Specialist, Policy at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

The Position

Specialist – Policy , Job Reference: SP/CTE/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 30% .

The Specialist – Policy supports the Policy & Advocacy unit in the development of strategic partnerships with donors and African governments, and spearheading policy development and advocacy for advancing the work of AGRA at the national, regional, and global levels. The Specialist- Policy will support in policy identification, reform and implementation, as well as support nurturing of  strategic linkages with partners and collaborators such as at national governments level, private sector, and other development partners that AGRA works with to leverage its investments in agriculture transformation.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Extends technically sound policy research and conceptualization, wide peer professional review, and advocacy techniques for general stakeholder ownership and legislative or industry adoption.
• Work closely with a team of Policy Officers from a high-level intellectual viewpoint to strengthen the innovative policy support systems (seeds, fertilizers, markets) for effective evidence-based policy support systems for national governments to help catalyze a green revolution in Africa.
• Support  the guidance of country governments and continental/regional organizations on the policy of agro-industrial policy making and implementation.
• Supports the strengthening of national capacities for policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national and regional policy support for an African green revolution.
• Support the provision of technical assistance and backstopping to governments through Ministries of Agriculture, Industry and Trade, Investments, Finance, Youth and similar on the development of agricultural, agro-industrial, food systems and agri-based job creation and youth policies and strategies.
• Support the provision of technical assistance and backstopping to continental and regional bodies such as the RECs to strengthen their ability to support countries in the roll out of continental and regional strategies of agricultural, agro-industrial, food systems and agri-based job creation and youth policies and strategies. 
• Support the provision of support to continental and regional bodies on strengthening dialogue and feedback loops between them and countries on the implementation of continental and regional frameworks on agriculture, agro processing, food systems and job-creation and youth policies and strategies.
• Actively engage with other AGRA business lines and country teams on their engagement in specific policy areas (e.g. trade, industrial/market, climate, digitalization, seed, fertilizer) with governments, sub-national governments, regional and continental bodies, to guide them in how to follow a robust process for policy and strategy making.
• In particular collaborate, closely with the State Capability team on their efforts to strengthen delivery, program management of flagship projects, and institutional capacity strengthening, and with the Inclusive Markets, Trade and Finance team on their efforts to develop agro-industrialization strategies that structure markets and boost net exports and access to finance. Collaborate also with the digitalization department for data for policy making; and with the investment team on the feedback loop between investment facilitation efforts and the policy making process.
• Support AGRA’s State Capability team to coordinate engagement with national government departments and private sector firms to create options for reforms, appraise reforms, select optimal solutions, articulate public expenditures needed to implement  policy and regulatory reforms and develop the sequence reforms need to go through and reform management work plans.
• Lead management of provision of sub-grants to local and international technical assistance providers to deliver the reform work plans.
• Support development of policy briefs and other communication and advocacy products.
• Support conceptualization and analysis of the initiation, development, validation, approval and implementation of reformed policies and regulations at continental and regional levels.
• Manage documentation, monitoring and evaluation of policy processes, outputs, outcomes, impact and lessons learned and dissemination.
• Contribute resource mobilization, proposal writing and progress reporting to donors.
• Contribute to partnership development and liaison with national, regional and continental partners on technical policy and regulatory reform issues.
• Produce knowledge products for public consumption on African agriculture, agro-industrialization, food systems, job creation and youth, e.g. articles, blogs, AASR and blogs.
• Facilitate a dedicated website within the AGRA website for agricultural policy resources.
• In partnership with the Results Management team, ensures that the plans for the program are well executed.
• Achieves the proper functioning of policy advocacy platforms within the context of the policy support systems and makes needed adjustments for enhanced efficiency.
• Directs and manages a grant-making budget to develop and implement a holistic and impact-driven strategy to link African smallholder farmers to markets and create opportunities for economic transactions that generate income.
• In partnership with the Resource Mobilization team, raises enough resources to scale out and consolidate the Policy program’s strategic activities.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Experience working in agricultural or private sector development economic policy and strategy.
• Experience working within a multicultural environment, as well as the ability to work closely with diverse groups of donors.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation and coordinating design and maintenance of databases and websites. 
• Good command of English; working knowledge of French is an advantage.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to effectively convey policy recommendations, present findings to diverse audiences, and articulate complex ideas in a clear and concise manner.
• Analytical, excellent data mining ability.
• Strong ability to influence positively both upwards and downwards.
• Proven leadership ability to influence, develop, and empower partners and employees to achieve their best with a team approach.
• Deep understanding of the policy environment within which AGRA is operating.
• Results and detail orientated with a very hands-on approach.
• Excellent leadership, organizational, and problem solving/decision making skills.
• Intelligent, motivated self-starter with strong interpersonal skills and work ethic.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing policies, including understanding the policy lifecycle, conducting policy research, analyzing data, and formulating evidence-based recommendations.
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate complex policy issues, assess the potential impacts and outcomes, and make sound decisions based on available data and research. The ability to think critically and strategically is crucial.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with various stakeholders, such as government officials, industry representatives, community organizations, and internal teams. 
• Proficiency in conducting policy evaluations and impact assessments to assess the effectiveness of existing policies, identify gaps or areas for improvement, and develop recommendations for policy revisions or new initiatives.
• Strong project management skills to oversee and coordinate policy initiatives, including setting goals, developing work plans, managing resources, and ensuring timely delivery of outcomes.