Vacancies at SOS Children's Villages

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

• SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya has secured a 6 month’s grant to implement an Emergency Drought
• Response Project in parts of Meru (Igembe North) and Isiolo (Rapsu & Duse) counties. Host communities will be supported through a multi - sectoral response approach with focus on food assistance, WASH and Protection.

Job Summary:

• Reporting to the Family Strengthening Manager, the Project Officer will be responsible for the day to day implementation of the project.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Implements Meru- Isiolo Project activities as per developed work plan & ensure timely incisive monthly reporting using available tools.
• The Project Officer - Emergency Response will support to strengthen smooth implementation of emergency drought response components that include Food assistance, WASH and Child Protection.
• Support in facilitating mutually beneficial collaborations with likeminded stakeholders mostly in the area of training, information sharing, resource mobilization and joint initiatives
• Represent SOS Children Villages appropriately and as may be required more so in local forums of interest including active participation in both Meru and Isiolo Counties Steering Groups under the respective National Drought Management Authorities.
• Provide budgetary support to the finance department as may be required
• Appropriate guidance and supervision of Project Driver

QUALIFICATIONS/ EXPERIENCE:

• A degree or equivalent in relevant field i.e Development Studies, Project Management, Sociology, Anthropology etc
• A minimum of 4-5 years of experience in emergency response and development programs, including demonstrable success in implementing projects in Arid and Semi-arid Land (ASAL)
• Extensive knowledge of community participatory approaches, disaster risk reduction & disaster management cycle.
• Monitoring and evaluation skills
• Evidence of leadership on emergency response in drought emergencies is an added advantage
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members,
• Prior experience with emergency response grant management for both private and institutional donors desired.
• Knowledge of SPHERE and other humanitarian programming standards.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

DESIRABLE ATTRIBUTES

• Should be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• Have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability as well as strong organization and document handling skills
• Highly proficient in MS Word, Excel, Access, Power –Point and internet
• Knowledge of local languages is an added advantage
• Demonstrated commitment to respect, equity, diversity and inclusion including gender equality.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND DEMANDS:
The position involves vast travelling therefore may demand;

• Flexibility to travel under difficult circumstances
• On exceptional cases, work past normal working hours and days e.g weekends and holidays
• Exposure to varied weather conditions during field work
• Occasionally exposed to dusty, rugged terrain, inaccessible roads and flood prone areas

If you believe your experience, competencies and qualifications match the job and role specifications described; send a Cover Letter & updated CV in PDF with details of 3 traceable referees one of which must be immediate former employer to recruitment@soskenya.org addressed to the Human Resources Manager to reach us on or before 15th June 2023 with the subject heading as ‘Project Officer’

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Job Summary:

• Reporting to the Head of Fund Development & Communications, the Institutional Partnership Development Manager supports and leads SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya in the development of partnerships with institutional donors, in order to significantly increase and diversify the financial resources available for National Programs. H/She plays a crucial role in enhancing the capacity of SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya’s team in grant acquisition, effective grant management, and strategic donor engagement, positioning and partnerships with major institutional donors. H/She collaborates with the Head of Fund Development & Communications, the National Director and the Program Team to secure institutional funding for SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya. H/She develops and implements institutional partnership strategies, writes concept papers, proposals and other grant application documents and is a key contributor to the growth of the funding portfolio. H/She also manages the day to day donor relationships with bilateral donors, governmental institutions, embassies and any other relevant national or international organizations.

Fundraising and Donor Liaison

• Proactively identify institutional partnership opportunities at the national/ local level (from bilateral, multilateral, international organizations and embassies and foundations) that match organizational priorities and donor requirements. Develop a comprehensive database of potential donors and update the same regularly to ensure clear potential funding opportunities for SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya based on thorough research and intelligence gathering
• Writing expression of interests, concept notes and proposals and related applications for both grants and contracts under the strategic guidance of the HFDC. This includes: background research, stakeholder analysis, data collection & analysis, consultation processes, development of narrative proposal, coordination of grant proposal budget development and production of all associated documents to a high standard in accordance with donor requirements
• Develop and maintain good relationships with donors by ensuring regular communication, knowledge exchange and effective reporting.
• Working with the HFDC, be the link between SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya and donors especially in management of institutional funding contracts. Ensure regular communication with the SOS Children’s Villages international and regional offices

Donor Contract Management

• Prepare and submit IPD monthly updates and quarterly reports to the HFDC and regional office
• Coordinate, monitor and assess the quality of donor reporting making sure that donor requirements are met during the project implementation, monitoring and evaluation and phase/close out
• Responsible for Donor Contract Management (DCM) of institutional (restricted) grants, including contract preparation, development of consortium agreements, teaming agreements, monitoring of compliance with donor requirements, submission of reports.
• Create and maintain grant records in the ProDIGI Grant management system for all institutional donor contracts.
• Undertake routine donor contract administration for country programmes and ensure all grant files, (electronic, system and paper) are complete and kept up to date.
• Establish a close cross-functional working relationship with the Finance, Communication and Program and other departments and provide advice to ensure synergy in donor budgeting, contract management and reporting.

Strategy, Capacity Building

• Develop and implement an institutional fundraising and partnership strategy in line with the needs of SOS Children’s Villages Kenya and ensure this is infused within the organizational strategic plan, global IPD Strategy 3.0 and national plans
• Ensuring Senior Management are appraised of all strategic opportunities, challenges and risks in relation to potential funding opportunities, including key relations, grants and contracts.
• Analysing the funding environment vis á vis SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya’s strategy, plans and priorities, mapping key donors and identifying trends in funding and implications for SOS Children’s
• Villages in Kenya; Review and implement the recommendations of the donor market survey
• Train and support relevant staff in Project Cycle Management and Logical Framework Approach among other models and approaches for project design and management
• Build fundraising capacity within the programme team, by training staff on proposal development, funding trends and policies, donor relations, reporting, contract management, etc.
• Document learning on the implementation of donor-funded grants and contracts, in order to improve understanding of donor requirements and to improve SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya’s overall grant performance and compliance

Partnership Development and Networking

• Establish and maintain regular contact with donors by organizing donor roundtables, face to face meetings, attending donor forums etc.
• Supporting the HFDC, ND and programme team to develop new and existing relationships with key donors and potential consortia partners
• Negotiate collaboration with partner institutions and government departments in support of SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya subject to approval from HFDC.
• Coordinating and facilitating consortia formation and strategic partnerships with other like-minded organizations/or local implementing partners for joint proposal development processes
• Coordinating capacity assessments and due diligence checks of potential local partners to be included in proposals
• Developing MOUs, pre-teaming agreements or other required documentation in relation to consortium formation and partnership development.
• Represent SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya in sector level meetings (development and humanitarian/emergency) and other networking forums and use this to aggressively develop funding partnerships
• Participate in regional IPD networking and training forums and contribute to development of new IPD strategies to improve practice
• Developing material to help promote SOS Children’s Villages in Kenya amongst potential donors, partners and key Government representatives, including briefings, capacity statements and presentations
• Work closely with the General Secretariat in ESAF regional office and International Office in order to ensure coordinated contact with donors.

Minimum Qualification and experience

• Minimum Bachelor and preferably Master Degree, in the Social Sciences (social work, psychology, social-pedagogy, community development or economics) and, additionally, a Project Management qualification.
• Minimum 7 years working experience in the field of Project Management for Institutional Donor funded projects
• He/she should have 7 years’ extensive experience in planning, securing and managing funds from institutional donors as well as a thorough understanding of development programming.
• A thorough understanding of program design and development especially in the sectors of Education,
• Health, Livelihoods, Gender and GBV, Child Protection, Advocacy and Emergency Preparedness and Response.
• Experience in social science research; the candidate should have extensive experience conducting assessments, evaluations etc.
• A thorough understanding of Donor Contract Management, Project Cycle Management, and training approaches is required.

Competencies- Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Demonstrable experience in planning, resourcing, implementing, controlling, monitoring & evaluation of and reporting on projects, preferably in the social sciences arena, including donor-funded programs.
• Ability to turn a vision into actionable goals and deliverables, including coordinating the activities of several program locations (and their networks of service providers) around these common goals.
• Ability to challenge conventional thinking, and to influence others to develop new, innovative solutions to promote quality child care and development, including using broad cross-sector coordination to create large-scale social change.
• Understanding of the national legislation, policies, strategies and funding mechanisms of SOS Children's Villages Kenya in relation to child care and development.
• Experience in partnership-building, including assessing the suitability of partners, and negotiating and formalizing Memorandums of Understanding.
• Ability to represent the organization at the highest level, including with national bodies and agencies, NGO networks and international donors.
• Ability to link budgets for implementing planned activities and programs, as well as understanding of financial reports for tracking budget execution.
• Proven experience in leading a team.
• Strong MS office skills, preferably with proficiency in using project management software.
• Strong and highly effective communication skills in English including excellent report writing skills.
• Willingness to travel within different the regions, as well as travel within the Sub-Saharan Africa region for experience-sharing and workshops.
• The Candidate should have leadership, and innovation, flexible, self-drive and have the ability to work very fast and under strict deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal, networking and communication skills with the ability to represent SOS CV Kenya in donor forums, develop partnerships with other NGOs
• Experience of capacity building non-funding staff in all aspects of funding and contract compliance.

Personal Attributes

• Good planning, organizing and coordination skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work well in a team and to communicate effectively with colleagues, partners, stakeholders and others who are not in the line of command.
• Strong analytic and thinking skills, ability to overcome challenges.
• Ability to manage own time and to work under high pressure.
• Trustworthiness and confidentiality, modelling principled behavior.
• Commitment to address the situation the children of our target group and their families

If you believe your experience, competencies and qualifications match the job and role specifications described; send a Cover Letter & updated CV in PDF with details of 3 traceable referees one of which must be immediate former employer to recruitment@soskenya.org addressed to the Human Resources Manager to reach us on or before 22nd June 2023 with the subject heading as ‘Institutional Partnership Development Manager”