• Develop strategic positioning for the department as part of the ACF annual country strategy process and as needed, in close consultation with field teams and other technical departments
• Identify new geographical areas of interest and or confirm existing areas according to humanitarian needs and the ACF strategic plan
• Identify, propose and develop new program orientations, strategies and activities
• Serve as lead on new proposal development
• Collaborate with other technical coordinators to develop an integrated technical strategy; and support integrated program definition and implementation

Objective 2: Coordinate program implementation according to ACF strategy and technical protocols and effectively manage teams
 

Activities

• Ensure programs are coherent with the operational country strategy and with ACF’s mandate.
• Provide strategic vision to the portfolio under his/her responsibility.
• Lead technical departments under his/her responsibility in drafting new concept notes and proposals.
• Promote, assist, and oversee the programmatic integration of the three technical departments.
• Ensure the regular analysis and reporting of humanitarian and development needs that are linked to climate change, natural resource management, social adaptation, nutrition and livelihood resilience and adaptation, as well as nutrition causal factors and linkages at national and county levels through regular high quality field assessments such as PCVAs, participation in coordination forums, regular consultation with stakeholders and collection of secondary data
• Contribute to integrated surveillance activities as applicable through input on development of tools, analysis and interpretation.
• Develop strategic positioning for the department as part of the ACF annual country strategy process and in close consultation with field teams and other technical departments
• Identify new geographical areas of interest and or confirm existing areas according to humanitarian and development needs and the ACF strategic plan
• Identify, propose and develop new program orientations, strategies and activities
• Lead the new program design and development of concept papers and proposals
• Collaborate with other technical coordinators to develop an integrated technical strategy; and support integrated program definition and implementation
• Infuse innovation and streamline new technologies in ACF’s programming.
• Ensuring that technical coordination meetings take place at the capital level to share information and promote innovative solutions to programming challenges.
• Visit ACF field activities regularly and report on problems, challenges and obstacles while building an intimate knowledge of fieldwork realities.
• Ensure the coordination of planning and follow up of donor field visits.
• Ensure that the mission has up-to-date knowledge of donor strategies and frameworks, funding mechanisms and that these are fed into the coordination and country strategy planning process.
• Conducts staff reviews of Technical Coordinators under her/his responsibility.
• Undertake timely appraisals for the Technical Coordinatorsunder her/his responsibility.
• General leadership of program staff and technical departments acting as a liaison between CD and Technical Coordinators.
• Revision of all job descriptions for technical positions in collaboration with Coordinators as needed.
• Induction of new Technical Coordinators and briefing of country program strategy.
• Provide input to coordination team on program issues relating to human resources and budgeting.
• Ensure program staff is motivated and committed to ACF charter and programs
• Provide training and guidance to all new Technical Coordinators on operational management of programs
• Contribute to the career development for program staff in collaboration with the HR department in order to identify needs of training
• In collaboration with Finance Coordinator and Technical Coordinators, ensure that program budgets are respected
• Ensure that coordinators alert on over- or under spending of budgets and ensure programs are adjusted

Objective 2: Ensure overall program quality and accountability in link with the DCD Programs
 

Activities

• Ensure the appropriate development and implementation of high quality technical monitoring systems, indicators and supporting tools to monitor the impact and outcome of FSL programs; ensure their harmonization across bases and build capacity of field teams on their implementation and regular timely use
• Provide direct support to program managers on program planning and monitoring (procurement planning, budget design, forecast and follow-up, monthly reports, technical reports, etc.)
• Ensure the development and implementation of systems to reduce the risk of corruption and conflict of interest by program staff and local authorities; and increase accountability and transparency of operations.
• Ensure internal and external evaluation of current and previous programs in the operational area in a manner that facilitates organizational learning.
• Ensure high quality technical and donor reporting across all program activities to ACF and donor standards
• Support learning and application of innovative approaches at field level in collaboration with other ACF technical departments and external partners
• Ensure documentation and capitalization of lessons learnt and good practices; and contribute to the preparation of publications, where applicable
• Ensure accountability standards are mainstreamed across programs and build capacity among field staff where needed

Objective 3: Provide technical expertise on FSL-DRM/resilience

• Provide technical expertise on FSL-DRM/Resilience as required by the program,
• Facilitate program implementation with regular and proactive exchanges with the FSL-DRM/Resilience PMs
• Conduct regular visits to FSL/DRM-Resileiince programmes
• To ensure high technical quality of FSL programme activities

Objective 4: Representation and liaison for program related issues with donors, authorities, UN, NGOs and other stakeholders and advocacy
 

Activities

• Liaise with stakeholders for program related issues when senior level involvement is required
• Liaise with donors and partners for all program-related issues.
• Focal point for academic and research partnerships
• Advance and disseminate ACF’s strategic positioning to donors and other stakeholders as this relates to humanitarian analysis and future financial planning.
• Attend technical and/or humanitarian coordination fora such as KFSWG, NTF, WESCOORD when /if Technical Coordinators are not available.
• Represent ACF in consortia, alliances and partnerships as appropriate
• Strengthen field and capital level information-sharing with IOs, INGOs and government.
• Identifying advocacy issues, develops organizational positions in each relevant thematic, and share them with the DCD-Nutrition, BCC, Research and Advocacy portfolio

Qualifications
 

Education

• Masters of Arts or Science (or higher) in International Development, Humanitarian Assistance, Rural Development, Geography, Agriculture, Livestock or related studies
• Minimum 2 years work experience in similar setting and responsibility
• Minimum 4 years humanitarian experience

Required Experience

• previous experience on project working on “diversifying climate resilient livelihoods” with specific focus on livestock, value-chain, off-farm activities, adaptative agriculture experience managing ASAL
• previous successful experience in strengthening the coping strategies of Pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities against climatic and economic hazards
• strong previous experience on Entrepreneurship & Market Development to increase and diversify production and household income
• Previous worked on value chains, market development, promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and promoting the Common Interest Groups and access to financial services through community-based microfinance
• Previous experience managing, overseeing WASH programming in ASAL Kenya
• DRR related skills??
• Previous experience in Kenya ASAL
• Demonstrated capacity to provide strategic vision to the sector
• Previous experience participating in developing country strategies
• Experience from both private and INGO sectors
• Worked with USAID, OFDA, DfiD, ECHO, EU donors.

Essential Skills:

• Excellent communication, writing and analytical skills
• Excellent team management, budget management and representation competencies
• Excellent influencing and negotiation skills
• Knowledge designing and delivering capacity building for national teams
• Knowledge in assessment, monitoring and evaluation
• Familiarity with ACF and acceptance of ACF’s principles

Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience with ACF IN
• Skills on statistical and other software (SPSS, SPHINX, STATA, EPI Info, ENA for SMART, GIS, etc.)

Reporting Responsibilities

• Contribute to the monthly mission narrative report
• Complete monthly DCD reporting tool
• Complete monthly Contracts Follow Up Tool
• Contribute to the drafting of the country strategy
• Contribute to the drafting of the advocacy strategy
• Oversee proposals and reports drafting
• Coordination fora presentations
• Monitoring reports
• Internal and external evaluation reports
• Learning documents and case studies
• Ad-hoc reports (assessments reports, newsletter…)

What ACF will offer:
 

Start date: As soon as possible
 

Duty station: Nairobi Office with frequent travel to the field bases. ACF will provide transport and accommodation plus meals when travelling to the field bases
 

Remuneration package: Very Competitive salary package with additional benefits to include:

• Career development opportunities with ACF
• Training opportunities
• Comprehensive medical cover for self and dependents
• Opportunity to work in a good and friendly environment with a dynamic and motivated team

Duration of contract: one year contract, renewable depending on funding availability and performance

Closing Date: 12th November 2014 by Close of Business 5pm. 

Applications sent after the closing date and time will not be considered.

Interested candidates should forward their applications including a cover letter, curriculum vitae and telephone contacts and email addresses of 3 referees preferably former/current supervisors (certificates will be required later on in the recruitment process) to:

eMail: recruit.ke@acf-international.org indicate the position on the subject line of the email.
 

Position opened to Kenyans Nationals only.
 

Every person in Kenya has a role to scale up nutrition. 

For information on how you can support nutrition programmes in Garissa, Isiolo and West Pokot counties, please contact advocacy.ke@acf-international.org