Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Specialist at SoCha

Background: To support USAID/Kenya & East Africa (KEA) seeks to advance what self-reliance means for Kenya and the broader region. To support USAID/KEA to align programming toward promoting self-reliance outcomes, SoCha LLC implements a two-year (optional third year) mission support program to enable USAID to pivot into this journey to self-reliance (J2SR). The Mission Support for the Journey to Self-Reliance Pivot (MSP) supports USAID/KEA to understand context, align programs, collect data, understand complexity, and apply learning to program adaptation.

As part of this support, MSP helps to facilitate the Mission’s efforts on Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA). CLA is USAID’s approach to strategic collaboration, continuous learning, and adaptive management.

As a mid-level member of the MSP Organizational Development (OD) and CLA Team, the CLA Specialist will oversee and facilitate CLA and knowledge management activities among USAID/KEA internal and external stakeholders with an eye to adaptive management and ensuring sustainability of results and outcomes at the strategy, project and activity levels. S/he will oversee knowledge management and support the dissemination of learnings, working closely with the other teams on MSP that support Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) and J2SR Alignment. S/he will report to the Organizational Learning Advisor. S/he will also provide facilitation and event management support.

Scope of Work:

The MSP CLA Specialist will:

• Track progress on the Mission-wide CLA Plan and support its implementation
• Review Implementing Partner (IP) Activity CLA Plans at the request of COR/AORs
• Lead CLA Capacity Building/Training activities for Mission staff, IPs and other Mission stakeholders (e.g., local development organizations [LDOs]). This includes supporting curriculum and materials development and facilitating the activities.
• Facilitate Pause & Reflect activities and After-Action Reviews (AARs)
• Work with USAID to coordinate the CLA Champions group meetings and share new and timely CLA resources with them
• Lead on CLA Case Study development, conducting information collection and knowledge capture activities and drafting knowledge products
• Work with MSP’s PQI team to advise on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Adaptive Management (MEL4AM) approaches
• Support knowledge capture and exit interviews of departing Mission staff
• Support development of learning agendas, implementation of the learning activities included in the learning agendas (including learning events) and track progress
• Support data analysis on CLA index and other OD-related AMELP indicators
• Coordinate status updates on Mission Office goal progress
• Event management of Mission commissioned events
• General facilitation and rapporteur support

Deliverables for each multi-day

• Coaching
• Development of CLA agendas/strategies for USAID and implementing partners
• Leadership behavior and support
• Support for high performing teams
• Alignment of personal work objectives and professional development with Mission goals

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in organizational, communications, social sciences, business management or a related field. Master’s is preferred.
• At least 2 years of experience with event management, facilitation, CLA, organizational learning, adaptive management, change management, monitoring and evaluation, communications and/or knowledge management in the private sector or international development sector.
• Strong facilitation skills with experience designing and delivering learning events, meetings, and trainings.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively interact with local professionals, international donor organizations, civil society and private sector, host country government counterparts, and other implementing partners in developing countries.
• Must be a legal resident of Kenya.
• Excellent communication skills and strong proficiency in written and spoken English.