KickStart International Senior Training Co-ordinator Job in Nairobi Kenya

Vacant Position: Senior Training Co-ordinator
 

KickStart International prides itself in being an award-winning, global nonprofit social enterprise that develops and mass- markets low-cost irrigation solutions that are bought by thousands of small-holder farmers in developing countries and used to increase their income by up to a factor of ten, enabling them to lift themselves sustainably out of poverty.

Function: Programs and Partnerships

Location: KickStart HQ Office – Nairobi

Type of Contract: Open Ended

Role Purpose: The Senior Training Coordinator will help KickStart’s sales teams to develop and build partnerships with NGOs, governments and private sector partners who are organizing and working with small-holder farmers across Africa.
 

Scope of Role: 

Reports to: Country Director-Head of Partnerships and Sales

Works with: Regional Sales and Partnerships Managers, Sales and Partnership officers, Small holder farmers, NGOS /Partners.

Key Areas of Accountability:

Training of Trainers and/or Training of Small-Holder Farmers, on:

• The set-up, operation, use and  maintenance of KickStart’s MoneyMaker pumps and accessory irrigation products 
• Every stage of planting, cultivating, soil fertility needs, pest and disease management, harvesting, processing and selling high value irrigated crops—especially fruits, vegetables, green maize, cocoa, etc.  Including:

1. Deciding what crops to plant and irrigate to meet the local market demand, the best timing for planting/harvesting these crops and the amount and type of irrigation required  soil fertility, pests and diseases to watch for at various stages
2. The selection and storage of planting materials;
3. Preparation/establishment of seed beds and planting, spacing,  irrigating, cultivating and transplanting of seedlings;
4. Land preparation, planting, cultivation,  weeding, harvesting of the final crops and processing
5. Preparation and use of compost and the selection and efficient use of inorganic fertilizers
6. Intercropping, crop rotation and sequenced planting
7. Detection and control of plant diseases and pests using both  Integrated Pest Management and relevant chemical pesticides;
8. The optimum use of different types of irrigation technologies including; watering cans, hand-held sprayers/hosepipe irrigation, basin and furrow irrigation, sprinklers, low pressure drip-irrigation, etc. 
9. Post-harvest handling, storage and transport of high value horticultural crops
10. Efficient and effective marketing methods especially bulk marketing of crops.

• As KickStart  expands its training offerings; recruit, train and manage a small team of agricultural trainers to be employed by KickStart either fulltime or on a case-by-case basis

Develop and Implement Training Offerings for NGOs/Partners

• Help KickStart’s sales teams to develop and build partnerships with NGOs, governments and private sector partners who are organizing and working with small-holder farmers across Africa. 
• Understand the mission and goals of the organizations and identify their relevant training needs.
• Identify training gaps that can be filled by KickStart and those that can be outsourced and liaise with the partners (and if necessary with outsourced providers) to help facilitate the provision of the trainings.
• Develop training plans and schedules, and develop realistic budgets for the provision of the required training programs
• Organize the schedule and logistics for conducting training-of-trainers and/or farmer trainings in diverse surroundings across Africa and in collaboration with partner NGOs/businesses
• Prepare PowerPoint materials tailor made for the staff of NGOs/Corporate partners that capture the problem facing their farmers, KickStart's mission and how KickStart addresses or helps farmers to earn increased incomes and mitigate poverty through the use of MoneyMaker products to change their lives.
• Develop relevant training materials capturing key features and benefits/impacts of using our MoneyMaker pumps for farmers and for partners – including presentations, Flip Charts, posters and handouts.
• Conduct live demonstrations of KickStart’s irrigation products to trainers and/or lead farmers
• Implement the required training courses for the staff and lead-farmers working for the partner organizations.
• Develop relevant follow-up course curriculum and training materials.
• Develop a conducive system to evaluate the training and its impacts.

Training groups of farmers assisted by KickStart’s partners including groups of women and/or youth

• Identify the relevant training needs of the farmers  thru farm visits, interviews and focus groups
• Prepare and develop training curriculum and training materials for courses ranging from; simple demonstrations/trainings on pump operation, maintenance and use; to short classroom and/or  on-farm trainings; to multiple session trainings courses combining class-room and on-farm trainings, group exercises, practice sessions, homework assignments, etc 
• Prepare the required training collateral including Power Point slides, printed Flip Books & take away materials for the famers for the different trainings
• Administer and teach all aspects of the training courses
• As required supervise and manage an assistant and/or a small team of trainers to train larger groups 
• Develop and administer an evaluation process to measure the impacts of the trainings.

1. Including administrating surveys and developing and administering questionnaires and leading focus group discussions with the farmers to measure/analyze the impacts of the trainings.

Report Writing

• Assist with writing proposals to donors/partners for the funding of training courses. 
• Write reports to be shared with KS management, the partners and/or donors on the process and impacts of the trainings
• Collect and write-up case studies from training participants and especially on follow-up trainings to establish the impacts of the irrigation pumps and the trainings.

Qualifications and Experience

• A degree holder in Agriculture, Horticulture and/or Agronomy
• Seven (7) years relevant hands-on experience working with and training small-holder farmers and developing and administrating farmer and/or training-of-trainers training courses
• Excellent knowledge of all aspects of agronomy related to the cultivation (from land preparation, planting material  selection to post harvest care and sale) of high value irrigated horticultural crops, including the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers and pest control, crop rotation, intercropping, etc  
• Good understanding of the Agricultural sector and working with small scale farmers
• Excellent training skills including, needs assessment, course development, scheduling,  collateral development,  implementation of trainings and the training impacts
• People management experience in working with partners and managing a small team
• Results/Performance Orientation – proven “self-starter” who is flexible and adaptable with an entrepreneurship spirit.

Skills and Behaviours

• Excellent personal communication & negotiation skills
• Good report writing and communication skills
• Strong analytical abilities and detail oriented
• Ability to speak fluent English and Swahili
• Ability to speak and read French and/or Portuguese will be an added advantage
• Ability and desire to work both across Kenya and across Africa—the job will require a lot of travel both within Kenya and across Africa (~75% travel time) 

If you feel you are the right candidate to fill this position, please send your CV and Cover letter to hr@kickstart.org quoting the position title on the subject line by COB 31st December, 2014.

(See www.KickStart.org for more information).