Officer, Project – Re-greening Africa Project at Child Fund International

Overall Objectives of the position:

• ChildFund intend to implement a Regreening Africa Project that will counter the impacts of climate change and improve resilience and adaptability of women and children in Nairobi, Makueni, Kajiado counties in Kenya. The organization is therefore looking for a Project Officer to facilitate the successful implementation of the Regreening Africa Project.
• Working closely with the Area Manager and with technical support from the Senior Food Security & Livelihoods Specialist, the Project Officer will be responsible for the planning, implementation and reporting the progress of the project. He/she will be expected to develop and maintain a good relationship with the project participants, relevant Government Departments at the National and County level and all the stakeholders to deliver on his /her mandate. The position too entails direct beneficiary interaction and upholding high standards of humanitarian work.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Coordinate the provision of technical guidance and training to farmers (women, youth and community groups) on best practices of agroforestry, soil conservation, water harvesting, and commercial agro-forestry and fruit tree nursery management.
• Assist in consultants in conducting a baseline and evaluation surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with the farmers and other stakeholders.
• Provide technical & logistical support for the projects implementation and ensure that the activities are implemented on time and according to the project design as provided in the proposal.
• Design, develop and implement specific work plans and budgets related to the project and ensure that the project objectives are achieved.
• Prepare and submit consolidated donor reports to Food Security & Livelihoods Specialist, for onward transmission to ChildFund Kenya and the donor (Dow) on project implementation Progress.
• Fully share all relevant joint monitoring findings and the implementation status of joint recommendations to the Area Manager and Senior Food Security and Livelihoods Specialist.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with the relevant Government line ministries and departments at County/Sub-County and Ward levels, with National and international NGOs, community-based leaders and other community structures.
• Assist in organizing donor and VIP missions to the Field sites.
• Supervise the efficient distribution of project commodities at field sites and ensure proper accountability and provide regular feedback.
• Assist in conducting regular meetings with local administration, stakeholders including National & County Governments and implementation partners on issues relevant to the Regreening Africa Project.
• Integrate and Mainstream Gender and Child protection measures into the project.
• Represent the organization in different fora in the assigned Sub-County.
• Support the development of concepts and proposals on climate change and related development areas for donor funding on short notice.
• Knowledge in Community Based Targetting, Community Based Resilience Analysis, Climate Smart Agricultural Technologies, Kitchen Gardening, Participatory planning and Learning Techniques.
• Willingness and ability to work and live in rural setups with minimal supervision.
• Collect and report data on the progress, challenges, and impact of the project activities
• Liaise with local authorities, partners, and stakeholders to ensure effective coordination and collaboration
• Identify and document success stories, lessons learned, and best practices from the project.
• Participate in project planning, review, and evaluation meetings
• Conduct field visits and monitor the implementation of agroforestry and land restoration activities in the project sites
• Ensure that the establishment of commercial agro-forestry and fruit tree nurseries, vegetable kitchen gardens and all project activities are done on time, maintained in the field and all the technologies applied are all up and running.
• Ensure the adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Technologies and the processing of moringa and marketing activities are carried and on schedule.
• Any other duties as allocated by the supervisor.

Qualifications/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Agriculture, Agribusiness, Environmental Science, or related field
• At least 3 years of experience in agroforestry, land restoration, climate change adaptation or rural development projects
• Excellent communication, facilitation, report writing and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and data analysis tools
• Willingness to travel frequently to the field sites