Regional Program Manager - Northern Kenya at TechnoServe Kenya

Job Summary:

• TechnoServe seeks a Regional Project Manager – Northern Kenya (RPM-N) to provide strategic and technical leadership of project activities in the LFS Northern Kenya zone of influence. Reporting to the DCOP, the RPM-N will have strong technical knowledge of community-based resilience programming, nutrition sensitive agriculture, and of food and market systems of the sectors and geographies prioritized by the LFS project in Northern Kenya counties. The RPM-N will be responsible for leading the implementation of a multi-year project activities in LFS Northern Kenya zone of influence to strengthen food systems and build community resilience in Northern Kenya. The Project Manager will work closely with local communities, government entities, private sector partners, and an international consortium to deliver tangible outcomes that improve food security, nutrition, and climate change adaptation in the region
• Under the direction of the DCOP and COP, the role will oversee all aspects of project management, including strategic planning, partnership development, on-the-ground implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and stakeholder engagement. This role will require close collaboration with the Financial/Admin team, the CLA team, and the Technical Integration Team.
• The RPM-N will supervise a team of technical professionals across areas such as first/last mile distribution, agro-processing, nutrition, policy, monitoring and evaluation, access to finance, gender, youth and social inclusion (GYSI), and entrepreneurship. The RPM-N will have a matrix management role with admin, MEL, grants, procurement, finance, and other staff based in the regions.
• With guidance from the Technical Integration Team, the RPM will operationalize activities across a number of work-streams; identifying county and regional level priorities and supporting relationship building with county stakeholders; supporting the development of specific partnership opportunities across the work-streams; coordinating training and capacity building preferably by integrating a market systems development approach; coordinate activities across implementing partners and; fostering collaboration among stakeholders across the region and project objectives.
• The RPM will collaborate with the Technical Integration Team to conduct applicable research around various market systems and identifying constraints to be addressed, identifying and coordinating local partners; supervising members of the project team; and overseeing project implementation, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation of the project. The RPM-N will supervise a team of technical professionals across areas such as first/last mile distribution, agro-processing, nutrition, policy, monitoring and evaluation, access to finance, gender, youth and social inclusion (GYSI), and entrepreneurship.

Main Activities and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership – Food Systems:

• Under the guidance of the COP and DCOP, provide strategic guidance, leadership, management, and general technical oversight of the activities in the LFS’s Northern Kenya zone of influence.
• Facilitate linkages between producers, pastoralists, cooperatives, agribusinesses, and consumers to improve food system efficiency and equity
• Support in the contextualized development and implementation of food and market system interventions with a focus on gender, localization, and sustainability.
• Generate innovative ideas, and effectively manage partnerships to drive program success within the region.
• Continuously assess the current state of local food systems, value chains, and market dynamics in Northern Kenya and identify new strategic program opportunities to expand the impact of the project.

Strategic Leadership – Resilience and community engagement:

• Identify key climate, environmental, and socioeconomic shocks and stresses affecting Northern Kenyan communities
• Design and oversee the implementation of integrated resilience-building strategies, including early warning systems, risk mitigation measures, and adaptive livelihood support
• Ensure project activities enhance the capacity of individuals, households, and communities to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to disruptions

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Work with stakeholders to co-create interventions that strengthen the production, processing, distribution, and access components of the regional food system
• Independently engage with local-level executives from the private and public sectors to encourage solutions to local food systems
• Support the development and ongoing relationship management of county and inter-county level partnerships
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder coordination, joint planning, and collaborative problem-solving
• Ensure continuous, meaningful engagement with local communities, incorporating their feedback and leadership into project design and implementation
• Engage with external stakeholders to build essential partnerships, as determined by the COP and DCOP

Program Management:

• Develop and oversee the execution of detailed project work plans, and budgets related to the Northern region,
• Lead a team of technical specialists, field officers, and support staff to deliver high-quality, timely results
• Ensure compliance with all donor requirements, organizational policies, and ethical standards
• Work closely with the Technical Integration Team, CLA Unit and Finance and Admin units to ensure alignment of resources, activities, and key performance indicators.
• Working with the Technical Integration Team, support the development schedules, tools, and processes for deploying a robust local partnerships fund; work closely with the regional implementation teams to ensure targeted calls for partnerships are released to address constraints in the local food system.
• Identify issues and risks related to implementation promptly, suggesting appropriate program adjustments
• Lead, or in supporting role, manage, contribute to, and provide quality control to data analysis and report writing within the region.

Capacity Building and Support:

• Support sub-awards and grantees in intervention design and operational management.
• Collaborate with the Technical Integration Team to provide Food and market systems coaching and guidance to program staff and partners

Monitoring and Evaluation and Reporting:

• Working with the Monitoring and Evaluation, and CLA unit, document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and project impacts to inform future initiatives
• Collaborate with the M&E team to monitor and evaluate program progress.
• Support or contribute to knowledge management activities including writing articles on project developments, learning or opinion pieces.

Innovation and Best Practices:

• Develop innovative approaches to enhance TechnoServe's work and share these innovations to promote the adoption of best practices within the organization.

Representation and Networking:

• Represent the program at networking events with private and public sector actors, as per the guidance of the COP and DCOP

Miscellaneous

• Perform other related duties as required to contribute to the program's success.

Basic Qualifications and Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree in management, economics, statistics, agribusiness, business administration, agricultural economics, agriculture, international development or relevant field, or equivalent work experience, master’s degree preferred.
• 7 years of experience in project management, food systems development, market systems, and/or community resilience programming, preferably in a rural, developing context
• Strong background in agricultural/livestock value chains, natural resource management, climate change adaptation, and/or social protection
• Demonstrated track record of building and managing strong client and stakeholder relationships, including with government, civil society and private sector
• Strong gender leadership, supervisory, problem-solving, communication, and coordination skills required.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing gender equality.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and problem-solving skills
• Willingness to travel extensively within Northern Kenya LFS zone of influence
• Proven ability to develop strategies and conduct analysis on complex commercial questions
• Experience in authoring concise and well-written reports and presentations
• Demonstrated competency in program and staff management, coaching, and team leadership
• Experience working on donor-funded projects is preferred.
• Strategic and analytical thinking skills
• Exceptional interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
• Fluent user of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in LFS Northern Kenya zone of influence preferred
• Proven experience in incorporating complexity awareness with programmatic implementation
• Proven experience with catalytic grants programs

Required Languages:

• Fluency in English and Kiswahili, with excellent oral and written communication skills required. Knowledge of local languages an added advantage.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated Leadership: Proven ability to inspire and lead teams toward program goals, fostering adaptability and creative problem-solving.
• Results-driven: Committed to achieving measurable impact and program outcomes, consistently seeking improvement opportunities.
• Strategic Management and Adaptability: Proficient in systems thinking, quick to adapt strategies in response to change, with expertise in Market Systems Development (MSD), entrepreneurship, and regenerative solutions development.
• Problem-Solving Expertise: Strong at addressing market system challenges and developing innovative solutions.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Skilled in building effective relationships with diverse stakeholders to drive collaboration and results.
• Gender and Inclusion: Familiar with gender-sensitive and inclusive program approaches, dedicated to reducing social and economic inequalities.
• Initiative and Independence: Takes initiative, works independently, demonstrating self-motivation and proactiveness.
• Effective Communication: Friendly and approachable, facilitating communication and collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Supervise a team of technical staff, matrix management to additional sub-awardee and administrative, CLA, finance and grants staff.