County Program Manager at ACDI/VOCA

The USAID Kenya Feed the Future Livestock Market Systems (LMS) Leader with Associates (LWA) program is focused on strengthening community resilience and overcoming poverty, household hunger and chronic undernutrition through: expanded and viable economic opportunities; improved systems, institutions, governance; and human capital.

The Program comprises of Leader and Associate Awards with the objective to maximize local capacity to plan and manage integrated resilience programming and foster collaboration with other implementers to achieve significant and lasting social change.

The Expanding and Diversifying Viable Economic Opportunities in Northern Kenya (AA1) project provides market-based pull by facilitating a more competitive, commercialized livestock value chain for pastoralists that are moving up in the livestock market system and, by creating viable, diversified livelihoods opportunities for those that are moving up or moving out of the sector. The AA1 design builds vibrant market systems in livestock and other viable industries, enabling households to generate more income within the sector and to diversify into other income sources.

By increasing and diversifying income sources, households –with a focus on youth and women– build resilience and create sustained pathways out of poverty.

The three objectives that comprise the pull structure of AA1 are:

1) expanded and diversified viable economic opportunities;

2) strengthened institutions, systems and governance; and

3) collaborative action and learning for market systems change.

Job Summary: The position is responsible for using community-driven, participatory approaches to support and develop efforts that will ensure the livestock market infrastructure is upgraded, becomes vibrant business hubs, are profitable 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.

The County Program Manager will work closely with the Monitoring & Evaluation and Learning Advisor to ensure that data is collected, verified and informs structured investments into the Livestock Market System of Turkana County.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

LMS Investments scoping

• Through 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 Turkana County Team to identify business solutions to address market constraints, value chains inefficiencies and effect catalytic change.
• 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.

LMS Investments Co-creation and Co-Design

• Oversee collaboration efforts with Turkana County Government in co-creation and co-design of ideas with potential to provide compelling and sustained solutions toward livestock market systems strengthening
• Monitor and update on execution of approved LMS grants/projects within Turkana County, flagging areas of improvement for immediate action, and any environmental mitigation concerns from construction projects.
• Collaborate with Turkana County Government and LMS Technical Specialists to outline and execute gender and youth workforce development inclusion actions.

Coordination and Management

• Employ management styles that ensure Turkana County LMS team members individually and collectively deliver structured services to LMS community partners, including on a just-in-time basis.
• Oversee smooth daily running of Turkana Office, making sure resources are available to support field operations.
• Ensure a functional team work ethic in the Turkana County Office
• Organize visits for Engineers/Architects/Environmental Specialists to review and certify work progress statements/payment certificates from LMS contractors so ACDI/VOCA can make interim payments.
• Document and share project success stories, pictures and case studies that demonstrate outstanding project outcomes or changes occasioned by LMS interventions.
• Support LMAs 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.

Representation

• Provide reliable and effective representation of LMS across all stakeholder offices, groups and platforms within Turkana County. Key partners are The Turkana County Government, Turkana County chapter of USAID Partnership for Resilience and Economic Growth (PREG) and Civil Society Networks in Turkana
• Ensure the LMS Turkana County Office is an open home for all USAID visits related to LMS.
• Whenever needed, effectively coordinate scheduled USAID LMS Field monitoring visits in Turkana County. Sometimes these happen on short notice.

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.
• Flexibility to travel wide within Turkana County