Program Manager at TechnoServe Kenya

Job Summary:

The Program Manager will be responsible for overall management and implementation of the program in both Nairobi and Kisumu counties, ensuring program quality and impact. S/he will be in charge of ensuring that the program optimizes impact in line with donor priorities, seeks to develop alliances and build relationships with the donor, partners and other stakeholders in the Micro retail space and organizations working with persons living with disability. S/he will be the main representative of the program to both internal and external stakeholders and industry players. S/he will lead on ensuring that the program generates learning on how the program model can most effectively empower women with disability in Kenya.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Program Management, Quality and Impact

• Lead all program activities and ensure excellence in execution.
• Ensure high quality program beneficiaries are recruited in collaboration with the program partners.
• Maintain project work plan and ensure timely project implementation
• Ensure project activities are implemented with sound managerial, technical, human resource and overall programmatic practices
• Ensure delivery of technical training packages is of high quality, appropriate to local context and effectively reaching participants
• Takes ownership and accountability for improved quality, impact and effectiveness
• Ensures compliance with TechnoServe and donor regulations
• Hold regular team meetings to track implementation progress and share relevant project and administrative data
• Provide coaching, direction, and leadership support to program team members to achieve results
• Overall responsible for high quality delivery of the program in both Nairobi and Kisumu

External and Internal Communication

• Ensures clear and effective communication of the program to all relevant parties
• Builds reputation of the program through sharing of evidence-based impact and participation in key stakeholder events
• Maintains good working relationship with all relevant TechnoServe departments and other programs

Stakeholder Management and Representation

• Cultivates and maintains relationships with key stakeholders including donor, government, industry bodies and other development actors
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with relevant stakeholders in the Kenyan MSMEs sector, organizations working with Persons with disability including relevant government departments, private sector companies, and business associations
• Represent the program and TechnoServe at internal and external functions

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Timely production and sharing of project performance metrics, including quarterly Program Status Reports(PSRs) and Corporate Measurement data
• Produce narrative reports for internal and external consumption
• Ensure project targets are achieved
• Share best practices and lessons learned from the project
• Work towards identifying learning agendas for the program.

Budget Management

• Manage and monitor project budget variances to ensure spending rates are on target and realign as required.
• Ensure all payments/activities are in compliance with donor requests, restrictions and regulations as outlined in donor contracts / Rules and Regulations
• Understand, respect and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision and strategy in implementation of assigned duties.

Basic/Preferred Qualifications

• Degree qualifications in business-related studies required; Master’s degree in related field is an added advantage qualification
• Minimum of 7 years’ field and technical experience in business development and/or economic or financial analysis related Enterprise Development.
• Strong project management, financial analysis skills and data analytics skills
• Understand and is well conversant with recent trends in Enterprise development in the country.
• Experience working with communities living on less than $2 a day
• Experience working with Persons with disability is desirable
• Experience working with MSMEs in Kenya.
• Demonstrated capability of using technology and social media to reach a wide range of beneficiaries.
• Capable of working with financial institutions, private sector organizations and other partners to deliver growth for the program
• Demonstrated ability to generate creative and innovative solutions in work situations
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability and experience managing a diverse team
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to develop well-written and cohesive analytical reports
• Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships
• Ability to identify and understand issues, opportunities and compare data from different sources to draw conclusions and to use effective approaches for developing appropriate solutions and take action that is consistent with available facts
• Willingness to travel frequently in the informal settlements in both Nairobi and
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili

 Success Factors

Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job.

Core Competencies include:

• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Team Work/ Relationships: Works cooperatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
• Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities,backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
• Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively;
• shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
• Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyse situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgment in escalating issues where necessary.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
• Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities .manages own time effectively.
• Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.

Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:

• Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources is about understanding human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
• Computer Literacy: Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for own functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace.
• Internal Client Focus: Client Focus is based on the ability to understand the client’s needs and concerns in the short to long-term and to provide sound recommendations and/or solutions.
• Compliance & Governance: Compliance with and knowledge of company policies, applicable legislation, grant requirements, donor contracts, the local labor code and tax laws.

Managerial Competencies:

• Emotional Intelligence: The act of knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, overcoming stress in the moment, and being aware of how your words and actions affect others. Emotional intelligence consists of 4 attributes: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
• Strategic Thinking: Managers should recognize key actions, underlying problems, make connection and patterns, see consequences and implications. Anticipates obstacles realistically and plans ways to deal with them.
• Staff Development: Managers are required to work with employees to plan on the development of skills and abilities so that they can fulfil current or future job/role responsibilities more effectively.
• Trust to Delegate: Managers should have trust and willingness to assign responsibilities to direct reports and give them discretion and authority to carry them out.
• Feedback/Coaching (mentoring): Managers should give instructions, suggestions, explanations, and feedback to subordinates.