Coordinator – Climate Change and Carbon Specialist at World Vision Kenya

Purpose of Position

To provide technical support in Climate Change mitigation and tailored services in the origination, development and financing of carbon interventions, such as clean energy cookstoves and Nature-based solutions through coordination and monitoring of IMARA Program activities within the program sites in parts of the Counties of Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana and West Pokot geared towards inspiring a sustainable natural resource management as part of the  Kenya ASAL Policy and Ending Drought Emergencies (EDE) framework for increased resilience of vulnerable communities in the ASAL Counties of Kenya.

Major Responsibilities

Effective Technical Program design, Planning and Implementation-40%

• Provide technical skills in Climate Change mitigation and adaptation practices, including providing leadership in carbon markets and emissions reduction across communities and partners in targeted areas.
• Collaborate with the Senior Program Manager, MEAL Coordinator and the technical teams at the National Office to effectively coordinate and conduct carbon project feasibility study in the three counties including, but not limited to, carrying out all measurements – baselines, other assessments, designs, monitoring and evaluations in accordance with Consortium guidelines & donor requirements and develop reports on the same.
• Provide technical guidance and moving priority opportunities to full-scale development, and estimations of the technical, financial, social and Climate eligibility and viability of potential Carbon interventions within IMARA Program area and/or other World Vision Kenya program areas.
• Work closely with the National Climate Change and Carbon Specialist to play a critical role in the development, expansion, and validation of World Vision Kenya’s carbon programming as a team leader in East Africa Region (EARO).
• Conduct training needs assessment, develop capacity building plans and train suitable partners, selected farmer groups and Community owned resource persons /TOTs on the various recommended areas of focus (Sustainable and renewable energy solutions, forest carbon, blue carbon, ecosystem services and natural resource management, etc.) to develop high impact and innovative carbon development interventions across IMARA Program area and beyond.
• Stay up to date with the evolution of voluntary carbon market standards and methodologies and the Kenyan government’s policy and regulatory framework development process in line with UNFCCC decisions.
• Work in close collaboration with World Vision Kenya’s Climate Change and Carbon Development Experts, other Climate Change and Carbon experts across programs and in the East African Regional Office, World Vision Australia and the Global Centre to ensure alignment of strategies and priorities.
• Monitor and support the timely and appropriate utilization of budgeted resources for all program interventions as well as ensure effective and timely response plans.
• Facilitate good collaboration between farmer organizations and government representatives to ensure local ownership and sustainability of the interventions.
• Support implementation of NRM Sustainable Land use systems, Sustainable and renewable energy options and community- driven impact monitoring.
• Guide Integration of Gender and Youth in program activities through implementation of national, county, and organizational strategies.
• Participate in a conflict resolution process as agreed with the project team, should any conflict arise in the implementation of the project.

Quality Assurance, Monitoring, Data management, Reporting & Documentation-35%

• Participate/ support program assessments, planning, implementation, monitoring & evaluation;       documentation and dissemination of promising practices.
• Coordinate implementation of the monitoring and evaluation framework that ensures that the targets, boundary maps and results from implementation sites are tracked.
• Facilitate the use of reliable data collection tools and consistent record keeping among the program beneficiary groups.
• Ensure the Farmer organizations have functional M&E systems.
• Submit periodic (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual) reports and assessments on progress against carbon project development for internal and external audiences.
• Ensure confidentiality of all project data and reports.
• Coordinate joint monitoring visits with key partners to track and document program progress in     the targeted counties.
• Ensure the feedback from monitoring exercises is fed into the environment technical       working group within the program counties.
• Support communications and advocacy departments in development of context specific electronic and print media communications on Climate Change and Carbon programming activities.
• Strengthen the capacity of farmer organizations to do quality assurance to all climate-related data that is collected and submitted to the database in line with the Monitoring Reporting and Verification framework for climate action in Kenya.

Partnership, networking and resource mobilization-20%

• Support IMARA Program management and World Vision Kenya’s relationships with external partners by continually looking for opportunities to strengthen technical support and capacity building to enhance collaboration and partnership
• Ensure collaborative roles and partnerships with key partners to leverage County partners including GoK line Ministries at the County and national, Community Based organization, NGO, Learning Research institutions and any relevant authorities.
• Develop working agreements / MOUs with partners as per need.
• Coordinate stakeholder / partner forums on IMARA Counties strengthening strategic NRM and Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the areas
• Coordinate reflection and learning forums for community and partners for purposes of providing forums for experiential learning & reflection.
• In liaison with partners, lead/support development of data collection and monitoring tools as required.
• Strengthen advocacy on prioritization and increased resource allocation for NRM related activities by County government and other CSOs.
• Build capacity on community groups on advocacy to engage service providers and participate in  forums relating to sustainable NRM, Climate Change mitigation and adaptation, and Carbon programming.
• Provide strategic leadership and support collaborative partnership engagements within the IMARA areas of focus across the counties.

Any Other

• Carry out any other duties assigned by the supervisor-5%

Required Professional Experience

• Knowledge of climate response approaches (adaptation, mitigation and enabling mechanisms), tools and processes
• S/he should have had training and or experience in using GIS software and GPSs
• Understanding of Carbon standards and quantification models.
• Knowledge and understanding and experience in monitoring and evaluation.
• Knowledge of the Carbon project registration and verification processes.
• Clear understanding of the role of Carbon markets in Climate Change mitigation and their role in adaptation and livelihood resilience.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting field teams on Climate project design, implementation and MERL.
• Basic understanding of the policy and legal framework for Climate Change at County level and the devolved Climate finance mechanism.
• The holder of this position must be a result orientated person who can handle a heavy work load as well as manage and satisfy multiple and at times conflicting organizational, donor and other stakeholder demands.
• S/he must also have ample experience in public relations and be a strong team player.
• S/he must have a network of contacts with the clean energy sector, local governments and conservation organizations.
• S/he must have knowledge of the voluntary Carbon market standards and programs.
• Must have skills and ability to provide training and mentorships.
• S/he must be a self-starter, able to work under minimum supervision and maintain good relationship.
• Experience working with private sector, local communities, institutions, governmental and traditional authorities in ASAL regions.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, networking and representation skills.
• Proven leadership qualities, problem-solving and negotiation skills, and evidence of a successful team player.

Required Education, training, license, registration, and certification

The following may be acquired through a combination of formal or self-education, prior   experience or on the job training:

• The holder of this position must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field from a recognized University within the Commonwealth, preferably in Environmental Science/Studies, Forestry, Agriculture/Agroforestry/Agricultural Education and Extension, Conservation Management, Natural Resources Management or Rangeland Management. A Master’s Degree or Post-Graduate Studies in the area of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation would be an added advantage.

• Minimum of three years’ experience in implementing sustainable natural resource management (SNRM) programs in ASAL/degraded parts of Kenya, two of which must have involved developing relationships and originating carbon transactions with diverse partners and with demonstrable competencies in designing, planning, implementation, documenting, record-keeping and reporting.

Preferred Knowledge and Qualifications

• Experience in working with consortium partners, county governments, private sector, civil society, donors and local communities. General knowledge in / Nutrition, Social Protection, Gender issues and Youth inclusion.