Chief of Party-TWENDE at International Union for Conservation of Nature

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Under direct supervision of the IUCN Kenya Country Representative; in close consultation with designated Programme Officers at NDMA, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and Conservation International and, under the guidance of the Global Programme Manager of the GCF Programme in IUCN, the Chief of Party (CoP) is responsible for the overall management of the TWENDE project on behalf of the Executing partners and within the limitations laid down by the Project Steering Committee (PSC).
• The CoP will provide technical advice and support to the implementation of the different project activities, and in doing so will work to ensure coherence with the TWENDE project framework developed at the national project management unit (PMU) and county levels (coordination/implementation) hubs with relevant parties. The CoP will oversee the overall monitoring of the use of funds and the procurement plan. S/he will be head of the Project Management Unit (PMU) and will be supported by field coordinators, project officers, senior finance officer and a project administrator. In addition, s/he will provide guidance on the strategic direction of the project to other project management unit staff (i.e., coordinators, administration, and finance) and technical experts recruited to deliver project activities. S/he will ensure proper monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all project activities. The CoP will also serve as the Secretary of the Project Steering Committee which is comprised of key stakeholders and project partners.
• The position requires significant coordination skills, broad general and technical knowledge, experience in the region and skills to ensure coherence and consistency despite urgent deadlines.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

Manage the overall implementation of the TWENDE Project activities:

• Develop annual activity and procurement work plans, as well as budgets based on expected year-end outputs, and ensure close monitoring of activities and delivery.
• Work closely with the finance team on matters including financial planning, expenditure tracking, sub-contracting to Executing Entities to ensure IUCN policies are applied and GCF requirements are followed.
• Follow up on 1) the compliance of project implementation with GCF policies, IUCN policies and safeguards 2) the performance of the projects with the target indicators, logical framework, workplan and budget through regular reporting and on-site supervision missions.
• Work with project staff to receive, review and synthesize monitoring information to support adaptive management and ensure timely compliance with internal and GCF monitoring and reporting requirements, especially to produce the GCF annual performance reports (APRs).
• Prepare any required updates / summaries on the projects and participate in project-related meetings with the GCF, government, executing entity partners etc.
• Supervise personnel engaged in delivering aspects of the project.

Coordinate partnership with key stakeholders;

• Develop and coordinate the project management unit (PMU).
• Build, maintain and manage effective working relationships with consortium members. Ensure that each consortium partner is performing to the highest standards, support project objectives and targets, and comply with GCF rules and regulations.
• Serve as the single point of contact and project representative with partners and external stakeholders.
• Ensure continuous liaison with the relevant Government agencies, NGOs, Civil Society and IUCN.

Provide technical advice and support to the implementation of the Project activities;

• Provide technical inputs to the implementation of the different project activities and outputs – by providing technical inputs to workshop presentations, to studies, to advisory services and to other activities and outputs of the project.
• Provide technical support and back-up services to project managers.
• Prepare, in consultation with the partners, TORs for consultants and comment on their reports.
• Oversee all cross-cutting activities and ensure their strong support of and synergy with technical implementation objectives and vision, including, but not limited to: communications and outreach; monitoring, evaluation & learning (MEL), knowledge management; and, gender and social inclusion;
• Monitor and report the implementation of environmental and social risk management measures through the programme cycle.

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the overall Project deliverables;

• Carry out regular follow-up and monitoring of implementation activities.
• Carry out regular monitoring and reporting on risks and mitigation measures.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of required reports, including bi-annual progress and expenditure reports, per the requirements of GCF.
• Provide regular updates on the project’s progress where possible for all parties and reporting requirements.
• Facilitate independent evaluations.

Other responsibilities:

• Fundraising and programme development support
• Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

REQUIREMENTS
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Education;

• Master’s degree in environmental science/natural resources/management/policy, finance, economics or other relevant subject.

Work Experience;

• Ten (10) years or more of progressively responsible national/region work experience implementing large programs with demonstrated strong management and coordinating skills.
• At least five (5) years of management experience, including direct supervision of professional and support staff and assembling teams working on multi-faceted programs.
• Expertise and experience in climate change and relevant sectors such as energy, agriculture, water and cross-cutting issues such as gender, environmental and social impact assessments.
• Experience leading teams in the country/region and/or proven ability to establish productive working relationships with multi-sectoral partners/counterparts/stakeholders.
• Experience in gender mainstreaming in programmes.
• Experience in programme design, monitoring and evaluation is an asset.

Language Proficiency;

• Fluency in written and spoken English is a must.

Core Competencies;

• Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.
• Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provide a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
• Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner.
• Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach.

Functional competencies;

• Excellent oral and written communication skills including ability to summarize complex donor program.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to interact effectively with all levels of staff and partners from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Capability to develop and implement effective strategies and tactics for accomplishing assigned duties.
• Demonstrated ability to think critically and synthetically across fields and topics.
• Strong ability to work independently and/or remotely, while maintaining productivity.
• Demonstrated ability to work in team environments and cultivate productive partnerships across a diversity of stakeholders.
• Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of projects.
• Proven networking, team building, organizational and communication skills.
• Clear commitment to fostering a culture of high performance and accountability, demonstrated in the ability to manage by results,
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills:
• Committed to continuous learning and proactive and mature attitude towards self-development.