Career Opportunities at TechnoServe Kenya

Program Overview

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) anticipates funding Kenya's five-year Feed the Future Local Food Systems (LFS) activity. The activity will promote inclusive agriculture-led growth focusing on climate-smart approaches, strengthen the resilience of people and systems by expanding economic opportunities, improve women's and children's nutrition, and integrate cross-cutting themes. This activity is anticipated to cover a combination of staple and high-value crops.

The activity will implement solutions including:

• Improving the resilience of vulnerable populations
• Building the capacity of food system enterprises
• Catalyzing investment into local agricultural market systems
• Establishing strong and transparent relationships between food system actors
• Improving the availability and affordability of nutritious food products, especially for women and children
• Expanding employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, especially for youth and women

The Program will have the following teams: Financial and Administrative Team (Nairobi and regions); CLA Team (Nairobi and regions); Technical Integration Team (Nairobi); and Regional Implementation Team (regions).

The Role:

The Accountant will be responsible for supporting the Senior Finance and Administration Manager in provision of efficient and sound Financial Management, Accounting, Financial Reporting and in Compliance with donor requirement and guidelines for the USAID-funded Local Food System activity in Kenya. She/He will report to the Senior Finance and Administration Manager and collaboratively work with all Program team.

 Key Roles & Responsibilities:

• Review invoices and payments for accuracy, relevance and authorization as well as timely capturing of payments in the financial system in line with donor requirements.
• Assist the Senior Finance and Admin Manager to review sub-awards and grantees financial reports. He/She will also ensure proper finance training, expense tracking and timely payments of sub-awards and grantees invoices.
• Accurately enter LFS finance data into the accounting system.
• Processes staff travel advances, ensuring advances are liquidated on time and in compliance with Organizational policy.
• Coordinate month end closure by the stipulated deadlines and provides support in compiling and submission of the monthly financial reports package for the project.
• Assists the Senior Finance and Administration Manager monthly in preparations of cash projections and requirements for the project.
• Issues payments to workshop participants (including travel and meals refunds) as designated by the supervisor.
• Assists with VAT refund applications and follows up with vendors for the refund checks.
• Prepares monthly VAT refund reports for review and submission to USAID and, ensures the VAT tracker is always updated.
• Supports tracking of expenses and other financial transactions, mainly involving expense entry, tracking and record keeping.
• Reviews LFS asset register to confirm accuracy and assists the Admin and Logistics Assistant in managing LFS Property, ensuring assets are tagged; confirm state and reviews Individual Custody Lists.
• Ensures adequate filing of finance documents.
• Performs Accounts Payable Functions.
• Maintain general ledgers, cashbooks, debtors and creditors ledgers.
• Review coding of invoices, maintenance of records and reconciliation of statements for suppliers and debtors
• Work with program and administrative staff to ensure donor regulations are strictly adhered to during project implementation
• Performs monthly bank reconciliation
• Prepare and file statutory returns including withholding tax and PAYE returns
• Assist in generating the relevant source documents during internal and external audits
• Review staff timesheets to ensure accuracy and correct charging and time allocation per organization and donor guidelines
• Assist in working with the team on Mid-year and Annual budget reviews
• Work with procurement team in line with procurement policy to ensure adherence to TechnoServe and LFS Donor Policies.
• Assist in training of field staff on the TechnoServe policies, guidelines and donor requirements
• Reviewing financial system codes allocated to costs in line with Donor Budget requirements for completeness, correctness and accuracy
• Maintain high levels of confidentiality in relation to sensitive and confidential financial information and decisions
• Any other responsibility as assigned by the Senior Finance and Administration Manager

Desired Qualifications and Experience;

• A Bachelor's Degree in Business related courses e.g. Accounting, Business Administration, Economics etc.
• Professional Qualification in CPA, ACCA or CMA is
• 3-5years financial accounting experience in an NGO environment preferably USAID funded programs
• Excellent IT skills with experience of operating computer-based financial management systems
• Competent to advanced level in Microsoft Excel
• Experience and knowledge of Sylogist highly preferred
• Ability to work under pressure with minimum supervision
• Experience in working with projects funded by international donors
• Working knowledge of donor compliance rules and regulations
• Knowledgeable in USAID rules around VAT refunds, checks and reports
• Willingness and ability to take the initiative in identifying problems, suggesting solutions, and implementing agreed solutions.

 Core Competencies include:

• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; maintains confidentiality; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Teamwork/ Relationships: Works cooperatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal.  Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
• Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
• Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
• Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyze situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution.  Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgment in escalating issues where necessary.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
• Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
• Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.

Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:

• Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources about understands human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
• Computer Literacy: Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for their own functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace.
• Donor/Partnership Management: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
• Analysis, Research, Report Writing: Experience in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in business writing.
• Innovative Mindset: Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.

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Program Overview

The Kenya Feed the Future Local Food Systems (LFS) activity aims to foster an inclusive, locally led food systems premised on profitable and diversified farms and agri-food businesses that are resilient to shocks and deliver safe, affordable, and nutritious food to low-income consumers year-round. In collaboration with local actors, LFS will identify and address the root causes of inefficiencies within the food system, testing and scaling innovative solutions.

Central to this approach is leveraging key food system nodes, such as food processors and first- and last-mile service networks, to enhance the production and flow of nutritious food to underserved populations. In addition, the activity will increase economic opportunities for women and youth, encouraging market actors to adopt gender- and youth-responsive business practices that challenge existing norms and empower marginalized individuals. 

The activity will implement solutions including:

• Improving the resilience of vulnerable populations
• Building the capacity of food system enterprises
• Catalyzing investment into local agricultural market systems
• Establishing strong and transparent relationships between food system actors
• Improving the availability and affordability of nutritious food products, especially for women and children
• Expanding employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, especially for youth and women

The Role:

Kenya Feed the Future Local Food Systems is looking for a highly skilled person to join its Communications team and support achieving the program's overall goal as guided by the Project's Communications Strategy.

The Communications Associate will implement the communications strategy, and branding & marketing plan. This includes building and maintaining a positive profile for FTF LFS's work through impactful media and outreach across key external online and offline communications channels.

The role also involves developing compelling stories and events to strengthen LFS's brand while ensuring regular and efficient sharing and exchange of information through effective internal and external communications to enhance FTF LFS's brand and visibility.

The success of strengthened strategic communications within LFS will be measured in terms of the brand's deepened engagement and the support of key stakeholders in building partnerships that enhance delivery and impact across Kenya.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Communication:

• Support in coordinating the inputs from various thematic units, partners to develop consolidated reports, social media posts, factsheets, presentations, and other written documents for both internal and external use.  

• Plan and produce multimedia and audio-visual content, including infographics, short, compelling videos, photos storytelling, and blogs for the program's digital channels, while engaging with staff and collaborates to generate on-demand content.
• Support with identifying and working with influencers among staff, partners, and the broader public across the themes of agriculture, climate change, environmental action, and food market systems.
• Support the planning and delivery of virtual events organized by the program, such as launches, webinars, and X spaces, and manage the setup and live streaming of hybrid events.
• Support the development and production of monthly, quarterly, and annual reports and other resources. 

• Assists in writing and editing various text-based external communications materials, including stories, press releases, speeches, articles, web content, and social media posts, in alignment with external communication plans and objectives.

• Support in monitoring trends and tracking engagements on the program's digital channels (social media, website, reports) and analyzing relevant communications data and insights to inform work plans, content curation and quality assurance.

Knowledge Management:

• Support the development and design of communications and knowledge products, including but not limited to success stories, blogs, learning papers, case studies, factsheets, etc.
• Liaise with the MERL and Knowledge Management Associate to harness data and insights to inform the design of evidence-based content suitable for the various digital channels, particularly posts for social media.
• Support the planning and delivery of learning events and other knowledge-sharing events organized by the program.
• Support developing yearly work plans with MERL and Knowledge Management Team members.
• Carry out additional tasks as requested by the Communications and Knowledge Management Manager and the Collaborations Learning & Adaptation Director.

 Academic and Professional Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant discipline, such as Communications or another related field.
• At least two (2) years of communications experience in related programs.
• Good photography, videography and graphics design skills. Proficiency in using various graphics and infographic design apps (E.g. Canva, Adobe Creative Suite) is highly desirable.
• Ability to use video editing software tools to produce short videos.
• Ability to use photography to tell compelling stories
• Experience writing, editing, and proofreading printed or online content for diverse audiences.
• Experience using social media as a professional communications tool.
• Experience working with people from diverse backgrounds demonstrates respect for and understanding of cultural differences.
• Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations required.

Technical & Behavioral Competences:

• Sound analytical skills
• Honesty and professional integrity
• Ability to work in challenging environments and deliver on tight timelines
• Excellent interpersonal, networking, negotiation, and facilitation skills
• Budgeting and financial management of team activities and priority-setting
• Ability to take initiative and work independently
• Willingness to be able to travel for extended periods within Kenya.

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The Role:

The Kenya Feed the Future Local Food Systems project requires a highly motivated Knowledge Management Associate (KMA) to join its Communications team to help develop, coordinate, and support the project's Knowledge Management (KM) Strategy and procedures, and advance its efforts to share stories and evidence-based learning from project interventions.

• In this capacity, the Knowledge Management Associate will contribute to establishing systems for gathering, reporting, disseminating, and documenting FTF LFS project performance and learning.
• This position provides a unique opportunity for someone who is interested in how technology can help advance dissemination, learning, and networking.

Primary duties and responsibilities:  

• Support the project in developing a Knowledge Management Strategy for FTF LFS and ensure its alignment with project goals and objectives.
• Develop and manage innovative and cost-effective online and offline Knowledge Management tools and systems to consolidate, compile, and disseminate information and knowledge generated by FTF LFS and its partners.
• Coordinate, plan, and support periodic web-based meetings (webinars).
• Maintain web-based databases; edit and revise google shared drive page layouts; organize and archive FTF LFS documents.
• Support the preparation of high-quality project reports and documentation.
• Serve as the project’s focal point for managing information requests.
• Keep abreast of development in the tools, trends, and practices in knowledge management to strengthen the capacity of FTF LFS and its partners in Knowledge Management.
• Work closely with key partners to create networks and communities of practice for knowledge management and knowledge sharing.
• Support the Project Management Information System and initiate a Learning and Knowledge Management Hub for the project.
• Support the communication of key messages, success stories, best practices, and lessons learned.
• Support development and dissemination of information to familiarize target audiences with the project's activities and learning.
• Collect and analyze data and results, and evaluate progress in support of the project's Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) plan.
• Consult with different thematic teams on Google Drive based on content management needs and assist with document library customization and maintenance.
• Support in monitoring trends and tracking engagements on the program's digital channels (social media, website, reports) and analyzing relevant communications data and insights to inform work plans, content curation and quality assurance.
• Carry out additional tasks as requested.

Technical & Behavioral competences:

• Sound analytical skills
• Honesty and professional integrity
• Ability to work in challenging environments and deliver on tight timelines
• Excellent interpersonal, networking, negotiation, and facilitation skills
• Ability to take initiative and work independently
• Willingness to be able to travel for extended periods within Kenya.

Academic and Professional Qualifications:

• Degree in Information Science, Knowledge Management Science, Communications, Social Sciences, Public Policy Communications, or related field.
• Must have experience and excellent skills with google platforms
• Must have experience with program management systems such as Trello.
• At least 3 years’ experience in knowledge management, learning and/or communications and knowledge management tasks for development projects.
• Advanced competency in working in a web-based environment.
• Strong familiarity with social media tools and online social networking.
• Self-motivated with an ability to juggle multiple priorities, handle assignments independently, and work under tight deadlines
• Strong in written and spoken English.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent skills in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint required.
• IT, Photography and videography skills will be an added advantage.
• Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations required.

Technical & Behavioral Competences:

• Sound analytical skills
• Honesty and professional integrity
• Ability to work in challenging environments and deliver on tight timelines
• Excellent interpersonal, networking, negotiation, and facilitation skills
• Ability to take initiative and work independently
• Willingness to be able to travel for extended periods within Kenya.