Job Opportunities at SNV

Job Description

The Country Project Manager has the responsibility to support the development and implementation of business and service provider cases whereby climate smart agriculture interventions are integrated into the value chain from an agronomic, financial and inclusion perspective. Prioritised value chain commodities are pulses, oilseed, potatoes and grains. The incumbent will identify and support business cases for the co-investment fund and broker access to finance and investment of the businesses. S/he will coordinate and work with financial institutional partners to scale climate smart investments. As country project manager the incumbent will be responsible for the day-to-day management and coordination of all Kenya related project activity planning, implementation, M&E, communication, reporting and related budget expenditures, as well as CRAFT country team/staff supervision. S/He will enhance the quality and visibility of the CRAFT project within the national Agriculture sector and Climate & Business-related platforms. S/he will coordinate with consortium partners the country level activities, using their expertise to increase the quality of implementation and documentation of the projects work.  The incumbent will take on delegated responsibility as appropriate and needed from the multi-country project manager.

The PM reports directly to the overall Programme Manager for CRAFT East Africa and the Kenya Country Director and collaborates closely with the agriculture global sector team.

Key Areas of Responsibilities;

• Programme Management;
• Project quality assurance;
• Contract Management & Project Accounting;
• People Management & Team Leadership;
• Analysis & Reporting;
• Knowledge Development and
• Positioning

With the following tasks and responsibilities;

• Support agribusiness/service provider and multi-stakeholder platforms to promote, advise and jointly agree on climate proofing value chains, policy recommendations and climate smart investments.
• Technical coaching of the CRAFT-Kenya team for the development, implementation and monitoring as well as eventual close-out of the cases.
• Manage the in-country project in all aspects of project management: budgets, financial management and activity reporting, work planning, monitoring & evaluation, human resources (PAR/PRDP, recruitment, consultancies, etc.);
• Maintain and safeguard high quality project deliverables, based on donor requirements, CRAFT branding standards and general SNV Kenya representational needs;
• Contribute to the development of the Kenya project annual reports and work plans, as well as regular donor updates and knowledge products as requested and needed;
• Oversee and support any other tasks as assigned relating to country project implementation and report to the MC PM as well as the Kenya SL and/ or CD.
• Support the CRAFT Kenya team in developing and maintaining a healthy and balanced business/service provider case pipeline.
• Reviewing and finalizing cases ready for final approval by the CRAFT PMU and onward approval for the IAC – ensuring all basic investment facility criteria are adhered to;
• Coordinate with the PMU fund manager the planning and disbursement of grant funds, as well as field-based monitoring and reporting with the Kenya team;
• Broker access to finance and investments between SME’s and financial institutions and advise financial institutions on climate smart business investments to leverage climate finance money.
• Risk Management in implementation of the CIIF country portfolio, work closely with country finance team and PMU to minimise risks in implementation
• Support the implementation and roll-out of business cases.
• Broker access to finance and investments between SME’s and financial institutions.
• Monitor and report the performance of the business cases as per the set milestones.
• Set-up of coaching programs on agribusiness management for female entrepreneurs and youth.
• Support agribusiness platforms to promote, advise and jointly agree on climate proofing value chains, policy recommendations and climate smart investments.
• Manage the in-country programme in all aspects of project management: budgets, work planning, human resource, activities and reporting.
• Oversee and support country project implementation, link and collaborate with the Uganda and Tanzania project managers, and report to the regional project manager.

Qualifications

• A relevant academic qualification: Agribusiness, Agricultural Economy or Business Administration.
• Minimum of ten years of experience of working with or in Agribusiness, preferably in the prioritised commodities (pulses, oilseed, potatoes and grains).
• Knowledge of the prioritized commodities preferably at global level and in Kenya.
• Experience in Climate Change financing, agribusiness development, climate smart agriculture, and agribusiness finance.
• Ability and demonstrated experience of designing and implementation of business cases with Agribusinesses.
• Experience in female and youth entrepreneurship programs.
• Strong agribusiness relationship management experience and focus with the ability to stimulate trust and confidence with clients and investors including managing various stakeholders.
• Understanding of climate change risk management and inclusion of smallholder producers into the supply chain.
• Proven track record in project management, specifically in project planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and financial management for large scale comprehensive projects.
• International work experience and the ability to effectively coach and lead a team of advisors in a multi-cultural setting.
• Strong background in resource mobilisation; demonstrated programme design, proposal writing, business development, and international donor relationship management.
• Excellent communication (written and oral), reporting and presentation skills.
• Flexible approach to take on additional responsibilities as assigned/delegated by the Country Director and/or the Multi-country Project Manager.
• Willingness to travel to all project locations.

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Job Description

We are looking to hire a WASH Technical Specialist to undertake technical assessments and analysis of rural water systems. The preferred candidate will have an excellent understanding of the Kenyan water sector and a sound knowledge of rural water supply. He/She will conduct detailed assessments on rural water assets, design practical capacity building activities to address the challenges and dynamics faced by community-managed rural water systems and provide linkages with solution partners from private sector. Experience working in arid and semi-arid areas will be an added advantage.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage day-to-day relationships with selected small scale water utilities and community-based water systems, county governments and other private sector companies.
• Design technical interventions that will create change in improving performance of rural water systems.
• Optimise technical interventions towards resilience, competitiveness and inclusiveness in business operations.
• Support county governments, local communities and local private players to create awareness, improve knowledge and understanding of operational and maintenance, and management aspects of rural water systems and the role private sector can play.
• Prepare briefs and reports on rural water systems that present gaps, suggest technically feasible and appropriate solutions and define expected results and milestones and subsequently monitor their performance and results.
• Manage technical interventions to improve the performance of selected rural water systems.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and new areas for improving engagement with private sector companies and tools.
• Contribute to internal learning and knowledge management processes, including regular performance monitoring, programme reviews and evaluations.

Qualifications

• A minimum of a Bachelors’ degree in Engineering with a specialisation in water infrastructure and management. A Masters in Engineering or equivalent professional certification will be highly preferred.
• At least 8 years’ work experience in the water sector with demonstrated experience in design, implementation and evaluation of water infrastructure systems with government and international organisations. Experience gained in the water sector environment would be an added advantage.
• Good understanding of commercial viability, operational and maintenance cost recovery strategies and professionalisation of water operations.
• Good analytical and critical thinking skills, problem-solving, judgment and decision-making skills and the ability to monitor and explain trends and variances.
• Excellent writing skills and strong reporting and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate technical information in a clear and concise manner, for different purposes and across multiple audiences.
• Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to engage direct and indirect reports and peers.
• Good negotiation and persuasion skills with the ability to influence people positively.
• Able to work both independently, efficiently and effectively as well as in collaboration with people at various levels and from different backgrounds.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook