Policy LINK Kenya Country Lead 566 views3 applications

Background

The USAID Feed the Future Policy LINK program strengthens the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food security policy outcomes.

Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food security policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.

Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society, public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision-making, collaborative problem-solving, and adaptive learning.

Policy LINK will be supporting the USAID Kenya Mission and other policy actors across several activities designed to clarify the policy agenda and strengthen the food security and agricultural policy at the national and county levels. These activities will include policy analysis, policy dialogue and engagement amongst others.

To support this work, Policy LINK seeks to recruit a Kenya Country Lead who will provide overall technical and project management leadership for the activity.

General Position Objectives

1. Lead technical implementation and program management of all Policy LINK activities in Kenya, working closely with relevant technical teams and partners
2. Maintain strong, positive stakeholder and client relationships that advance technical engagement and implementation in a coordinated and coherent manner
3. Provide consistent and responsive communication with USAID/Kenya
4. Develop and nurture an effective, well-functioning Kenya Program team, primed to deliver at the highest level
5. Ensure full integration of and accountability to Policy LINK global functional areas of operations, communications, and M&E within Policy LINK

The position will continually reinforce Policy LINK’s agreed-upon core purpose and principles, and ensure strategic design, implementation and ongoing decision-making is rooted in the purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.”

Specific Roles and Responsibilities

The Kenya Country Lead will be responsible for the following anticipated tasks, though others may be added as appropriate due to evolving project requirements:

• Work with the USAID Kenya Mission, national and county governments, and non-state actors including the private sector and other counterparts to conceptualize and design approaches and activities in support of Mission objectives as captured in the Program’s activity description and concept notes.
• Provide technical leadership for the design and implementation of specific policy projects aimed at clarifying and addressing priority policy constraints.
• Lead the design and development of an annual work plan for the Program, including
  updated annual targets aligned with the work plan and budget.
• In coordination with the Regional Director, maintain continuous interface and hold regular meetings with USAID/Kenya to collaboratively design and create interventions and take the lead on reporting and reviewing program progress.
• Provide overall supervision to the Policy LINK Kenya country team, including program
  staff, collaborators, and consultants.
• Ensure overall proper documentation, monitoring, and reporting of the status and performance of the Kenya Program implementation, including setting targets, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning.
• Ensure regular and high-quality program communication.
  Ensure that accurate budgeting for Kenya Program activities, and as needed, link with relevant finance staff on budgets, procurement and operational support
• Ensure that the Program consistently utilises and learns from Policy LINK’s global
  practice areas and works closely with Practice teams.
• The Kenya Country Lead may be called upon to support Policy LINK’s broader program management activities and may also be part of other relevant activity teams within Policy LINK.

  Reporting

  The Kenya Country Lead will report to the EA Regional Director. Supervisory/Leadership Responsibilities

  The Kenya Country Lead will directly supervise the Kenya buy-in team, including the Senior Technical Policy Expert, the Program Logistics Coordinator and any consultants working with the team. Beyond direct supervision, the Country Lead will provide overall team leadership for program activities and will coordinate closely with other Kenya and global staff.

  Performance Criteria

  Policy LINK is a performance-based project, highly dependent on individual and team core competencies. Each staff member will participate in an annual evaluation process and receive feedback.

  Qualifications Education:

  MA or MSc degree required in agricultural or development economics, management, economics, social sciences, or other related fields of study

  Experience:

• Minimum of twelve (12) years of progressive experience in program management and leadership
  Experience working in fast-paced, donor-funded programs
• Knowledge of agriculture policy, and institutional frameworks and ability to carry out critical analysis of policy issues
• Experience working in collaborative policy processes with national, County
  governments and non-state actors
• Familiarity, networks and expertise on Kenya’s policy institutions, processes, and systems especially in Agriculture
• Strong strategic thinking and organizational skills with the ability to work in a complex, rapidly changing environment responding to changing donor and partner demands
  

  Skills

• Strong skills in monitoring and evaluation
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills with the ability to tailor communication for specific audiences.
• You have demonstrated strong interpersonal skills and creative problem-solving.
• Computer literacy
• Fluency in Kiswahili and English