Specialist Sr., Food Security, Livelihoods and Climate Change (FSL and CCA) at Child Fund International

About This Role

• The Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) Specialist will be responsible for providing technical and strategic leadership in agriculture, food security, livelihoods, and climate change adaptation & resilience (FSL&CCA) programs in ChildFund Kenya. S/He will be responsible for promoting and engaging in systematic implementation, design, monitoring, and evaluation and translating all FSL&CCA-related strategic priorities in the Country Strategic Plan into implementable actions and interventions including identification, synthesis of best practices and lessons learned.
• The holder of the position will lead the designing and development of FSL and Climate Change Adaptation programs and projects, identifying new business opportunities including proposal development, and engaging with current and new donors regarding FSL and CCA activities. S/he will ensure that FSL and CCA interventions implemented either directly or through local partners are of the highest technical quality through the provision of regular technical oversight and support, program monitoring, and reporting. He/She will provide strategic leadership and direction and ensure high-quality, coherent, and well-coordinated design and scale-up of FSL and CCA programming.

Required Experience and Education

• A master’s degree in agriculture, climate change, rural development, social economics, agribusiness, or other related development studies.
• Strong technical background and experience in climate-smart agricultural technologies, value chain management, climate change adaptation, microfinance/credit, and marketing and poverty graduation approaches.
• Demonstrated experience of best practices in program design, monitoring, and evaluation with documented results related to the position’s responsibilities.
• A good understanding of donor compliance and reporting mechanisms (USAID, EU, BMZ, and UN Agencies such as UNICEF, WFP, and UNFPA), etc.) is an added advantage.
• Good negotiation and communication skills; excellent writing skills
• Ability to deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated strong management, coordination, teamwork, and planning skills.
• Excellent facilitation and coordination skills.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop the technical capacity of staff and partners.

Primary Responsibilities
Program Leadership and Direction

• Lead and provide technical support in the design and development of food security, livelihoods, and climate change adaptation country strategy(ies), frameworks, and programs interventions.
• Contribute and participate in the development of the country's strategic plan and related country-level strategies, policies, and frameworks.
• Oversee the integration of poverty graduation, resilience, climate risk management, and environmental sustainability considerations across all programs.
• Support advocacy, and capacity development efforts of the ChildFund Country Office and its Implementing partners’ staff in collaboration with relevant technical and thematic teams.
• Support the socialization and cascading of the Country's Strategic Plan, policies, frameworks, and FSL &CCA priorities among local partners, stakeholders, and donors.
• Advise the Senior Management Team (SMT) on FSL and CCA strategic issues, emerging opportunities, and trends.
• Actively participate in and provide technical guidance to the Extended Senior Management Team (ESMT), Country Emergency Response Team, and other Country level leadership teams.
• Lead mapping of capabilities and capacity enhancement needs of LPs in climate change adaptation, food security and livelihoods, climate-smart agriculture, poverty graduation, and resilience programming.
• Promote the integration of FSL & CCA programs with other sectors' priorities through the creation of linkages and joint participatory planning processes.

Program Management

• Oversee country FSL and CCA program portfolio, supporting with new program/project start-ups and close-down
• Support local partners in the mobilization and set-up processes for new FSL  and CCA grants and Non-Sponsorship Projects (NSP).
• Ensure donor requirements for data collection, reporting, and targets/achievements for FSL and CCA programs are met
• Contribute to the development and regular (Monthly and Quarterly) review of Country's Annual Operation Plans
• Support the development and review of the Implementing partner's Annual Operation Plan and Budgets (AOPB) and ensure FSL and CCA program priorities are incorporated.
• Closely work with other members of the ChildFund program and Local Partner program teams to achieve FSL and CCA program objectives.
• Monitor program Food Security, Livelihood, and Climate Action related expenditures (both PEF, NSPs, and grants) and regularly liaise with finance, partnership portfolio management (PPM), and GAAM teams to address spending issues.
• Carry out program monitoring and review to identify program constraints and challenges during implementation, propose solutions, and accordingly oversee implementation of proposed changes.
• Develop technical reports (internal and external) and proposals reflective of government, organization, and donor guidelines, ensuring timely submission to line management.

Program Design and Development

• Work closely with the Grants Acquisition and Management (GAAM) team in the design and formulation of new project proposals and concept motes providing technical and budgetary input throughout the program development and design phase on FSL and CCA funding opportunities.
• Support resource mobilization efforts on climate change adaptation, food security, livelihoods, and climate-smart agriculture technologies.
• Identify, initiate, and lead on new potential FSL and CCA partnerships and funding opportunities (e.g., consortiums, new calls for proposals).
• Lead scoping missions, engage with new donors on FSL and CCA opportunities, and identify potential new business opportunities for new FSL and CCA programs.
• Coordinate with the GAAM Team and support donor stewardship, communications, and cultivation of major global donors and prospects.

Reporting, Documentation, and Information Sharing

• Participate in and provide technical support (development of TOR, data tools review, etc) in FSL and CCA baseline and other related studies.
• Support in the timely preparation and/or review of the quarterly and annual programmatic and donor quality reports.
• Promote and engage in systematic monitoring and evaluation of climate change adaptation, food security and livelihoods, individual and family poverty graduation, and the identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned for organizational reporting, sharing, and learning.
• Document success (most significant) stories, lessons learned, and best practices and share them with SMT, ESMT, Implementation Partners, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Closely work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Knowledge Management unit to ensure all information and data on FSL and CCA programs are incorporated into the country M&E system.
• Organize and facilitate regular learning and sharing sessions with stakeholders on FSL and CCA programs.

Program Representation

• Participate in the FSL and CCA Forums, networks, and other coordination activities through active reporting and communication with field and national-level focal points.
• Represent and promote ChildFund Kenya FSL and CCA programs externally with relevant stakeholders, including national and county Governments, donors, and NGO partners.

Required Competencies
ChildFund’s Core Competencies

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.

Other Required Competencies

• Experience in managing and implementing cash transfers, conservation agriculture, carbon credit, climate-smart technologies, voluntary Saving and Loan Schemes, poverty graduation approaches, and in-depth understanding of FSL and CCA in both development and emergency contexts.