Programme Manager at World Vision Kenya

Job Responsibilities:

Technical and Strategic leadership and management

• Responsible for the coordination, technical support and implementation of the Program’s objectives
• Ensure that the Program deliverables are achieved effectively and timely as per the proposal/work plan and meeting donor expectation and regularly review Program status
• Ensure that Program initiatives meet or exceed planned outcomes and are implemented in full compliance with the donor, WV Kenya and Government standards and guidelines;
• Provide effective, innovative and strategic leadership and direction to the Program staff from WV Kenya and other stakeholders within the Program.
• Coordinate restoration interventions in partnership with Kenya Forest Service (KFS), County Governments, Community Forest Associations (CFAs), Water Resource User Associations (WRUAs), and other local institutions.
• Oversee assessment and documentation of land tenure, carbon rights, and Program eligibility requirements within target landscapes.
• Ensure compliance with carbon standards, land-use regulations, environmental laws, and safeguard requirements.
• Lead stakeholder engagement on carbon ownership, benefit-sharing, and participation agreements.
• Maintain accurate Program records and documentation required for carbon Program registration, verification, and audit processes.
• Ensure restoration approaches are aligned with county and national forest restoration strategies.
• Develop appropriate implementation strategies for the Program as per approved PDD and budgets through quarterly, monthly and weekly activity work plans and budgets
• Ensure focused quality, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Program’s interventions
• Work with the accountant to monitor and support the timely and appropriate utilization of budgeted resources for all Program interventions.
• Ensure social inclusion (mainstreaming gender and youth) and conflict-sensitive programming.
• Ensure that professional development activities, including performance appraisals, performance agreements, monitoring and needed training and mentoring activities are carried out successfully.
• Ensure integration of the grant with the Area Development Programme’s and Integrated Programme Framework objectives and Child results in-line with the WVK Strategic priorities.
• Lead, inspire and manage a high-performing project team, ensuring clarity of roles, objectives and accountability.
• Oversee performance management including goal setting, coaching, appraisals and development plans.
• Mentor and build capacity of staff in program delivery, compliance, and stakeholder engagement.
• Drive recruitment, onboarding, retention and succession planning for project critical roles.
• Provide leadership in a matrixed environment across technical, MEAL and finance
• Promote staff wellbeing, safeguarding, inclusion, and a culture of learning and continuous improvement.

 Quality Assurance - Implementation, Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation

• Develop, with support of WVK Program staff, a detailed plan that will support delivery of the Program objectives throughout the Program period.
• Ensure accurate and quality Program Design Documents (PDD) are on file and used to inform implementation
• Ensure timely and effective implementation of all Program interventions as well as the successful achievement of proposed outcomes and intended impacts
• Ensure timely and appropriate utilization of the budgeted Program resources in full adherence to the donor's set standards.
• Organize annual review meetings for planning and monitoring of Program activities.
• In Liaison with Program Accountant, track Program implementation expenditure levels, manage work plans and budgets to ensure Program expenditure remains within acceptable levels
• Ensure that the Program achieves acceptable financial and operational audit results by implementing activities in accordance with established norm and policies whilst maintaining acceptable audit rating
• Proactively enforce controls and checks as well as ensure effective and timely response plans to all financial audit findings and take the needed measures to prevent future recurrence.
• Ensure timely baseline survey of the Program and dissemination of findings to all partners including GoK while ensuring streamlining implementation in respect to the outcomes of the survey.
• Support the Program officers to set up and maintain effective complaints and feedback mechanisms to ensure that beneficiary concerns are addressed in a timely and effective manner.
• Ensure submission of timely and quality periodic (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports) to the Regional Manager, Cluster Manager and Technical team at the National Office and Support Office.
• Work closely with the communications department to ensure regular documentation of best practices, success stories / innovation and lessons learnt over the Program implementation period for sharing across the partnership
• Ensure production and dissemination of communications resources for the Program to key stake holder

 Partnership, coordination and networking

• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with national and county government institutions, regulatory agencies, research organizations, and development partners to advance Program objectives.
• Lead stakeholder coordination and engagement processes with community institutions, producer groups, cooperatives, and local governance structures across the Program.
• Facilitate participatory planning and decision-making processes that promote community ownership of restoration and carbon development activities.
• Ensure implementation of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles and compliance with social and environmental safeguards.
• Oversee the design and implementation of equitable, transparent, and inclusive benefit-sharing mechanisms for participating communities.
• Promote meaningful participation of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and vulnerable groups in restoration planning, implementation, governance, and carbon benefit distribution.

Advocacy: Policy and Budget Influence

• Coordinate advocacy and policy influence initiatives of the program at county and national level
• Increase the visibility of WVK and the donor by maintaining active engagement and advocacy on NRM related matters

KNOWLEDGE/QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE ROLE

Required Professional experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in natural resource management, forestry, climate change, landscape restoration, or environmental conservation.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing restoration Programs involving both protected/gazetted forests and community-managed lands.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM)  and familiarity with carbon  project development lifecycles, including carbon accounting and monitoring protocols.
• Experience working with forest governance structures and community natural resource management systems.
• Strong understanding of land tenure systems and community engagement processes.
• Understanding of gender and diversity issues and commitment to addressing inequalities in all the key areas of responsibility
• Ability to work under pressure and strict deadlines
• Understanding of development/relief issues with commitment to humanitarian principles and action
• Good financial/budget management
• Good people management, training and coaching skills with strong conceptual and analytical Skilla
• The ability to work independently, think innovatively and strategically and work effectively within a team

Required Education & Certification

• Minimum Bachelors’s degree in Forestry, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Science, Agro-forestry, Range land Management or any other related discipline.
• Post graduate degree in any of the above is desirable
• GHG accounting/carbon certification or training in standards like VCS, Gold Standard, or CDM will be an added advantage.
• Proficiency in GIS tools e.g. QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Engine for satellite data monitoring is desirable

Preferred Knowledge and Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in implementing and managing nature-based carbon projects
• Demonstrated knowledge and familiarity with national carbon market policies and schemes, including evolving government policies and regulations, in the forest and biodiversity sectors.
• Demonstrated technical knowledge of the carbon project lifecycle, including carbon accounting and monitoring, validation/verification will be an added advantage.
• Familiarity with certification in voluntary carbon certification, e.g., Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), and Plan Vivo