Action Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action
Against Hunger International network, which provides humanitarian relief in
more than 50 countries worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health,
water/sanitation, and food security. Action Against Hunger-USA, an independent
NGO, currently manages programs in 7 countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan,
Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Haiti. Action Against Hunger-USA implements more
than $60 million in programs annually, and approximately 1,500 permanent
employees based in New York City, Washington D.C, Nairobi, and country offices.
Additional growth is anticipated.
Action Against Hunger has been present in Kenya
since 2001 and is a transformative leader in nutrition security for improved
quality of life among vulnerable communities. Action Against Hunger wants to
contribute to the optimal functional performance of National, County, and
Community systems through strategic partnerships for innovative
nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions to achieve its impact.
The organization recognizes gender equality as central to its core strategy
towards realization of effective and sustainable outcomes on nutrition, WASH
and surveillance interventions. Action Against Hunger is currently implementing
activities in West Pokot, Mandera, Samburu, Isiolo and Tana River counties.
Summary of Position
The holder of the
position will lead the designing and development of FSL, resilience and Climate
Change Adaptation programs and projects, identifying new business opportunities
including proposal development, and engaging with current and new donors regarding FSL. S/He will provide strategic
leadership and direction and ensure high quality, coherent and well-coordinated
design and scale-up of FSL, resilience and climate change adaptation programming.
As a member of the Action Against Hunger Kenya Country Office, the
Head of Food Security, Livelihoods and Resilience Department will provide
managerial, technical and oversight support to the Food Security, Livelihoods,
Resilience and Disaster Risk Management interventions, and be part of the
broader Food Security & Livelihoods initiatives at the Country, Network and
regional levels.
Guaranteeing quality in implementation, relevance and scaling up
of FSL strategy and interventions of the country program, in conformity with
Action Against Hunger Country strategy and international standards and national
policies.
The Head of Department FSL role’s purpose,
engagement and delivery are as follows:
·Purpose
The Head of Food Security Livelihood
and Resilience Department Provides technical leadership to Action Against
Hunger’s food security programs through context analysis, development of
strategic FSL & Resilience priorities and promotion of technical
innovations and learning capitalization.
·Engagement:
The Head of FSL & Resilience Department provides internal and
external representation to ensure a clear understanding of Action Against
Hunger’s technical positioning among the various stakeholders. Collaborate with other technical
coordinators to develop an integrated technical strategy; and support
integrated program definition and implementation.
Ensure close and regular coordination with other technical
departments (nutrition, WASH) in overall program coherence specifically
recovery and development projects; and support departments (logistics,
administration and human resources) in procurement planning and follow-up, and
budget follow-ups, human resources planning and overall staff management.
Representing Action
Against Hunger in coordination fora with relevant authorities and other
agencies.
Implementation of
technical advocacy actions in coordination with Program Director and other
relevant departments to enhance staff capacity on FSL and resilience
programming
Coordinates with Government authorities, NGOs, UN agencies and donor
representatives, create links with various technical actors working in the same
geographical areas of interventions, and develop partnerships where relevant
and appropriate.
·Delivery:
The FSL & Resilience
HoD will be able to provide humanitarian and development context assessment and
analysis, development and promotion of FSL technical strategic interventions,
multi-sectoral approaches and high quality concept papers, proposals and
reports.
Strengthen coordination
and partnerships with all relevant technical sectors and partner organizations
for identification of innovative research projects to address the root causes
of undernutrition.
Establish strategic
partnerships with various actors (Government, NGOs, UN agencies e.t.c.) in developing
and maintaining relations with current and potential donors
I.Essential job duties:
- Strategic
Leadership20%
·Develop strategic positioning for the
department as part of the Action Against Hunger annual country strategy process
and as needed, in close consultation with field teams and other technical
departments.
·Lead in the review and implementation
of the FSL and resilience strategy well aligned with the ACF Kenya and
International Strategic Plan (ISP).
·Support in development and review of
FSL and resilience annual work plans, budgets, and monitoring frameworks to
ensure effective implementation and achievement of FSL interventions.
·Provide guidance and support to FSL
program managers and field teams to ensure the quality and impact of interventions.
·Identify new geographical areas of
interest and or confirm existing areas according to humanitarian, recovery and
development needs and the Action Against Hunger strategic plan
·Work closely with the business development team in the design and
formulation of new project proposals and concept notes providing technical and
budgetary input throughout the program development and design phase on FSL and resilience
funding opportunities.
- Program
Development and Management30%
·Lead the design, planning, and
implementation of food security and livelihood programs, incorporating best
practices and innovative approaches.
·Oversee the identification and
prioritization of target communities and beneficiaries, ensuring inclusivity
and participation in program activities.
·Foster partnerships with relevant
stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, donors, and community-based
organizations, to enhance program effectiveness and sustainability.
·Oversee country FSL and
resilienceprogram portfolio; identify,
propose and develop new program orientations, strategies and activities, in
aligned to the best practices
·Ensure harmonization and coherence of
recovery and development of FSL approaches and activities across all program
bases with the development of project implementation plans.
·Promote an integrated approach among
the WASH, Nutrition and FSL sectors wherever feasible and justified.
·Serve as lead on new project development
to ensure high quality technical and donor reporting across all the resilience
, recovery and development program activities and ensure they meet Action
Against Hunger’s and donor’s standards
·Work with partnership, advocacy and
communication focal person to engage in outreach and advocacy with policy
makers and practitioners at National and County government levels
·Represent Action Against Hunger in
Kenya key national or regional coordination fora ensuring active presence and
participation in national FSL coordination meetings, cluster and technical
working groups
·Develop a strong state and county
level relationship with local authorities and institutions related to Food
Security and livelihood
·Create links with various FSL actors
working in the same operational areas and develop partnerships where relevant
and appropriate
·Ensure that relevant stakeholders have
a clear understanding of Action Against Hunger charter, background, program
objectives and activities in the field.
- Technical
Support20%
·Provide technical leadership in areas
food security, agriculture, livelihoods diversification, income generation, and
community resilience.
·Stay abreast of emerging trends,
research findings, and best practices in food security and livelihoods
programming, and incorporate relevant innovations into program design and
implementation.
·Build the capacity of staff and
partners through training, mentorship, and knowledge sharing activities
·Identify staff training needs and work
with HR department to develop and implement relevant training plans.
·Ensure compliance of FSL program
standards to achieve grant/funding objectives
·Work in close relation with FSL
technical counterpart in HQ and Regional FSL advisor.
4.Climate change integration10%
·Work with
relevant partners to advocate for policies and practices that promote climate
resilience and sustainable development at local, national, and regional levels,
engaging with government authorities, donors, and other stakeholders.
·Foster
partnerships with climate change experts, research institutions, and civil
society organizations to leverage resources, expertise, and best practices in
addressing climate-related challenges.
·Represent Action
Against Hunger in FSL and resilience forums, networks, and working groups
focused on climate change, sharing lessons learned and advocating for the
integration of climate resilience into FSL and resilience programming.
- Monitoring,
Evaluation, surveillance and Learning10%
·Work closely with
MEAL HOD to develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation systems to
track progress, measure impact, and ensure accountability.
·Lead the
documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and success
stories to inform program adaptation and scale-up.
·Support the
organization in reporting to donors and other stakeholders, ensuring compliance
with reporting requirements and standards.
·Contribute to
integrated surveillance activities as applicable through input on development
of tools, analysis and interpretation, etc.
·Ensure the
regular analysis and reporting of recovery and development needs, malnutrition
causal factors and linkages at country level through regular high quality field
assessments, participation in coordination forums, regular consultation with
stakeholders and collection of secondary data.
·Ensure the
appropriate development and implementation of high quality technical monitoring
systems, indicators and supporting tools to monitor the impact and outcome of
recovery and development FSL programs; ensure their harmonization across bases
and build capacity of field teams on their implementation and regular timely
use.
·Provide direct
support to field staff on program planning and monitoring (procurement
planning, budget design, forecast and follow-up, monthly reports, technical
reports, etc.)
·Ensure internal
and external evaluation of programs in the operational area in a manner that
facilitates organizational learning.
·Support learning
and application of innovative approaches in FSL at field level in collaboration
with other Action Against Hunger technical departments and external partners
·Ensure
documentation and capitalization of lessons learnt and good practices; and
contribute to the preparation of publications, where applicable
·Monitor program
progress and performance, conducting regular field visits and assessments to
identify challenges and opportunities for improvement.
- Team
Management and Capacity Building 5%
·Provide effective
leadership and supervision to departmental staff, fostering a culture of
collaboration, professionalism, and continuous learning.
·Contribute to
performance reviews; provide constructive feedback, and support staff
development and career progression.
·Promote a
supportive and inclusive work environment that values diversity, equity, and
respect.
·Identify training
needs and work with HR department to develop and implement relevant training
plans.
·Ensure the
development and implementation of proper systems to reduce the risk of
corruption and conflict of interest by program staff and local authorities, and
increase accountability and transparency of operations.
·Any
other duty assigned5%
Any
other duty assigned by the supervisor/ employer
II.Supervisory Responsibilities
Technical and managerial supervisory line to FSL managers/Officers.
III.Gender Equality Commitments
·Foster an environment that supports
values of women and men, and equal access to information.
·Provide a work environment where women
and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills
and performance.
·Respect beneficiaries’ women, men,
children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation,
disability, religion. Race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or
marital status.
·Value and respect all cultures.
IV.Fiscal Responsibility
FSL Portfolio
V.Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those
that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions
of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with
disabilities to perform the essential functions.
VI.Working Conditions, Travel and
Environment
Requirements
·Master’s degree in food security, Agricultural Education and Extension,
Agricultural/Applied Economics, Agribusiness Management, Food Policy and
Applied food science, Veterinary Sciences, or related courses.
·At least 7 years’ experience in food systems, nutrition sensitive
agriculture, livelihoods, natural resource management and Disaster Risk
Reduction.
·Experience working in humanitarian and development contexts, recovery and
rehabilitation as well as with national governments, regional bodies, UN
agencies and INGOs.
·Excellent
knowledge of technical fields related to Food Security & Livelihoods that includes excellent working knowledge
of food security, Market systems and nutrition sensitive resilience.
·Proven track record in designing,
implementing, and managing complex food security and livelihoods programs,
preferably in Kenya or similar contexts.
·Strong technical expertise in areas
such as agricultural production, value chain development, income generation,
and community-based resilience.
·Sound analytical and technical
competence in the subject matter of food security and livelihoods
·Field experience in FSL programming, including agro ecology, value chain
analysis, income generation, emergency food assistance, COD, HEA, etc.
·Experience in Food security and Livelihood assessments including cash and
market assessments in both development and emergency contexts.
·Experience with research and partnership developments with universities.
·Experience with donor communications.
·Demonstrated previous experience in and strong proposal writing and donor
reporting skills.
·Demonstrated
experience in financial management and preparation of budgets for programming.
·Good diplomatic and negotiation
skills.
·Knowledge and experience in assessment
and research methods.
·Demonstrated ability to develop and
maintain effective partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including government
agencies, donors, NGOs, and local communities.
·Strong organizational skills and
technical review/writing of detailed technical documents.
·Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently and as
a member of a team
·Interest and/or
experience in Cash transfer programs, Agriculture and livestock programming in
Humanitarian setting and community led methodologies.
