Regional Faith & Development Specialist (East Africa), VisionFund International at World Vision Kenya

Job Description:

Overview

• VisionFund is World Vision’s microfinance provider serving vulnerable clients through loans, savings, and insurance. We enable families to grow their livelihoods in hard to reach, rural locations in 28 countries so that caregivers can create secure futures for their children. We believe in brighter futures for children; empowering families to create incomes and jobs; unlocking economic potential for communities to thrive. Join VisionFund as we seek to end intergenerational poverty through microfinance.
• The Regional Faith & Development Specialist-Africa position develops people and oversees programs to ensure that our Christian faith informs and supports the delivery of quality financial services and non-financial services (e.g. training of clients) and external engagement in delivering VisionFund’s mission mandate of transformational development.
• The role must create spiritually nurturing environments that enable staff and leaders to successfully live out their vocational call and WV’s mission through providing guidance, pastoral support, fostering an environment of prayer and technical excellence in faith integration programming.
• The F&D Specialist-Africa provides programmatic oversight and high quality faith and development technical assistance to VisionFund Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in 11 countries in  Africa in World Vision International’s (WVI) Faith and Development (F&D) enabling Core Project Models, with a primary initial focus on the Empowered Worldview (EWV) program.  The position supports programme design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and scale-up of F&D project models and sector approaches in alignment with WVI strategy to improve child well-being (CWB) impact. This position will travel up to 25% for field assignments and where possible for the individual. The Regional F&D Specialist reports to the VFI F&D Director.

Major Responsibilities
Program Design

• Support MFI leadership teams to develop plans for deepening transformational development by implementing WV enabling Core Project Models, with an initial focus on Empowered Worldview (EWV). Oversee adaptation of EWV for sustainability in microfinance operations and rollout to staff and clients in Africa.
• Provide regional leadership, oversight, and high quality technical assistance to MFIs for EWV and all core model contextual adaptation, programme design, monitoring and evaluation.
• Develop faith and development research agendas to enhance evidence of impact.
• Lead, facilitate or participate in assessments.

Program Implementation

• Support pilots and scale-up of core project model implementation in MFIs, in alignment with strategy. Ensure Core Project Model implementations meet organizational standards.
• Influence decision makers and technical specialists across the partnership, (especially in MFIs and Support Offices (SO)) for continuous Programme Quality and quality improvement using programme data.
• Lead and/or participate in programme assessments and evaluations and provide inputs and advice.

Staff Capacity

• Provide spiritual mentoring and programmatic coaching for Transformation Impact Managers.
• Contribute to the development of learning pathways for MFI staff in F&D Competencies, including building commitment to World Vision’s Mission, Vision, and Values, supporting faith integration into strategy and programming, and applying faith literacy to more effectively engage Christian and other faith groups in our programming.
• Work alongside MFI staff to build understanding of WV’s global faith and development sectoral approaches and core project models and global best practices and lessons learned, with a focus on Empowered Worldview.
• Provides training (virtual or in country) to MFIs based on strategy plans, including using data to inform decision making.

Innovation and Learning

• Set strategic knowledge management priorities in faith & development to ensure that faith & development knowledge is leveraged as a strategic asset to enhance impact in the region.
• Facilitate and/or participate in learning events, including for Africa Transformation Impact Managers, Global Transformation Impact Manager, other VF Regional F&D specialists, and
• Document lessons learned and generate stories of impact.
• Share learnings within team (sector and/or project model).
• Participate in COPs (Communities of Practice) or learning networks relevant to the sector.

Research

• Lead or support the development of articles, presentations and other products that contribute to VisionFund/World Vision’s technical brand in alignment with relevant external engagement strategies and donor needs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Education at a minimum of Bachelor degree level (ideally in Theology or Development Studies). Masters Degree in a relevant subject would be an added advantage.
• More than 10 years’ work experience including experience in a technical support provision/advisory role. At least five years of programme management experience.
• Broad experience in relationship building and working with churches, faith-based organizations and other faith groups.
• Exposure to fragile context work.
• A proven strategic thinker.
• Computer literacy; strong computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Excellent interpersonal skills and cross-cultural sensitivity. Commitment and ability to develop others.
• Experience working in the development sector.
• Demonstrated ability to work sensitively and effectively with people from different church backgrounds and cultural contexts and nationalities, and also with people of different faiths or those who may profess to have no belief system.
• Excellent training and coaching skills and ability to develop own training methods and materials.
• Strong interpersonal, diplomatic and negotiating skills, ability to influence and exercise discretion.
• Bilingial- Fluency and excellent communications skills in English and French. Must be able to deliver training and develop training materials in English.

Work Environment and Travel Requirement

• The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 25% of the time.