Job Title: County Household Economic Strengthening Technical Officer (1 Position)- Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF)

BACKGROUND:

Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) is implementing a five-year USAID 4TheChild program targeting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), adolescent girls and young women in Western region of Kenya. The program is implemented in partnership with Moi University College of Health Sciences and Make Me Smile Kenya. It seeks to increase the use of quality county-led health and social services in the target Counties working closely with National and County government structures.

JOB SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Household Economic Strengthening Manager, the County HES Technical Officer will support HES activities within USAID 4TheChild program by providing coordination, accompaniment mentorship & coaching, training & technical support to local implementing partners (LIPs) focusing on implementing and managing farm enterprises, financial education, market opportunity identification/assessment, and entrepreneurship and business development services. S/he will support LIPs to liaise with relevant line government ministries and programs, the private sector, and other technical experts and agencies, to support case management and ensure household graduation and transition.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support project sustainability towards self-reliance through the application of evidence-based HES strategies.
• Work closely with the case management and system strengthening personnel in the USAID 4TheChild project to adapt existing case management approaches to better support HES and develop tools and benchmarks to track household progress.
• Facilitate capacity building for LIPs staff and where applicable, target communities through training, workshops, facilitated group interactions, as well as accompaniment through regular communication and site visits to support the successful implementation of HES project activities across local implementing partners.
• Support LIPs to implement OVC case management effectively by providing TA on case plan implementation of the stable domain.
• Support LIPs and where applicable, communities to coordinate with government officials at all levels, strengthening appropriate coordination, and technical support in implementation and follow-up of HES activities.
• Ensure that HES related activities are appropriately planned and costed for in the County and LIPs sustainability plans.
• Build capacity of LIPs on evidence based livelihoods models to better manage enterprises and engage with established markets.
• Build capacity of LIPs and other relevant stakeholders to train village-level savings groups in the seven steps of marketing (market analysis, access to information and inputs, working with financial institutions, business plan development) and link them to local markets, existing associations, financial institutions, and companies working in the agriculture sector.
• Work closely with LIPs and farmer groups to provide technical assistance, including to farmer-focused village level savings (VSL) groups and caregiver groups where appropriate.

• Coordinate with social enterprise service providers in provision of livestock and crop products and other productive assets in order to encourage farm and off farm enterprises.
• Support LIPs to identify and utilize government procurement opportunities for youth, women, and persons with disabilities.
• Support LIPs in the identification and utilization of government vocational education opportunities for target youth/OVC.
• Use appropriate project management tools to plan, review, and track implementing partners’ progress on HES project implementation and use of project resources.
• Develop and maintain linkages with governments, organizations, and projects that can support HES activities supported by LIPs.
• Ensure high-quality facilitation of training and systematic post-training supportive supervision and mentoring to IP staff in the area of HES.
• Support development of scopes of work in relation to HES activities. Includes executing baselines and research in the area of HES to inform programming.
• Ensure a culture of accountability and learning through regular monitoring to project sites, providing oversight of studies and assessments, proper documentation of tools and promising practices to contribute to learning and building the evidence around household graduation, transition, and economic strengthening.
• Document project results and impacts in various forms, including media stories, lessons learned, case studies, client satisfaction, etc. Includes preparation and consolidation of County reports for HES.

COMPETENCIES RELEVANT TO THE SPECIFIC POSITION:

• Knowledge and experience in microfinance including community based savings and lending groups
• Networking skills
• Strong organization skills
• Ability to work independently, think innovatively and strategically, and work effectively within a team
• OVC case management
• Private sector engagement
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure and deadlines

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

None

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Internal: USAID 4TheChild program staff at county level
External: Private sector, community, local implementing partners

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Entrepreneurship, Business Management, Community Development or a closely related field. A Masters degree in any of the above fields will be an added advantage.
• At least a minimum five years’ experience in HES programming in Kenya or other developing countries.

• Experience working with small scale farmers and/or value-chain development, business development, entrepreneurship and financial services institutions with a focus on vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrated experience in community mobilization, organization, management and mediation among local actors and partner capacity building.
• Demonstrated experience in training design, delivery, coaching, and mentorship in subject matter(s) relevant to this position.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated strengths in relationship management; ability to work with diverse groups of people in a multicultural, team-oriented environment.
• Skilled in influencing and obtaining the cooperation of individuals and managing relationships to achieve results.
• Ability to support partners to ensure adherence to financial guidelines.
• Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

While applicants are free to indicate preferred County, the job holder must be willing to be based in any
of the following Counties: Kisumu, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, or Siaya.

DISCLAIMER:

This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications by qualified candidates should be submitted only by email to jobs@kcdf.or.ke addressed to the Executive Director and quoting the position “County HES Technical Officer”. Attach your current résumé and daytime contacts of three referees.
Applications must be received no later than 24^th June 2022.

NOTE:

• KCDF is an equal opportunity employer and only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted.
• KCDF does not charge any fees from applicants for any recruitment. Further, KCDF has not retained any agent in connection with this recruitment.
• KCDF recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. It includes a robust safeguarding and code of conduct that all staff commit to adhere to in writing… https://kcdf.or.ke/index.php/work/vacancies