Strategic Learning Lead at Food for the Hungry (FH Kenya)

Expat Post Status: Accompanied
Reports To: Chief of Party

Position Purpose

The Strategic Learning Lead will work closely with the Research and Design Lead and Monitoring and Evaluation Lead to ensure coordination, collaboration and learning across all projects in FH implementation areas, to include reflective, intentional, and adaptive learning exercises within and across our multi-sectoral activities with the goal to reduce acute malnutrition within the USAID Title II Food for Peace funded Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) program. This role will ensure robust stakeholder coordination by activity staff with entities including local partners, USG, Government of Kenya, international donors, multilateral organizations and private sector investments. Additionally, the position will improve peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application, activity-based capacity strengthening, evidence and data utilization, and collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA).

Responsibilities

Please note: this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Key Result #1 – Manage, share, and create relevant knowledge assets that will help meet tactical and strategic requirements of the project.

• Lead learning and collaborative initiatives across all components of the DFSA;
• Develop a project learning agenda and strategy and lead project teams to continual engagement of the learning agenda and adaptation of plans based on lessons learned;
• Regularly identify project areas of improvement, and work with the Chief of Party and partners to develop action plans to implement improvements;
• Work across project teams to ensure they are generating key data necessary for evaluation, reflection and actionable learning from project activities;
• Lead knowledge capture, sharing, and testing of methods to advance the learning agenda;
• Improve peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing, activity-based capacity strengthening, data utilization and collaborative learning and adaptation.

Key Result #2 – Promote Culture of Learning in the Project.

• Work with the project team to identify the key thematic priorities for learning to sustainably reduce the level of malnutrition;
• Work closely with program team to agree on priorities and ensure project annual plan includes learning outcomes and support these the first year of implementation and subsequently in rolling these out;
• Contribute to the development of annual plans and reports and other biennial and time bound plans for specific outcome areas and provide leadership in ensuring learning as a strategy and commitment is effectively planned for and tangible results are included in the annual targets;
• Prepare high quality learning documents on identified themes by supporting the capturing of best practices and outcomes from learning initiatives, with the technical specialists, Strategic Research and M&E Leads;
• Collaborate with FH’s Learning and Evaluation Team on the various platforms, tools, templates and resources;
• Work closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Lead to ensure performance data is relevant and useful and is analyzed regularly to enable reflection, adaptation, and continuous improvement;
• Participate in regular senior management meetings and provide insights to inform technical and operational decisions.

Key Result #3 – Communication to Internal and External Stakeholders.

• Develop and implement a two-way communications strategy for learning and adapting of project activities;
• Provide technical support to project teams in the development and distribution of learning tools, materials, and reports;
• Prepare presentations and reports for leadership on program learning and adaptation;
• Attend meetings with USAID-funded and other development projects.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty/function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Vibrant personal relationship with Jesus Christ and Christian commitment to serving the poor and in full agreement with FH’s Christian foundation and beliefs as expressed in The Heartbeat: our Values, Vision, and Purpose;

• Excellent people skills including warmth and sensitivity, interpersonal communication skills, conversational, able to relate to and effectively communicate with people from different cultures (at various levels within the organization);
• Strong team player and adept at creating a strong team spirit;
• Excellent organizational skills; ability to plan and coordinate work, focus on details, ensure the efficient flow of projects and processes;
• High integrity and a strong sense of professional ethics;
• Able to self-manage a diverse and dynamic set of responsibilities, proactively solve problems and / or suggest viable solutions while advancing goals and objectives;
• Demonstrated computer operating skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office products, Google platform, and virtual technologies such as Skype and / or GoToMeeting;
• Comfortable and persuasive when speaking before both large and small groups;
• Ability to interact positively with all levels of the organization and across organizational and cultural boundaries;
• Proven ability to work creatively and independently both in the field and in the office;
• In-depth understanding of applicable research methods and project design;
• Experience in programming USAID Title II development programs, including developing learning agendas;
• Understanding of USAID’s CLA Framework and how it can improve programming;
• Demonstrated experience gathering program data, developing adaptation strategies, and communicating findings to internal and external stakeholders;
• Knowledge of adaptive management techniques;
• Demonstrated experience in food security, nutrition, knowledge management, organizational learning, and capacity strengthening;
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions;
• Medical fitness to live and travel in rural and urban areas with extreme conditions and limited medical support;
• Ability to travel up to 50% of time per year to remote project sites in northern Kenya.

Education and Experience: An advanced degree (PhD or Master’s) in a relevant field of study plus seven to 10 years relevant work experience required; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Supervisor Responsibilities: This position does not have direct supervisory responsibilities.

Language: Proficiency in spoken and written English. Proficiency in Swahili preferred. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.