The World Vegetable Center Project Site Coordinator Job in Kenya

Vacancy: Project Site Coordinator, Kenya: as part of Homegarden Scaling in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center is a non-profit, autonomous international agricultural research and development center with headquarters in Taiwan and regional offices around the globe. 

AVRDC conducts research and development that contribute to improved income and balanced diets in the developing world through increased production and consumption of health-promoting vegetables. 

The Center seeks a talented, diligent, ambitious and reliable person, who places importance on quality, teamwork and diligence for the position of Project Site Coordinator, Kenya to coordinate its in-country activities under “Deploying Vegetable Seed Kits to Tackle Malnutrition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda” funded by the USAID. 

The target is to scale up and enhance widespread and rapid adoption of AVRDC’s validated homegarden concept and associated production and processing technologies by target households in Kenya.

Through deployment of vegetable seed kits with complementary training and technical backstopping across the entire value chain, over 8,000 target beneficiaries in Kenya are expected to improve their household nutrition, diversify their incomes and improve their social capital. 

The position will be based in Nairobi and will report to the Project Manager. The position is open for Kenyan nationals only.

The Job: The Project Site Coordinator, Kenya is responsible for the overall coordination of activities in four focus provinces of Kenya, liaising with the Project Manager, country Site Coordinators for Tanzania and Uganda, AVRDC scientists as well as national implementing partners in Kenya.

Specific Responsibilities

• Day-to-day coordination and oversight of demonstration trials, farmer training, seed distribution, surveys, administrative and logistical activities and to build strong relationships with local implementing partners; jointly responsible for implementing field activities and meeting program targets in Kenya.
• Plan and facilitate workshops, maintain project schedules, deliverables and evaluation activities, and prepare and submit in-country technical project reports, success stories for submission to the Project Manager.
• Assist in providing information for development of monitoring and evaluation analytical tools, serve as lead field monitor when necessary and facilitate subsequent data collection aimed at documenting outcomes and impact of the program.
• Ensure good coordination of research delivery, transfer of technology and promote gender equity within the project as well as in its outcomes and impacts.
• Identify options for improving vegetable seed access to smallholders by building and strengthening partnerships with the public and private seed sector for impact at the household level.
• Assist in organizing and conducting demand creation, outreach and promotional activities, such as seed fairs and community field days to promote the development and adoption of improved vegetable-based practices.
• Liaise with country Site Coordinators for Tanzania and Uganda and the Project Manager to harmonize project activities, share lessons learnt and represent the Project Manager on in-country project related issues.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Project Manger or his/her appointed representative.

The Person
 

Applicants must have a minimum of M.Sc. in preferably social science or agricultural science disciplines, with a minimum of 2 years of extensive project coordination experience in food (nutrition) and agriculture.

• Good agro-economic background with focus on horticultural value-chains is a plus
• Strong written and spoken English language skills.
• Extensive knowledge of and work experience in Kenya.
• Ability to oversee development/implementation of work plans, reports and presentations; ability to write clear and concise technical documents; strong organizational and networking skills. 
• Experience with national partners is a plus.
• Capacity for strong teamwork, partnership building and project management skills as well as supervisory and mentoring skills.
• Proven skills to work independent for most periods of time.
• Proven interpersonal skills and ability to interact with public, private, and civil society leaders and groups on data collection and surveying for project monitoring is an advantage.
• Excellent computer skills in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access).
• Flexibility to travel extensively within the three focus project provinces of Kenya.

The Reward: This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position with competitive pay and benefits as applicable in Kenya.

The initial appointment is for two years and may be extended depending on requirement, funding availability, and performance of the incumbent. 

The position will be available on or after 2 January 2015.

How to Apply
 

Applicants should submit 

(i) a letter of application indicating qualifications, suitability to the outlined deliverables, expected salary, earliest joining date and; and 

(ii) a curriculum vitae with three names of professional referees including contact address, phone number and e-mail. 

Applications should be sent by e-mail only to info-esa@worldveg.org with the title of the position in the heading before 1 December 2014. 

Only applications sent by e-mail will be considered.

Information on the position can be requested by phone (+255 272553093, +255 272553102). 

Only applications from short listed candidates will be acknowledged. AVRDC -The World Vegetable Center offers an attractive working environment in a multi-cultural setting with employees from different countries and diverse backgrounds.

AVRDC is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

For more information about AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center, please visit our website: www.avrdc.org.