Feb 22, Action Against Hunger USA Head of Department: Food Security, Livelihoods & Resilience Jobs in Kenya

Purpose

The Head of Food Security Livelihood and Resilience Department Provides technical leadership to Action Against Hunger’s food security programs through context analysis, development of strategic FSL & Resilience priorities and promotion of technical innovations and learning capitalization.

Essential job duties:

Strategic Leadership

Develop strategic positioning for the department as part of the Action Against Hunger annual country strategy process and as needed, in close consultation with field teams and other technical departments.

Lead in the review and implementation of the FSL and resilience strategy well aligned with the ACF Kenya and International Strategic Plan (ISP).

Support in development and review of FSL and resilience annual work plans, budgets, and monitoring frameworks to ensure effective implementation and achievement of FSL interventions.

Provide guidance and support to FSL program managers and field teams to ensure the quality and impact of interventions.

Identify new geographical areas of interest and or confirm existing areas according to humanitarian, recovery and development needs and the Action Against Hunger strategic plan

Work closely with the business development team in the design and formulation of new project proposals and concept notes providing technical and budgetary input throughout the program development and design phase on FSL and resilience funding opportunities.

Lead the design, planning, and implementation of food security and livelihood programs, incorporating best practices and innovative approaches.

Oversee the identification and prioritization of target communities and beneficiaries, ensuring inclusivity and participation in program activities.

Foster partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, donors, and community-based organizations, to enhance program effectiveness and sustainability.

Oversee country FSL and resilience program portfolio; identify, propose and develop new program orientations, strategies and activities, in aligned to the best practices

Ensure harmonization and coherence of recovery and development of FSL approaches and activities across all program bases with the development of project implementation plans.

Promote an integrated approach among the WASH, Nutrition and FSL sectors wherever feasible and justified.

Serve as lead on new project development to ensure high quality technical and donor reporting across all the resilience , recovery and development program activities and ensure they meet Action Against Hunger’s and donor’s standards

Work with partnership, advocacy and communication focal person to engage in outreach and advocacy with policy makers and practitioners at National and County government levels

Build the capacity of staff and partners through training, mentorship, and knowledge sharing activities

Identify staff training needs and work with HR department to develop and implement relevant training plans.

Ensure compliance of FSL program standards to achieve grant/funding objectives

Work in close relation with FSL technical counterpart in HQ and Regional FSL advisor.

Program Development and Management 30%

Technical Support 20%

Climate change integration 10%

Work with relevant partners to advocate for policies and practices that promote climate resilience and sustainable development at local, national, and regional levels, engaging with government authorities, donors, and other stakeholders.

Foster partnerships with climate change experts, research institutions, and civil society organizations to leverage resources, expertise, and best practices in addressing climate-related challenges.

Represent Action Against Hunger in FSL and resilience forums, networks, and working groups focused on climate change, sharing lessons learned and advocating for the integration of climate resilience into FSL and resilience programming.

Work closely with MEAL HOD to develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress, measure impact, and ensure accountability.

Lead the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and success stories to inform program adaptation and scale-up.

Support the organization in reporting to donors and other stakeholders, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and standards.

Contribute to integrated surveillance activities as applicable through input on development of tools, analysis and interpretation, etc.

Ensure the regular analysis and reporting of recovery and development needs, malnutrition causal factors and linkages at country level through regular high quality field assessments, participation in coordination forums, regular consultation with stakeholders and collection of secondary data.

Ensure the appropriate development and implementation of high quality technical monitoring systems, indicators and supporting tools to monitor the impact and outcome of recovery and development FSL programs; ensure their harmonization across bases and build capacity of field teams on their implementation and regular timely use.

Provide direct support to field staff on program planning and monitoring (procurement planning, budget design, forecast and follow-up, monthly reports, technical reports, etc.)

Ensure internal and external evaluation of programs in the operational area in a manner that facilitates organizational learning.

Support learning and application of innovative approaches in FSL at field level in collaboration with other Action Against Hunger technical departments and external partners

Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

Master’s degree in food security, Agricultural Education and Extension, Agricultural/Applied Economics, Agribusiness Management, Food Policy and Applied food science, Veterinary Sciences, or related courses.

At least 7 years’ experience in food systems, nutrition sensitive agriculture, livelihoods, natural resource management and Disaster Risk Reduction.

Required Skills & Competencies

Experience working in humanitarian and development contexts, recovery and rehabilitation as well as with national governments, regional bodies, UN agencies and INGOs.

Excellent knowledge of technical fields related to Food Security & Livelihoods that includes excellent working knowledge of food security, Market systems and nutrition sensitive resilience.

Proven track record in designing, implementing, and managing complex food security and livelihoods programs, preferably in Kenya or similar contexts.

Strong technical expertise in areas such as agricultural production, value chain development, income generation, and community-based resilience.

Sound analytical and technical competence in the subject matter of food security and livelihoods

Field experience in FSL programming, including agro ecology, value chain analysis, income generation, emergency food assistance, COD, HEA, etc.

Experience in Food security and Livelihood assessments including cash and market assessments in both development and emergency contexts.

Experience with research and partnership developments with universities.

Experience with donor communications.

Demonstrated previous experience in and strong proposal writing and donor reporting skills.

Demonstrated experience in financial management and preparation of budgets for programming.

Good diplomatic and negotiation skills.

Knowledge and experience in assessment and research methods.

Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, donors, NGOs, and local communities.

Strong organizational skills and technical review/writing of detailed technical documents.

Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently and as a member of a team

Interest and/or experience in Cash transfer programs, Agriculture and livestock programming in Humanitarian setting and community led methodologies.

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; Action Against Hunger USA Head of Department: Food Security, Livelihoods & Resilience Jobs in Kenya

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