Program Officer Convening and Convincing Kenya Job at ICCO Cooperation

Job purpose:

The Program Officer Convening and Convincing is responsible for managing and implementing the policy influencing and advocacy programme in Kenya in collaboration with the coalition partners and local NGOs and CBOs. He/she is the overall responsible for implementing the programme enhancing relations with local partners and seeking new alliances within the country and in the region. The Program Officer will maintain close collaboration with the Dutch Embassy in Kenya as well as other strategic partners to the Dutch Government. In addition, the program officer will manage a number of ongoing small partner grants in Kenya and will play a key role in resource mobilisation for the Kenya program.

Profile:

• Five years’ experience with planning and implementing advocacy efforts, especially community-based.
• Good knowledge of the social, economic and political situation in Kenya and the East African region.
• Experience in designing and implementing lobby trajectories.
• Knowledge of food security and value chain development.
• Proven track record of effective project/program management, including planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning
• Graduate degree in development issues coupled with at least 5 years experience in international development.
• Proven negotiation and fundraising skills
• Networking, training and facilitation skills, including public speaking.
• Good communication skills, including intercultural communication and communication with ecumenical actors
• Affinity with the protestant character of ICCO Cooperation
• Fluent written and spoken English

Duties and responsibilities:

• Based on conducted research and country plans, develop a lobby plan with clearly defined targets related to the right to food and access to markets in designated areas in Kenya;
• Implement country program in collaboration with coalition members and local partners;
• Identify and plan for capacity building support of coalition members and local partners;
• Develop annual work plans and quarterly benchmarks;
• Work with M&E advisor to implement the M&E framework and regular reports;
• Write regular progress reports and contributes towards a consolidated regional report;
• Ensure that the partners’ network has the capacity to collectively pursue joint advocacy initiatives;
• Build and maintain strategic alliances for advocacy purposes;
• Establish and maintain the mutually reinforcing linkages between advocacy initiatives at national, regional and international levels;
• Capacitate community groups, youth and women groups, local partners, and local churches to become active in claiming their rights towards (national and local) duty bearers;
• Actively link community lobby agenda from the grass root to the national and international level;
• Facilitate linking and learning between all programme stakeholders to enhance program quality;
• Maintain regular contact with the program coordinators in Uganda and Ethiopia to forge regional linkages and synergies;
• Identify funding opportunities linked to the SPCC and ICCO Cooperation’s growing portfolio in Kenya
• Manage the small partner grants portfolio of ICCO Cooperation in Kenya.
• Represent ICCO in external meetings and conferences.

Positioning, key contacts and reporting:

The Program Officer reports to the Programme Development Manager for the Central, Eastern & Southern Africa Regional Office (CESA RO) based in Uganda. He/She works closely together with the other 2 program officers Convening and Convincing in the region and the Program Coordinator at the Global Office. He/ She works in cooperation with the Finance and Administration unit and the regional and international specialist/advisors. This is a national position and will be stationed in Nairobi.