Associate, Sustainable Coffee at Rainforest Alliance

Position summary:

The Associate, Sustainable Coffee (ASC) is responsible for coordinating, implementing as well as advising on all coffee production related activities for Rainforest Alliance Mount Kenya Sustainable Landscape and Livelihoods Program in Kenya. The ASC is responsible for coordinating and managing relationships with all coffee stakeholders to promote sustainable production, commercialization and competitiveness of coffee and diversified enterprises for improved Livelihoods within the Mount Kenya Landscape. The ASC will work in collaboration with Rainforest Alliance staff, partners, consultants, coffee and finance stakeholders to design and support integrated landscape Management (ILM) strategies within Mount Kenya Landscape. The position includes designing training interventions, training materials, and conducting trainings and advisory to coffee farmers, lead farmers, cooperative management, technical assistants and extension staff on good agricultural practices (GAPs) and Climate Smart (CSA) Regenerative Agriculture. The ASC will coordinate and work closely with other program staff and Rainforest Alliance Coffee Expert, partners and stakeholders to deliver the program outcomes and impacts and  share knowledge and learnings.

Responsibilities: 

• Hold program sensitisation workshops with coffee farmers groups, small and medium plantations, and coffee sector stakeholders in Mt Kenya landscape as well as public and private sector including government officials to sensitize on program objectives and expected outcomes, including ILM;
• Hold workshops with the farmer groups for participatory climate risk mapping, regularly review the climate impact and adaptation needs and opportunities for coffee farmers;
• Conduct training assessment needs and capacity development needs and approaches to climate and economic resilience building based on situation analysis and climate risks and opportunities assessment for coffee;
• Develop training materials, digital tools and resources and support farmer groups to develop climate smart farm improvement plans that are aligned to group and landscape plans and the needs of coffee farmers and effectively support their implementation with farmer groups and small and medium plantations;
• Conduct Training of Trainers (ToT), extension officers and farmers training on CSA Regenerative Agriculture and GAPs and other best practices identified for the landscape;
• Support the program in developing the business case on the need to invest/secure long-term supply agreements for coffee smallholder farmers to mitigate supply chain risks;
• Ensure coffee farmers and groups and small and medium plantations are adequately represented and supported by the Landscape governance and development and management Plans (SLDMPs), support the Team Manager to closely connect coffee farmer groups with specialty / differentiated markets through companies that rewards improvement adoption and quality coffee through premiums and better trading terms;
• Work collaboratively with other stakeholders to promote gender equality and youth inclusion in coffee farming and diversified enterprises for livelihood improvement;
• Support in the assessment of progress toward achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in the project site through estimating changes in carbon capture resulting from changes in farmers´ management practices towards adoption of CSA practices; and
• Support the Team Manager in the preparation of quality and timely Program performance technical reports as required by donors, as well as in the preparation of presentations to partners, landscape and stakeholders and Rainforest Alliance.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, Agricultural based sciences, Natural Resources Management or related field;
• Minimum 3 to 5 years of experience in farmer training, ToT, Demonstrations Farms, Farmer Field Schools and Lead Farmer training models working in the smallholder coffee sector, Experience in project management will be an added advantage;
• Demonstrated knowledge of the coffee certification(s), experience in training on GAPs, Coffee husbandry, CSA and Regenerative Agriculture;
• Demonstrated ability in designing and development of training materials, training curriculum and evaluation of training interventions;
• Demonstrated ability to build capacity for programs among staff, partners and key actors in local communities;
• Excellent verbal and written communication in English and Kiswahili. Knowledge of a local language is a plus.
• Ability to travel locally and internationally at least 30% of the time.

Salary:

Commensurate with experience.

Deadline: December 15, 2020

Notes:

Only candidates authorized to work in Kenya will be considered.