Latest Recruitment at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Reference: ICT/03/2021

Position Summary

AGRA is seeking to recruit an intern within the ICT Unit.The internship will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and is only open to Kenyan Nationals. Under supervision of the Head of ICT or delegated technical staff, the IT Intern assists IT staff to perform basic IT support work. IT staff will impart knowledge and provide the intern with exposure to ICT systems and practical skills required in the modern job market.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

As part of the internship program the intern will:

• Assist with help desk calls, scheduling, and tickets management
• Follow up on user requests and ensure timely resolution
• Basic end-user support on technical issues covering Mac/PC hardware, Printers, scanners, computer peripherals, Mobile devices (iOS, Android) and network connectivity
• Under IT staff guidance, create accounts and configure end-user computer systems
• Assist in the maintenance of IT standards and documentation
• Under the guidance of IT staff, inventory technology equipment and software.
• Use remote tools for maintenance and support of ICT systems
• Maintain audio and video equipment in conference rooms
• Support / maintenance of IP telephony system
• Other duties as may be assigned for exposure to modern ICT systems.

Education & Experience

• The candidate must be a final year student pursuing a degree course, or a 2020 graduate with no prior internship experience, in Computer Science or Information Technology
• Familiar with Windows 10, Mac OS X and Office 365
• Interest or demonstrated experience with computer hardware and/or software.
• Demonstrated interest in software development, data communications, or information security.

Required Skills

• Basic technical skills and aptitude to learn technology to support ICT users.
• Be organized and structured with work orders, able to schedule work orders in a timely manner.
• Able to follow verbal and written plans and technical instructions with minimal supervision and guidance.
• Prioritize projects and services to minimize user interruption and down time.
• Employ a customer service approach and present information about technical issues clearly, both verbally and in writing.
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Operate standard office equipment including a computer and standard software.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.
• Meet schedules and timelines.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive and privileged information.
• Possess excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Possess a strong work ethic and attention to detail.

Benefits

• Gain hands-on experience in a busy ICT environment;
• Shadowing and training experiences with knowledgeable professionals;
• Exposure to technology & systems commonly deployed in modern corporate organizations.

Terms of Employment

This is an internship position based in Nairobi, Kenya. The contract will be for a period of six (6) months and the successful candidate shall receive a monthly stipend during this period.

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Job Reference: SA/ERC/03/2021

To support this transformation, AGRA is seeking to recruit an experienced and exceptional individual to the position Senior Advisor – Enterprise Risk and Compliance.

The Position

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, theSenior Advisor – Enterprise Risk & Compliance is responsible for providing advice to AGRA divisions on best corporate risk governance and compliance practices, compliance to USAID and other donors’ guidelines on issues related to procurement, contracting, sub-granting, financial disbursement and management. The Senior Advisor -Enterprise and Risk will also track reporting guidelines and advise on related donor awards rules and regulations.  S/he will serve as an advisor to the COO, Country Managers, and other key AGRA staff in headquarters and country offices on issues related to best corporate risk governance, procurement, contracting and financial disbursements and management, with an emphasis on flow-down provisions to AGRA grantees in both the private and public non-profit sectors under the award.

Additionally, S/he will also generate necessary reports and ensure that document provision and retention are in accord with USAID and other PIATA partner requirements as well as review and track annual work plans and other reports for their correspondence with and in accordance to USAID and other PIATA partners’ rules and regulations.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain and review a consolidated register of risks across the institution.  Update the Enterprise Risk management plan when necessary.

• Lead the design and delivery of the AGRA’s consolidated compliance framework. In addition, develop annual compliance plans and periodically revise the compliance plan As required.
• Ensuring that at the start of new awards, implementation teams have a donor contract management plan with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, understanding of compliance requirements.
• Lead the review of the donor partner’s awards to AGRA and undertake biannual information requests with AGRA’s program leads for each award to monitor adherence to compliance requirements.
• Upholding AGRA’s own policies and procedures for restricted funding, and compliance with relevant regulatory and statutory requirements.
• Ensuring that at the conclusion of every award, AGRA teams have a clear understanding of the terms and conditions for contract close out including submission of final reports, award-specific audits, appropriate record storage, systems specifications, and asset disposal.
• Recommend appropriate policies changes to ensure the AGRA’s ongoing compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements; donor compliance and best practice for the sector.
• Frequently provide suggestions to AGRA systems, controls and conduct of business; to align to the relevant donor policies and standards.
• Support new business development / resource mobilization efforts in generation of new proposals, budgets and identifying matters of risk for management attention.
• Support Finance unit processes associated financial fiduciary reports and institution audits.
• Review and implement applicable Enterprise Risk and Compliance training programs to ensure the strengthening of a risk and compliance aware culture in AGRA.
• Provide training, capacity support, documents review and technical assistance to staff at head office and country offices to ensure operationalization of donor compliance, donor awards/ contract management, efficient donor reporting, risk management and restricted funding considerations as applicable.
• Serve as the point of contact for donor awards and maintain the compliance documents repository.
• Providing a help desk function to provide expert advice in areas such as donor compliant budgeting, financial management when using development funds, different donor procurement of goods and services considerations, partner sub-granting, anti-terror finance, and other areas of donor compliance depending on the nature and source of restricted funding.
• Co-Implement together with other divisions and units on areas of concern in relation to compliance and risk management matters.
• Advocate for AGRA’s compliance to the rules and regulations and contractual mechanisms.
• Influence compliance to the statutory obligations, corporate policies, procedures and systems.  Builds risk awareness through trainings and advise on compliance requirements within the organization.
• Build relationships with relevant stakeholders and coordinate the risk and compliance function.
• Advocate for compliance within the organization through continuously educating the key stakeholders at AGRA on key regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Advise on the mitigation of any compliance issues that may arise in the life of the Project.
• Lead in the development of waiver and approval requests for procurement of restricted commodities, international travel and other approvals.
• Advise the Chief Operating Officer on areas where momentum in grant progress can be accelerated.
• Engage with the contracting officers in USAID’s Office of Assistance Acquisitions and country missions as needed.
• Support good corporate governance through formulating and developing legal strategy and plans to ensure the policy guidelines are implemented and adhered to.
• Assess grant burn rates, the award and disbursement of grant funding in a timely manner with emphasis on responsibility determinations.
• Plan for the updating of the grants manual and management handbooks for procedural compliance as needed.
• Deliver on other support functions as deemed necessary by the Chief Operating Officer.

Academic, Professional Qualifications and Relevant experience

• Master’s Degree, preferably in Business Administration, Accounting, Law or a related field and/or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum 15 years’ experience overseeing donor awards administration and including US Government Acquisition and Assistance awards, given its centrality as a lead resource partner in the PIATA Global Development Alliance.
• Minimum 5 years of supervisory experience of sub-awardees, including oversight of flow-down provision compliance, branding & marking compliance, and compliance with travel and other provisions, as well as oversight of exceptions to provisions.
• Experience in the application of best corporate risk governance and compliance practices within an international donor funded organization.
• In-depth, practiced knowledge of USAID rules and regulations.
• An understanding of risk and compliance in the context of development organizations operating in Africa.
• Experience of making risk-based decisions in a complex operating environment with multiple competing demands.
• Ability to work in a fast paced multi-cultural and fluid environment.
• Ability to take a broad view of organizational issues and objectives and to evaluate operational risks in the context of other risks.
• Strong quantitative analytical skills.
• Results-oriented, accountable, with proactive leadership skills.
• Ability to lead by example and drive change.
• Determined, hard-working, individual who is prepared to work around barriers that arise in the course of an initiative.
• Ability to communicate effectively with individuals and groups of people.
• Ability to move from program concept to on-the-ground reality.

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

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Job Reference: PA/HAPA/03/2021

The Hub for Agriculture Policy Action (HAPA) which sits within the Policy & State Capability Division of AGRA, is a distinct service offering by AGRA to provide consolidation and translation advisory services to governments seeking to reform, refine and/ or develop a more clearly defined policy direction. The approach recognizes the urgent need for timely policy support to the Agriculture sector, which plays an important role in ensuring inclusive growth. It also recognizes the demands for political expediency and the need to ensure that a particular policy direction is anchored in evidence. The approach proposed also addresses the challenge posed by the high turnover of senior government decision makers by engaging local capacity and building on existing knowledge and partnerships. It will also draw on international and continental best practice and enhance the use of evidence given the salient political realities in policy making.

To support this objective, AGRA is seeking to recruit an experienced and exceptional individual to the role of Policy Analyst, HAPA.

Role Summary

The role reports to the Senior Policy Adviser, HAPA and will interact strategically and complementarily with the Head of HAPA and AGRA’s Policy and State Capability Team. The Policy Analyst will support all aspects of government engagements under HAPA (with support from a Senior Policy Advisor and the Head of HAPA) in order to produce high-quality outputs, but more importantly, to drive each government partner to achieve its inclusive agricultural transformation goals. The Analyst will be required to provide high quality analytical support and evidence-based guidance to senior leaders in partner governments. Towards this end, the Policy Analyst is expected to possess a diverse skill set, including establishing trusted advisor relationships with governments, developing expertise in a broad range of econometric and data tools, and communicating effectively to internal and external stakeholders, including partner governments. In developing related analyses and reports, the Policy Analysts shall work within the Policy and State Capability Division and with other AGRA teams and research partners to inform AGRA’s overall approach to policy engagement.

The role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel both local and international.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Policy Advisor and Head of HAPA in developing HAPA strategy and building impact driven relationships across select priority countries.
• Support the Senior Policy Advisor and Head of HAPA to continuously refine HAPA’s delivery model based on progress, lessons learned, and the evolving policy context.
• Work closely with the Senior Policy Advisor of HAPA in refining the theory of change and operational plans for the sustainability and scaling of HAPA.
• Support the identification, mapping and collaboration with the highest quality institutional sources of data and evidence in Africa.
• Support the validation and prioritization of incoming government demands through a collaborative, consultative process.
• Produce analytical options for the best set of policy options in line with the government request for support.
• Ensure consistency of consolidation and translation of approaches across the regions.
• Support research to inform and shape the effort(s) within policy consolidation and translation and best practices.
• Capture lessons learned from HAPA implementation and disseminate them through production of knowledge products such as occasional papers, blog posts, and webinars.
• Design and iterate a policy engagement plan with the range of leading actors in data and evidence generation, selection, analysis, e.g., national think tanks and policy bodies, advocacy groups and government advisory service providers.
• Innovate and synergize new models for engagement and drive quickly towards early success.
• Provide analytical support in consolidating and translating policy decisions as well provide strategic advice to HAPA and the PSC division during negotiations and wider engagements with government and stakeholders.
• Support HAPA’s interface with the respective AGRA Country Manager and the Policy and State Capability Team to add value from a consolidation and translation perspective to existing policy implementation efforts and ensure the delivery of an integrated policy support package to governments.
• Support knowledge management and thought leadership in AGRA through identification of methodologies and systematization of approaches to consolidation and translation and provide support for production and dissemination via appropriate channels.
• Support HAPA participating country governments in monitoring progress of implementation of evidence-based policies towards achieving Inclusive Agricultural Transformation (IAT).
• Support development, structuring, and occasional implementation of strategic partnerships in collaboration with the resource mobilization team, technical teams and in-country teams.

Academic, Professional Qualifications and Relevant experience

• A PhD or Master’s degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, International Economics, Statistics, or closely related field.
• Minimum five (5) years’ experience in agricultural policy and political economy analyses in Africa. Experience advising governments and other types of organizations on the use of data and evidence preferred.
• Proficiency and experience with data analysis and modelling techniques using software programs such as Excel, STATA, R, SPSS and SAS.
• Experience in survey design, questionnaire design, and conducting and supervising surveys. Familiarity with data entry software packages (ODK, Survey CTO, Epi Info, etc) desired.
• Demonstrable ability to assist and backstop governments through ministries of agriculture and related ministries to diagnose and assess, prioritize and reform policies, laws, regulations and administrative practices aimed at enhancing Inclusive Agricultural Transformation (IAT).
• Ability to provide technical assistance to HAPA participating country governments to make data-driven policy choices that reduce distortionary effects and support progress towards Inclusive Agricultural Transformation (IAT).
• Strong relationships with key national, regional and international partners working on state capability and policy development.
• Strong ability to track the implementation and impact of AGRA supported policies and regulatory frameworks on HAPA investments in the agriculture sector.
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrable ability to support HAPA in providing rigorous analysis on indicator quality and data systems and use these to validate and support AGRA’s work in the HAPA participating countries.
• Demonstrated understanding and familiarity with Africa’s policy and political economy landscape including policy issues related to poverty, economic growth, food security, and agricultural or rural development.
• Excellent oral, facilitation and written communication skills; works well in diverse teams, with efficiency and diplomacy.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, problem solving, programming and decision-making skills;
• Strong oral and written communication skills required, including the ability to communicate complex technical analyses to non-technical audiences. Good command of English required, and fluency in French and Portuguese will be an advantage