Job Openings at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Job Reference: SS/HSMEK/03/2020

To support this transformation, AGRA is seeking to recruit an experienced and exceptional individual to the position Head of Strategy, Monitoring & Evaluation and Knowledge Management.

The role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya (Approximately 25% Travel)

The Position:

Reporting into the Chief of Staff & Strategy, this role is based in AGRA’s Nairobi headquarters and manages a team of 8-15 Strategy, Monitoring & Evaluation and Knowledge Management professionals. S/he will work with the Executive Committee and across all programmatic leadership to facilitate sound programmatic planning, performance management, and learning to maximize AGRA’s impact in transforming Africa’s agriculture. S/he is responsible for building institutional partnerships with other key actors that can deliver on AGRA’s M&E and Knowledge Management plans most efficiently and effectively, as well as serving as a thought leader and external spokesperson for AGRA in the African Agricultural Community.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Manages AGRA’s overall corporate strategic planning, monitoring and review implementation progress against short, medium term and longer term impact.
• Tracks key strategic performance measures for each unit and division, and leads the identification of performance gaps, their implication and means of mitigation.
• Leads in the design and implementation of the AGRA’s strategic framework of M&E design and implementation; and the extraction, compilation, analysis and presentation of the generated know-how through proactive processes of learning and sharing (Knowledge Management).
• Facilitates the regular updates of the corporate, departmental and divisional strategies and contributes to the baseline reference and evaluative knowledge.
• Leads in the program performance evaluation working closely with the program leadership and the departments’ M&E Officers to institute performance metrics at the design and development stage of initiatives, as well as providing evaluative feedback throughout the execution stage.
• Leads in the design and the day to day effective operation of an M&E system.
• Facilitates process improvement through introduction of methodological innovations, applications of results-based management and by promoting the effective dissemination of and use of M&E findings, lessons and recommendations.
• Tracks, documents and methodically archives AGRA corporate achievement of set performance measures and targets supported by accumulated, validated and easily accessible evidence of Divisional/Program performance.
• Prepares and presents performance reports to divisional heads to inform day to day management decisions.
• Advises on areas where tracking, documentation and reporting can be enhanced to improve results management, and accountability to partners, including each country where AGRA works.
• Works with all AGRA’s divisions to oversee development and institutionalization of tracking metrics and success criteria.
• Works closely with the Communications Unit to support in the attractive and credible packaging and presentation of reports and other technical documents.
• Advises the Chief of Staff & Strategy and AGRA Management on the implications of ongoing contextual developments and AGRA work evaluation findings.
• Builds institutional relationships, promoting dialogues with AGRA partners and other stakeholders through participation in joint evaluations, and inter-agency sharing of M&E results, learning and dissemination.
• Mentors all AGRA’s Divisions in the development and institutionalization of tracking metrics and success criteria.
• Expands AGRA’s staff knowledge by collating information from across all AGRA Divisions, country and regional offices and sharing it across the organization.
• Advises on areas where tracking, documentation and reporting can be enhanced to improve results management, and accountability to partners, including each country where AGRA works.
• Directs the program teams in the effective and efficient implementation of the guidelines for documentation and sharing program of outputs and processes.
• Directs the preparation, review, editing and publishing of synthesis evaluation reports in support of the appropriate Programs.
• Achieves sustainable and objectively verifiable impact within each AGRA country program in liaison with the program leaders.
• Creates and presents performance reports that inform day to day management decisions, share and disseminate
• Tracks, documents and methodically archives AGRA corporate achievements.
• Creates and monitors the operating budget for the Unit.

Academic, Professional Qualifications and Relevant experience:

• Master’s degree development economics, sociology, statistics, agriculture and rural development or related fields.
• Specialized qualifications in the field of evaluation such as accreditation through globally or regionally recognized evaluation professional associations would be an advantage.
• Minimum 10 years of mid to senior level management experience in delivering agriculture or development related programmes.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in international development in a senior role formulating strategy and the design of strategic frameworks, strategy implementation & tracking tools
• 5 years’ experience managing the M&E function in a complex agriculture related international organization.
• A working knowledge of French will be an advantage.

An attractive remuneration package commensurate with this position’s responsibility will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

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Job Reference: PO/PSC/02/2020

To support this transformation, AGRA is seeking to recruit an experienced and exceptional individual to the Program Officer, Policy Quantitative Modelling & Data Analytics.

The role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya (possible travel up to 30%).

The Position:

The Program Officer will support AGRA policy work in designing, applying, managing agriculture systems and policy diagnostic tools, indices, and analyses for monitoring and evaluation of relevance for AGRA and its partners. In developing related analyses and reports, the Program Officer works with other AGRA teams and research partners to inform AGRA’s overall policy with analytics.  The Program Officer helps in identifying and presenting underlying trends and patterns in policy variables relevant to AGRA’s mandate. S/he will develop datasets and perform advanced analytics, aiming to measure, interpret, and predict trends and patterns of relevance to AGRA.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The Program Officer will be responsible for delivering on four major areas notably:

1. Design and manage AGRA-related agriculture systems diagnostics (mainly seed, fertilizer and markets) with analytical tools and indices that inform progress or lack thereof, in AGRA’s programmatic work for policy action. 
2. Working with AGRA programs to identify policy, institutional and regulatory constraints to the success of AGRA programmatic interventions and contributing towards a comprehensive policy strategy;
3. Support the design of analytical tools to assess Agricultural Transformation (including Indices) and complement the AU’s Africa Agriculture Transformation Scorecard and related tools.
4. Engage with other Units and Divisions, to develop key matrices for monitoring and evaluation of systems performance around three major AGRA systems (seeds, fertilizer and markets) to drive improvements for policy and advocacy.
5. Understand the progress of indicators coming out of AGRA’s work with Seed Access Index; Fertilizer Dashboard or Index and developed together with Program Development & Innovation teams the markets Systems Index.  Understand what is coming out of the AU Biennial Review and package it for routine updates for use by AGRA and other stakeholders.
6. Remaining current with relevant major macro-economic and micro-economic policy changes and carry out analytical work associated with the changes to generate evidence to inform and guide policy and regulatory reforms in AGRA focus countries.

• Support AGRA’s engagement with AU’s continental processes tracking agricultural transformation mainly to the Biennial Review:
  • Provide AGRA’s leadership with information related to AU Biennial Review processes and connect to the agriculture transformation narrative and associated indicators.
  • Be able to provide rigorous analysis on indicator quality and data systems and use these to validating and supporting AGRA’s work in 14 Countries and link it to continental work.
  • Work with relevant networks, such as the Regional Strategic Analysis for Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to bring agricultural transformation narrative into AGRA’s work and support the measurement of agriculture transformation on the continent.

• Routinely engage with leading agriculture transformation reports and studies across Africa and beyond to distill lessons; facts and insights to inform AGRA’s leadership and Programming:
• Supporting AGRA’s M&E operations to generate measurable indicators to inform the AGRA’s Policy and Advocacy strategic agenda of creating enabling policy environment for agricultural transformation in AGRA focus countries;
• Review documents on behalf of, and to inform, AGRA leadership.
• Prepare short but informative presentations for AGRA internal engagement and with other wider forums.
• Occasional publication of M&E related insights in peer reviewed journals can be considered.

• Support and engage Policy and Advocacy Programs with countries to identify improvements in systems and policy work, and link to the AU’s Biennial Review Scores:

• Monitoring and evaluating the impacts of agricultural policies on key indicators of agricultural productivity growth and farm household income;
  • Identifying, acquiring, loading, cleaning and managing data through tailored spreadsheets, templates, and databases;
  • Applying appropriate statistical principles, identifying, analyzing, and interpreting trends or patterns in complex datasets;
  • Tracking the implementation and impact of AGRA supported policies and regulatory frameworks on private sector investments in agriculture sector
  • Developing graphs, reports, maps, and presentations of data and analytical results for distribution within and outside AGRA; and
  • Package and prepare the distilled information in form of guidance notes to inform agenda setting.

Academic, Professional Qualifications and Relevant experience:

• Minimum of four (4) to ten (10) years’ experience in quantitative economic analyses or modelling based on in-depth data analysis and data integration.
• At least three (3) years’ experience in quantitative economics or systems research experience, with an emphasis on econometrics, modelling, policy analyses or spatial analysis.
• A minimum of a Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics, applied Economics, or Business (strategic analysis focus), or related field.
• A Doctoral degree in the above disciplines is desirable.
• A documented record of sound report writing skills.
• Experience in Agricultural Development-related activities in Africa.
• Experience in developing and employing modelling techniques using software programs such as Excel, STATA GAMS, SPSS and SAS for data analysis.
• Basic knowledge of GIS tools or data (e.g. ArcGIS) and relational databases (e.g. SQL Server – Spatial).

An attractive remuneration package commensurate with this position’s responsibility will be negotiated with the successful candidate.