Since 1963 and in 146 countries, ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that delivers technical and management assistance in agribusiness, financial services, enterprise development, community development, and food security in order to promote broad-based economic growth and vibrant civil society. ACDI/VOCA currently has approximately 50 projects in 30 countries and total revenues of $174 million.
Job Summary:
The position is responsible for using community-driven, participatory approaches to
- develop robust market-systems enhancing activities/interventions,
- spearhead county-level facilitative processes with local actors,
- identify and support the formulation of exit strategies and
- solicit new partnerships and expand existing networks to ensure that LMS counties become vibrant business hubs.
County Program Managers will ensure that LMS-AA1investments geared to growing and expanding the capacity and commitment businesses, cooperatives and market actors are also profitable, sustainable, and well managed.
With direct reporting line to the Deputy Chief of Party, the County Program Manager will oversee the implementation of market best practices and streamlining market management in an all-inclusive manner and steer the LMS/AA1 county teams towards the Journey to Self-Reliance.
The County Program Manager will work closely with the Monitoring & Evaluation Manager and Nairobi-based technical staff to ensure that the data collected for AA1 reporting and planning purposes is analyzed verified and entered to the SharePoint-based project database.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities:
- Support Deputy Chief of Party in providing leadership management and general technical direction of the project, and maintain a daily, operational commitment to the program’s systemic and inclusive implementation approach.
- Coordinate with other LMS technical staff in conducting continuous community-level market research and value chain analyses of the project which will serve as the basis for project external and internal communications, annual work planning and strategy formulation.
- Represent LMS/AA1 at the County level including in CSG, Sector meetings, Working Groups and during high level missions.
- Coordinate the identification, in close collaboration with the DCOP and AA1 Technical team, of exit strategies and suitable local partners, whose capacity and commitment will be built to absorb AA1/LMS related functions during the Life of Project. Participate in assessments of these partners as potential J2SR partners.
- Via stakeholder consultations, identify market system gaps, value chain enhancements or needs that LMS can tackle, respond to and support. Work with Nairobi-based staff and the AA1 County Team to identify business solutions to address market constraints, value chains inefficiencies and effect catalytic change.
- Ensures the quality of activities implementing by sub-partners at the county level, reporting progress and challenges to LMS management.
- Support the solicitation, community entry and review processes associated with LMS Grants (large, small and innovation) disbursements, and provide progress reports to the project team and provide input/information to project management to facilitate decision making on high impact business/market system solution.
- Monitor construction projects following completion and during the defect liability period and advice on corrections needed and their satisfactory completion. Ensure that construction and/or roll-out of businesses/investments is constantly monitored by relevant LMS staff.
- Provide regular updates on all relevant matters including the security situation/trends, and the risks that they pose to LMS business investments and recommend mitigation measures to the COP and DCOP.
- Ensure all relevant parties implement project activities as per LMS Objectives, workplans, the project design and the technical specifications for each investments/activity. Should there be a situation where the project design is not clear, the County Program Manager should inform and recommend appropriate solutions to the Deputy Chief of Party.
- Support overall county-level knowledge management processes, contributing to USAID Mission Director updates, as well as bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
- Upon request from the DCOP, prepare high quality briefs, presentations and informational/educational/outreach materials to showcase progress and results achieved under AA1. Document and share project success stories, pictures and case studies that demonstrate project outcomes or changes occasioned by LMS interventions.
- Organize visits for Engineers/Architects/Environmental Specialist (and EIA experts) to review and certify work progress statements/payment certificates from the contractor so ACDI/VOCA can make interim payments.
- Working collaboratively with project partners, LMS M&E staff and government counterparts to facilitate and implement appropriate management to ensure the implementation of LMS activities in the areas of gender inclusion, youth employability, workforce development and access to information.
- Advise and support LMAs, LMS/AA1 grantees, county government departments and local market actors (e.g. associations, cooperatives and VSLAs) to implement market best practices developed by LMS in consultation with market teams in Turkana. Build the capacities of the Livestock Marketing Associations to ensure effective, transparent, and fair governance and management of markets.
- Represent LMS/AA1 at the county and participate in all PREG partners’ activities in respective counties and collaborate with PREG members, county governments and other donor funded projects operating in the county to build synergies, layering and integration of activities.
- Manage an Enterprise Development Coordinator, Operations Officer, drivers and office staff.
- Monitor the implementation of environmental mitigation measures during the construction process to ensure compliance with USAID and Kenyan government environmental regulations.
- Ensure appropriate security procedures and duty of care are followed by project staff and provide security updates and briefs to county teams and LMS management.
- Budget management and petty cash responsibility
Qualifications:
- A minimum of a BA in Entrepreneurship, Development Studies, Business Management or related field. A Master’s Degree in a related field is highly preferred.
- A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in developing/reviewing business plans, conducting economic and/or financial analysis or other relevant areas is a must.
- Experience in livestock value chain and MSME development or closely related field will be an added advantage.
- Ability to engage with both high level and technical representatives from government (local/national), NGOs, INGOs, private sector, institutions and donors.
- USAID programmatic experience a strong plus.
- Strong writing, analytical, presentation, representational and reporting skills.
- Previous experience managing staff, diverse teams preferred.
- Ability to travel and work in one of the designated counties (Turkana).
- The position requires extensive field travel within and beyond designated counties.
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The post County Program Manager at ACDI / VOCA is republished from Jobs – Jobs in Kenya – http://jobwebkenya.com/
