Senior Advisor, External Engagement & Programming-Livelihoods at World Vision Kenya

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

The position is to join an established team of development professionals of the Livelihoods sector. The position oversees World Vision’s livelihoods savings groups and environmental stewardship programming to ensure that it reflects the organizational distinctive of Christ-cantered, community empowering and child focused in its standards and practices and the highest technical standards are met in its programming. It also builds WV’s reputation in these areas, creates partnerships and innovative approaches, strengthens, and mobilizes WV’s sector communities of practice to execute excellence in programming that demonstrates evidence of impact. In collaboration with the Advocacy and External

Engagement (AEE) Working Group and Support Offices (SOs), this position will ensure subject matter experts in key forums represent WV and participates in selected networks, associations, and boards as appropriate. It will also actively position WV as a NGO of choice with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda platform, potential and key partners, businesses, donors and other stakeholders and work with and support World Vision’s global ministries and Global Capitals (Brussels, New York and Geneva).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Set Strategic Priorities (30%):

• Working closely with the Global Sector Lead; Quality and Innovation Senior Advisor and Evidence & Learning Advisor:
• Maintain an oversight of (and coordinate with Advocacy & External Engagement (A&EE), Support Offices (SOs) & Global Capitals where needed) WV’s sectoral external engagement activities.
• Strengthen and expand strategic partnerships (with particular focus on the SDGs) at global level including multi-stakeholder partnerships, UN partnerships, multinational corporates and faith actors.
• Benchmark capabilities and deliverables, process and systems in livelihoods programme against market leaders, and build towards best of class.
• Provide management support and advice for global policy agenda / any campaign as per the Partnership strategy.
• Provide strategic leadership for the partnership’s adoption of WV’s Environmental Stewardship Management Policy, including development of implementation guidance and a clear plan of action, targets and expectations to address environmental stewardship in programmes, operations and external engagement.
• Provide strategic leadership on Savings for Transformation (S4T) groups. This include support for the roll out and the scale up of finance for transformation savings groups’ linkages in collaboration with VisionFund (VF) and engagement with Disaster Management (DMT) on matters of economic and financial inclusion and leveraging of cash and voucher programming. In addition, the role entails working closely with the Child Protection (CP)/other sectors and the Campaigns team to pilot CP Embedded Education Modules and develop other complementary modules.

External Engagement (30%):

Leveraging expertise across the livelihoods global sector team and working closely with the Global Sector Lead to:

• Build World Vision’s influence, advocacy, partnerships and reputation externally with selected networks, associations, and boards as appropriate, to ensure WV is at the forefront of the global sector debate.
• Collaborate with Faith and Development actors externally as we seek to integrate faith into all our programming to address spirituals of causes of child well-being.
• Represent and facilitate World Vision’s representation and participation in high level international meetings, forums and conferences as required to actively position WV as a NGO of choice with global 2030 Agenda platforms, and with potential and key partners, businesses, donors and stakeholders, businesses.
• Provide leadership for WV's global sector external engagement in coordination with the Advocacy & External Engagement, Cross Sectors, Support Offices (SOs) and It Takes the World to End Violence Campaigns teams.
• Enhance WV’s external reputation as a leading contributor in sector programming and practice strengthening through networking, partnering, advocacy, world-class publication, and other approaches.
• Ensure that external engagement tools and processes (as developed by A&EE) are integrated into sector practice.
• Support Partnership Strategy strategic imperative on partnering and collaboration.

Build Capacities (15%):

• With WVI’s Advocacy/External Engagement Unit, build capacity of livelihoods experts to represent the sector externally and ensure external representations by subject matter experts reflect WV’s integrated understanding of development and child well-being.
• In collaboration with the Knowledge Management and Capabilities Advisor, build capability of WV’s S4T Community of Practice (and support the E-Learning Academy where needed) and promote a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Builds partnership capabilities to roll out the Environmental Stewardship Management Policy in collaboration with the Global Field Operations (GFO).

Provide Global Stewardship (10%):

• Support the global resource development strategy-providing sector expertize and actively positioning WV as a NGO of choice with key donors and stakeholders.
• Bring to bear evidence of World Vision’s contribution to CWB in specific sectors in external relations for advocacy, donor relations and building WV’s reputation.
• Identify and support the development and external profiling of key reports and publications developed by offices across the Partnership.

Ensure Accountability (5%):

• In collaboration with the Evidence and Learning Advisor and Technical Support Organization (TSO), ensure appropriate use of evidence of results from WV’s work with relevant external stakeholders.
• Maintain a global view of S4T and Environment programing portfolio across the partnership and determine the technical capacity needs of the partnership to identify opportunities for further impact.

Promote WV Way (10%):

• Serve as relationship manager and cultivate specific partnerships with all multi-lateral agencies and works closely with WV AJC/EE (especially global capitals) team to realize WV’s sector strategy.
• Provide management support and advice for global policy agenda / any advocacy campaign as per the Partnership strategy.
• Oversees and coordinates closely with Support Offices’ sector team engagement and partners.
• In collaboration with the Quality and Innovation Advisor, ensures that S4T project models and Environmental Stewardship Management Policy are integrated and have a ministry focus that is Christian, community-based and child-focused.
• Ensure that WV’s distinctive are clearly integrated in sector approaches and programming.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• 10 years’ work experience with an International Development Organisation, Corporation or Government in the field of external relations, communications and policy influencing or livelihoods programming, including evidence based best practices, financial inclusion and or environmental management.
• Experience of working in partnership with International Development Organisations through networks, coalitions and partnerships on policy themes related to sector (ultra-poor graduation, savings groups, environment, local value chain development, climate change, food systems, child sensitive social protection etc).
• Excellent facilitation, communications (both written and verbal), negotiation, and collaboration skills are required for this position.
• Master’s degree in the sector related expertise area or International/Economic Development.
• In-depth knowledge / expertise in sector programming including evidence based best practices.
• Effective in written and verbal communication in English (a plus if knowledgeable in French or Spanish).

Preferred:

• Knowledge of livelihoods / economic development issues in developing countries
• A proficient and confident public speaker.
• Strong experience and proven skills in working effectively across the global organization to advance priorities and achieve change in situations without direct authority, in which influence, relationships, and technical quality is required to succeed.
• Strong experience in developing strategy and policy in WV or in another International NGO.
• Strong experience and proven skills in external engagement and livelihoods programming that contributes to change in policy and practice and builds WV’s reputation as a leader in the industry.
• Strong experience in working with grant funded programmes by bilateral and multilateral donors.
• Experience of humanitarian and fragile contexts.
• Experience in working with faith actors and on faith related issues.

Work Environment/Travel:

• The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 30% of the time.