Job Title: Project Officer, Self Help Africa
Location: Baringo County
Restrictions: Fixed term, full time
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Reports to: GEA Kenya Baringo Project Coordinator
Benefits: 22 days annual leave, Medical Insurance (self + spouse and up to 4 children), 10% Employer pension contribution and 25% leave allowance
Annual Consolidated Salary: Kes.1,056,000/-
Organization Overview:
About Self Help Africa & United Purpose
In late 2021 Self Help Africa (SHA) and United Purpose (UP) merged. The two organizations – one headquartered in Ireland and the other in Wales – implement projects to end extreme hunger and poverty.
This merger doubled our size and reach – and means that in 2022 we are implementing poverty eradication projects in 17 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Collectively, we are also part of a group that includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, TruTrade and Cumo Microfinance.
In 2022 our work will reach more than six million people and invest upwards of €45m in more than 100 development programmes designed to improve food systems, facilitate access to markets and financial services, combat climate change, gender inequality, and improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
This is an exciting time to join us as we unite two like-minded and entrepreneurial organizations seeking to tackle the global challenges in progressive and innovative ways.
JOB PURPOSE:
The project will involve supporting farmers, pastoralists and agro-pastoralists to increase the tree cover on their land through appropriate approaches, including planting agroforestry species on farmland; establishing/ extending/ restoring woodlots, plantations and natural forests; working with pastoralists and the Conservancies to increase tree cover through Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR); and restoring gullies and eroded land through tree planting and physical structures (bio-engineering).
The project will support farmers, pastoralists and agro-pastoralists to develop enterprises linked to trees: honey, handicrafts, gum Arabic, fruit, etc., and will link the project participants to microfinance opportunities. The project aims to improve the dietary diversity of the participants and, eventually, to create income for the participants through the sale of carbon credits. SHA seeks to recruit a Project Officer with technical experience in community drylands forestry and agroforestry to implement the project in Baringo County.
Key Responsibilities:
- Participatory selection of target communities, project participants and stakeholders.
- Participatory selection of volunteer community trainers (lead farmers, community facilitators, FMNR facilitators, VSLA trainers, etc)
- Prepare/ adapt training materials for agroforestry, FMNR, landscape restoration, NRM planning, VSLAs, Value chain analysis, business skills development, nutrition.
- Training, mentoring and supervision of volunteer community trainers.
- Training, mentoring of NRM committees, conservancies, farmers groups, micro-enterprises.
- Assist NRM committees and conservancies to develop and update NR management plans and maps.
- Undertake regular monitoring of project activities.
- Assist the M&E team to plan and conduct surveys.
- Measure tree growth, tree densities, tree cover, soil and tree carbon, and conduct GNSS ground truth surveys using protocols developed by ICRAF.
- Assist the GEA Kenya Baringo Project Coordinator to prepare narrative reports.
- Liaise with the County Government and implementing partners and stakeholders.
- Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by the GEA Kenya Baringo Project Coordinator.
Key Relationships:
Internal
- SHA Finance, Logistics and Administration Team,
- BARINGO NRM Advisor
- Kenya Agriculture and NRM Advisor,
- HQ Programme Quality Team
Responsible for
- Community Based Trainers.
External
- Baringo County Council
- Baringo Conservancies
- Local NGOs
- Farmer’s groups
Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements:
Essential:
- Diploma or BSc in Forestry, Agroforestry, Rangeland Management, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Extension, Agricultural science, or related discipline.
- Minimum of five years of technical experience in dryland forestry and agroforestry.
- Experience of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration.
- Experience of tree-based value chains.
- Experience of Forest Mensuration in dryland forests.
- Basic land and soil survey skills.
- Experience in soil and water conservation, watershed management and landscape restoration through bioengineering.
- At least five years of working experience in an NGO or in government or private sector.
- Practical experience of developing community natural resources plans and maps.
- Good understating of gender roles in forestry and pastoralist societies and practical experience of integrating gender equality into forestry, agroforestry and rangeland management.
- Commitment to international and humanitarian NGO codes, standards and practices
Desirable:
- Experience of working with pastoralist and agro pastoralist communities.
- Microfinance experience.
- Experience of integrating nutrition into agriculture, forestry and NRM projects (nutrition sensitive).
- Experience of integrating the physically disabled into forestry, agroforestry and rangeland management.
- Enthusiasm for forestry and environmental protection.
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work as part of team across different cultures
- Diplomacy, tact and empathy with local communities.
- Good writing skills
- Strong coaching and mentoring skills
- Able to take initiatives and work with limited supervision
- A strong commitment to the aims, objectives and values of the SHA Kenya Country Programme
- Good working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and general IT skills
- Prepared to use a motorcycle on poor roads in hot and dusty conditions.
HOW TO APPLY:
If you are interested in the position and have the right skills and attributes, please download the Application Form and fill it in. Upload this form along with your CV and covering letter to our Online Recruitment Platform.
If you are experiencing any problem with submitting your online application please visit this link for assistance: https://bit.ly/SHA_TechSupport1
Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.
Closing date is Wednesday 28th September 2022 at 5pm
Please note that Self Help Africa Kenya advocates for equal opportunity and does not require applicants to pay any fee at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process. Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.
Self Help Africa is committed to the highest possible standards of openness, transparency, and accountability in all its affairs and is completely against fraud, bribery, and corruption. All employees are bound by code of conduct, child protection and conflict of interest policies.
Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
Police vetting is required.
All applicants are encouraged to read through the following safeguarding policies as you make your applications:
Women applicants are highly encouraged; Self Help Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer… https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/project-officer-based-in-baringo-county/
