Rangeland Specialist at Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is recruiting a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)/Nutrition Advisor to ensure the delivery of high quality WASH and nutrition interventions for a five-year USAID-funded Feed the Future (FtF) Livestock Market Systems (LMS) Development Activity for northern Kenya.

This position will support the Strengthening Community Capacities for Resilience and Growth associate award.

This project will support USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative and specifically will improve households’ income, productive assets and resilience to drought and other shocks.

Specific areas of focus include: strengthened and sustained rangeland and water management; strengthened drought risk management; strengthened conflict management; improved and sustained health, nutrition, and hygiene practices; improved literacy, numeracy, and life skills; and collaborative action and learning for community empowerment.

General Position Summary

• The Rangeland Specialist will offer support to the LMS program quality and impact through provision of technical assistance and advice in the areas of sustainable Natural Resource Management (NRM).
• This is anticipated to include early warning systems, climate information systems, participatory rangeland management, watershed management, sustainable community water management systems in pastoral and peri urban areas and livestock productivity improvement (including forage development) and small business group development.
• The Rangeland Specialist will work closely with the project team to achieve program synergy. S/he will provide capacity building and technical assistance to LMS staff and partners in NRM aspects of implementing project interventions and encourage active participation of and networking between individuals and communities in recognizing NRM problems, identify solutions and implement project activities related to the identified solutions.
• The post holder will also build capacities of communities and institutions in sustainable NRM.
• S/he will work closely with community facilitators, community leaders, committees and local government development agents and take part in community meetings for information gathering, exchange and carry out participatory planning supporting field implementation.