Project Officer (Based in Baringo County) – GEA Project at Self Help Africa

Key Responsibilities:

• Participatory selection of target communities, project participants and stakeholders.
• Participatory selection of volunteer community trainers (lead farmers, community facilitators, FMNR facilitators, VSLA trainers, etc)
• Prepare/ adapt training materials for agroforestry, FMNR, landscape restoration, NRM planning, VSLAs, Value chain analysis, business skills development, nutrition.
• Training, mentoring and supervision of volunteer community trainers.
• Training, mentoring of NRM committees, conservancies, farmers groups, micro-enterprises.
• Assist NRM committees and conservancies to develop and update NR management plans and maps.
• Undertake regular monitoring of project activities.
• Assist the M&E team to plan and conduct surveys.
• Measure tree growth, tree densities, tree cover, soil and tree carbon, and conduct GNSS ground truth surveys using protocols developed by ICRAF.
• Assist the GEA Kenya Baringo Project Coordinator to prepare narrative reports.
• Liaise with the County Government and implementing partners and stakeholders.
• Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by the GEA Kenya Baringo Project Coordinator.

Key Relationships:

Internal

• SHA Finance, Logistics and Administration Team,
• BARINGO NRM Advisor
• Kenya Agriculture and NRM Advisor,
• HQ Programme Quality Team

Responsible for

• Community Based Trainers.

External

• Baringo County Council
• Baringo Conservancies
• Local NGOs
• Farmer’s groups

Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements:

Essential:

• Diploma or BSc in Forestry, Agroforestry, Rangeland Management, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Extension, Agricultural science, or related discipline.
• Minimum of five years of technical experience in dryland forestry and agroforestry.
• Experience of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration.
• Experience of tree-based value chains.
• Experience of Forest Mensuration in dryland forests.
• Basic land and soil survey skills.
• Experience in soil and water conservation, watershed management and landscape restoration through bioengineering.
• At least five years of working experience in an NGO or in government or private sector.
• Practical experience of developing community natural resources plans and maps.
• Good understating of gender roles in forestry and pastoralist societies and practical experience of integrating gender equality into forestry, agroforestry and rangeland management.
• Commitment to international and humanitarian NGO codes, standards and practices

Desirable:

• Experience of working with pastoralist and agro pastoralist communities.
• Microfinance experience.
• Experience of integrating nutrition into agriculture, forestry and NRM projects (nutrition sensitive).
• Experience of integrating the physically disabled into forestry, agroforestry and rangeland management.
• Enthusiasm for forestry and environmental protection.
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work as part of team across different cultures
• Diplomacy, tact and empathy with local communities.
• Good writing skills
• Strong coaching and mentoring skills
• Able to take initiatives and work with limited supervision
• A strong commitment to the aims, objectives and values of the SHA Kenya Country Programme
• Good working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and general IT skills
• Prepared to use a motorcycle on poor roads in hot and dusty conditions.