Program Manager Coffee Kenya at IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative

Do you get energy from implementing customized interventions with smallholder farmers through integrated, efficient, and cost-effective approaches that lead to sustainable livelihood improvements? And are you looking for a job that gives you the chance to lead and coordinate project implementation in collaboration with a multi-stakeholder team from both private and public sector industry players? Are you great at setting up and managing the operational aspects of donor funded projects? Then apply for our Program Manager Kenya position to manage program activities in Kenya for the Coffee Farmer Resilience Program.

The role:

As Program Manager Kenya for the Coffee Farmer Resilience Program, you are responsible for the development, coordination, and management of the Kenya part of the Coffee Farmer Resilience Program. The Coffee Farmer Resilience Program focusses on “expanding IDH’s proven service delivery model approach in the coffee sector to develop a robust proof of concept for blending coffee-specific services with services for other non-coffee farm produce, which will improve the income resilience of 20,000 coffee farming families in Kenya and Uganda. For this, IDH will co-develop sustainable and economically viable service delivery systems that integrate a stepwise approach to achieving income resilience for farmers while transitioning farm systems to regenerative agriculture.

You will be coordinating with key stakeholders including but not limited to Farmer Cooperatives, Local District/Government Agencies and private sector partners such as coffee traders; and coordinating relevant experts/consultants’ studies. Through partnerships you will set up and implement blended service delivery models in the field in Kenya. You are responsible to monitor and report progress in the program, discuss with partners on their needs for successful implementation of the blended service delivery models and to ensure they are complemented with relevant studies, for example about regenerative agriculture.

You will be based in Kenya and report to the Senior Program Manager East Africa who will be leading the East Africa Coffee Program to which the Coffee Farmer Resilience Program is a part.

Your Key Responsibilities would be:

• Implementation: Coordinate with partners the implementation of the interventions following from the service delivery analyses, which cover at least (non-exhaustive list): which services will be delivered and under which structures; agreed actions points to improve service delivery; support cooperatives and private sector partners to provide blended service delivery for coffee farmers; support coffee farming households to get on the pathway to regenerative agriculture and ensure strengthening the gender-responsiveness across all interventions.
• Coordination of studies: Service Delivery Model analyses; gender needs assessment; regenerative agriculture studies and agreed Monitoring and Evaluation studies including baseline, mid-term and end line measurements.
• Coordination with partners: Work closely with the private sector partners, cooperatives and other implementing partners to continuously evaluate success of blended service delivery. Ensure this is complemented by information from above-mentioned studies, but fits to local conditions.
• Support Project Monitoring and Evaluation: In coordination with partners, collect, collate, analyze and report agreed project M&E data; report project progress as well as document and share outcomes and learnings.

Who you are:   

You have demonstrated experience working closely with smallholder farmers and an appreciation of smallholder farming dynamics and household behavior. You have worked with private sector, government agencies and farmer groups. You have experience in both food crop/staples and cash crop/ value chains and can show impact of your previous project work. You can work both independently and, in a team, learn fast, all with a good sense of humor.

What you bring:

• At least 5 years-experience implementing projects with smallholder farmers, preferably with exposure to the coffee sector and donor-funded projects;
• A Degree in (agricultural) Economics, Business Management, Supply Chain Management, (agricultural) Finance, Development Economics or other relevant discipline;
• Experience in project management, financial administration, donor relations;
• Experience in team leadership and management;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.