Africa Lead II Agriculture Policy Development Specialist Job in Nairobi Kenya

USAID Building Capacity for African Agricultural Transformation (Africa Lead II) Project
 

Scope of Work
 

Title: Africa Lead II Agriculture Policy Development Specialist
 

Location: Nairobi, Kenya (with in-country and periodic international travel)
 

Period of Performance: Immediate – September 30, 2018 (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:
 

1. The establishment of institutional/organizational architecture to lead African agriculture transformation at the national and regional levels, operating at the highest level of effectiveness;
 

2. The operationalization of capacity to manage policy change and alignment process; and
 

3. The effective participation and leading when necessary, of civil society and private sector – Non-State Actors (NSAs) – in the CAADP process.
 

Responsibilities:
 

The Agriculture Policy Development Specialist will have primary responsibility for leading initiatives to establish and improve effective and inclusive policy development. 

He or she will emphasize the facilitation and engagement of private sector and civil society with government policy making entities. ,
 

Specifically, the Agriculture Policy Development Specialist will:
 

Technical Delivery:

• Support and facilitate engagement of key stakeholders at the continental, regional, and country level in agricultural policy review, development, and implementation processes
• Assist with the prioritization of capacity development, training, and technical assistance needs to maximize NSA participation and leverage NSA expertise
• Support and facilitate engagement and collaboration between NSAs and public sector policy making entities in research, analysis and implementation of policy related activities.
• Identify and develop specific initiatives to strengthen engagement of youth, women, and under-represented groups
• Propose innovative initiatives to strengthen the leadership of NSA networks/coalitions to self-organize and coordinate activities at continental, regional and national levels
• Support key NSA actors to analyze and articulate policy issues impacting the farming and other agriculture-related businesses at all levels
• Develop, vet and maintain a roster of experts— international, regional and national (for target countries)— that can be used to guide NSA supported activities, including gender and youth

Program Development and Management:

• Work with the Regional Director to develop a realistic but aggressive timeline for program delivery and to ensure timely implementation of the program
• Conduct or provide technical support to program activities to drive direction of AL II investments and technical assistance interventions
• Identify likely barriers to program delivery and work with the Regional Director and Senior Organizational Change/Institutional Development Specialist on solutions
• Coordinate with staff in other Africa Lead offices to promote program consistency and replicate successful initiatives.
• Contribute inputs for annual continent-wide Africa Lead work plans
• Engage directly in training, mentoring and provision of technical assistance as appropriate
• Review training curricula as developed by specialized training TA
• Travel to counties as needed to engage in technical assistance, assessments, training and mentoring
• Attend national, regional and international workshops as appropriate and as approved by Regional Director to ensure access to relevant innovations and ideas that can extend and deepen program impact

Reporting:

• Provide to Regional Director and Senior Organizational Change/Institutional Development Specialist weekly short bulleted list of priorities for upcoming week and accomplishments from previous week
• Provide to Bethesda-based Knowledge, Learning and Communication (KLC) Manager Kenya program input for quarterly and annual reports, and other required reports to USAID
• Work with KLC team to identify KM/Learning products

Other:

• Participate in weekly senior management meetings led by the Regional Director
• Participate in weekly country program meetings led by the Senior Organizational Change/Institutional Development Specialist

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 Agriculture Policy Development Specialist will report to the Regional Director, and will collaborate closely with other members of the Senior Management Team—Technical, Country Programs, 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, advocacy, and implementation; civil society capacity building; food security; and public education/awareness.

Education:

• An advanced degree in agricultural economics/development, international development, political science, or other relevant field

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of technical experience in working with the private sector and civil society on complex development programs
• Thorough understanding of institutional and process dynamics of agriculture policy making in Africa
• Experience in building capacity of the private sector and civil society to better engage in policy formation and implementation
• Experience in human and institutional capacity development, agricultural development, food security, policy reform and advocacy, and civil society/non-state actor development
• Previous experience on USAID or donor projects and experience in and knowledge of African development issues

Skills:

• Knowledge or understanding of social, economic, and political context governing food security issues in developing countries
• Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, creative problem solving, conflict and ethical management skills
• Strong training, facilitation and communication skills
• Computer literate in word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (Microsoft)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Fluent English language skills required
• Proficiency in other languages preferable

If you believe you qualify for this job, kindly submit your CV and current/expected salary to Ruth Ndegwa (ruth_ndegwa@africaleadftf.org).

Only qualified candidates will be contacted. 

Deadline to submit your CV is December 5, 2014.