Program Coordinator – Food Security, Livelihoods, Resilience, WASH portfolio

Name of the position: Program Coordinator – Food Security, Livelihoods, Resilience, WASH portfolio
Country: Kenya	Base:  Nairobi
Direct line manager: Country Director Line management of: Technical Coordinators in the portfolio	Starting date: 1st November 2014	Ending date: 31st October 2015	Donors: ECHO, UNICEF, FAO, Charity Water, PENTAIR, DfiD.
Founded in 1979, ACF International (Action Against Hunger) is an international humanitarian organization that delivers programs in over 40 countries. Recognized worldwide as a leader in the fight against hunger, our mission is to save lives through the prevention, detection, and treatment of malnutrition, especially during and after emergency situations and conflicts. From crisis to sustainability, ACF tackles the underlying causes of malnutrition and its effects. By integrating our programs with local and national systems, we further ensure that short-term interventions become long-term solutions. With Head Offices in France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and Canada, our international network shares its combined resources, breadth of experience and technical expertise in pursuit of a world without hunger. ACF is present in Kenya since 2001. Currently the mission is implementing program activities in West Pokot, Isiolo, Tana River, Garissa and Dadaab refugee camps. Summary ACF Kenya is looking for an ambitious, innovative and passionate visionary leader with strategic thinking and strong organizational skills to lead the senior program team in Nairobi. Reporting to the Country Director, the Program Coordinator will provide overall programmatic leadership to and managing the Food Security, Livelihoods, Resilience, WASH portfolio. The Program Coordinator will line manage the Heads of  the relevant technical departments within ACF Kenya as well as oversee parallel functions such as monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) and country wide advocacy. The ideal candidate should have proven ability to coordinate, manage and develop small-, medium- and large-scale programs, should be conversant with the changing operational context in Kenya (devolution), have excellent knowledge of the livelihoods transformation in the Arid and Semi-Arid lands and be able to adapt ACF’s programming under the humanitarian and development resilience agenda. The position is based in Nairobi but requires frequent visits to the field locations. Objectives and Activities: Objective 1: Program Development and Coordination Activities -          Ensure programs are coherent with the operational country strategy and with ACF’s mandate. -          Provide strategic vision to the portfolio under his/her responsibility. -          Lead technical departments under his/her responsibility in drafting new concept notes and proposals. -          Promote, assist, and oversee the programmatic integration of the three technical departments. -          Ensure the regular analysis and reporting of humanitarian and development needs that are linked to climate change, natural resource management, social adaptation, nutrition and livelihood resilience and adaptation, as well as nutrition causal factors and linkages at national and county levels through regular high quality field assessments such as PCVAs, participation in coordination forums, regular consultation with stakeholders and collection of secondary data -          Contribute to integrated surveillance activities as applicable through input on development of tools, analysis and interpretation. -          Develop strategic positioning for the department as part of the ACF annual country strategy process and in close consultation with field teams and other technical departments -          Identify new geographical areas of interest and or confirm existing areas according to humanitarian and development needs and the ACF strategic plan -          Identify, propose and develop new program orientations, strategies and activities -          Lead the new program design and development of concept papers and proposals -          Collaborate with other technical coordinators to develop an integrated technical strategy; and support integrated program definition and implementation -          Infuse innovation and streamline new technologies in ACF’s programming. -          Ensuring that technical coordination meetings take place at the capital level to share information and promote innovative solutions to programming challenges. -          Visit ACF field activities regularly and report on problems, challenges and obstacles while building an intimate knowledge of fieldwork realities. -          Ensure the coordination of planning and follow up of donor field visits. -          Ensure that the mission has up-to-date knowledge of donor strategies and frameworks, funding mechanisms and that these are fed into the coordination and country strategy planning process. Objective 2: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (Quality Assurance) Activities -          In coordination with the technical and support departments ensure the overall planning, follow-up and writing up of donor reports. -          Ensure project objectives are met and that timelines, budgets, donor guidelines are respected by the senior program team. -          Ensure project development is in line with ACF’s technical guidelines, SPHERE, HAP, CaLP and other technical protocols. -          Ensure that Technical Coordinators submit on time ACF’s Activity Project Reports (APRs) and Technical Monthly Reports (TMR). -          Participate in the drafting of TORs for all technical evaluations and oversee the work of external consultants. -          Support the Technical Coordinators in developing M&E plans for all new projects. -          Organize Monthly APR review meetings -          Support the Technical Coordinator in developing and maintaining a strong community based accountability system. -          Ensure that knowledge is captured through lessons learnt and best practices and facilitate dissemination across the missions. -          Facilitate a ‘trickle-down’ of information towards the field stemming from cluster/sectoral information in the capital. -          Liaise with HQ for all research related and quality assurance matters Objective 3: Representation and liaison for program related issues with donors, authorities, UN, NGOs and other stakeholders Activities -          Liaise with stakeholders for program related issues when senior level involvement is required -          Liaise with donors and partners for all program-related issues. -          Focal point for academic and research partnerships -          Advance and disseminate ACF’s strategic positioning to donors and other stakeholders as this relates to humanitarian analysis and future financial planning. -          Attend technical and/or humanitarian coordination fora such as KFSWG, NTF, and WESCOORD when /if Technical Coordinators are not available. -          Represent ACF in consortia, alliances and partnerships as appropriate -          Strengthen field and capital level information-sharing with IOs, INGOs and government. Objective 4: Advocacy Activities -          Identifying advocacy issues, develops organizational positions in each relevant thematic, and share them with the DCD-Nutrition, BCC, Research and Advocacy portfolio Objective 6: Humanitarian Context Analysis Activities -          Provide the coordination team with information relating to humanitarian and developmental events in the country -          Ensure information is analyzed and provide relevant future propositions for geographic and sectoral interventions throughout the country to CD in a timely fashion. -          Information collection and analysis from external sources and from technical coordinators -          Identify humanitarian needs, briefing the country management team and designing potential responses within the operational country strategy -          Production of the program related part of the mission sitrep Objective 8: Human Resources Management - Programming Activities -          Conducts staff reviews of Technical Coordinators under her/his responsibility. -          Undertake timely appraisals for the Technical Coordinators under her/his responsibility. -          General leadership of program staff and technical departments acting as a liaison between CD and Technical Coordinators. -          Revision of all job descriptions for technical positions in collaboration with Coordinators as needed. -          Induction of new Technical Coordinators and briefing of country program strategy. -          Provide input to coordination team on program issues relating to human resources and budgeting. -          Ensure program staff is motivated and committed to ACF charter and programs -          Provide training and guidance to all new Technical Coordinators on operational management of programs -          Contribute to the career development for program staff in collaboration with the HR department in order to identify needs of training Objective 8: Oversight and guidance on program budgets Activities -          In collaboration with Finance Coordinator and Technical Coordinators, ensure that program budgets are respected -          Ensure that coordinators alert on over- or under spending of budgets and ensure programs are adjusted
QUALIFICATIONS
Education -          Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, agronomy, agro-economy, rural development, environmental engineering -          Master’s degree is desirable Required Experience -          Previous experience on projects focused on improving performance of agricultural technology supply and demand systems. -          Previous successful experience in strengthening the coping strategies of Pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities against climatic and economic hazards -          Strong previous experience on Entrepreneurship & Market Development to increase and diversify production and household income -          Previous worked on value chains, market development, promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and promoting the Common Interest Groups and access to financial services through community-based microfinance -          Experience managing ASAL livestock projects -          Previous experience managing, overseeing WASH programming in ASAL Kenya -          Minimum 5-7 years previous experience in Kenya ASAL -          Demonstrated capacity to provide strategic vision to the sector -          Previous experience participating in developing country strategies -          10+ year experience in middle and senior management roles in humanitarian emergency, recovery/stabilization and development -          Experience from both private and INGO sectors -          Worked with USAID, OFDA, DfiD, ECHO, EU donors.       Outputs -          Contribute to the monthly mission narrative report -          Complete monthly DCD reporting tool -          Complete monthly Contracts Follow Up Tool -          Contribute to the drafting of the country strategy -          Contribute to the drafting of the advocacy strategy -          Oversee proposals and reports drafting What ACF will offer: ü  Start date: November 2014 ü  Duty station: Nairobi Office with frequent travel to the field bases. ACF will provide transport and accommodation plus meals when travelling to the field bases ü  Remuneration package: Very Competitive salary package with additional benefits to include: §  Comprehensive medical cover for self and dependents §  Opportunity to work in a good and friendly environment with a dynamic and motivated team §  Learning and development opportunities Closing Date:  1st September 2014 by Close of Business 5pm. Applications sent after the closing date and time will not be considered. Interested candidates should forward their applications including a cover letter, curriculum vitae and telephone contacts and email addresses of 3 referees preferably former/current supervisors (certificates will be required later on in the recruitment process) to: EMAIL: recruit.ke@acf-international.org  indicate the position on the subject line of the email. Position opened to Kenyan Nationals only