USAID Building Capacity for African Agricultural Transformation (Africa Lead II) Project
Scope of Work
Title: Africa Lead II Agriculture Policy Development Specialist
Location: Nairobi, Kenya (with in-country and periodic international travel)
Period of Performance: Immediate – September 30, 2018 (funding dependent)
Background:
The USAID Building Capacity for African Agricultural Transformation
(Africa Lead II) Project is a five-year effort to support and advance
the agricultural transformation in Africa as proposed by the African
Union Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP),
while simultaneously contributing to the Feed the Future goals of
reduced hunger and poverty, by building the capacity of men and women
African leaders, institutions and stakeholders to develop, lead, and
manage the structures needed for the transformation process.
This project has three components:
1. The establishment of institutional/organizational architecture to
lead African agriculture transformation at the national and regional
levels, operating at the highest level of effectiveness;
2. The operationalization of capacity to manage policy change and alignment process; and
3. The effective participation and leading when necessary, of civil
society and private sector – Non-State Actors (NSAs) – in the CAADP
process.
Responsibilities:
The Agriculture Policy Development Specialist will have primary
responsibility for leading initiatives to establish and improve
effective and inclusive policy development.
He or she will emphasize the facilitation and engagement of private
sector and civil society with government policy making entities.
Specifically, the Agriculture Policy Development Specialist will:
Technical Delivery:
Support and facilitate engagement of key stakeholders at
the continental, regional, and country level in agricultural policy
review, development, and implementation processes
Assist with the prioritization of capacity development,
training, and technical assistance needs to maximize NSA participation
and leverage NSA expertise
Support and facilitate engagement and collaboration between
NSAs and public sector policy making entities in research, analysis and
implementation of policy related activities.
Identify and develop specific initiatives to strengthen engagement of youth, women, and under-represented groups
Propose innovative initiatives to strengthen the leadership of
NSA networks/coalitions to self-organize and coordinate activities at
continental, regional and national levels
Support key NSA actors to analyze and articulate policy issues
impacting the farming and other agriculture-related businesses at all
levels
Develop, vet and maintain a roster of experts— international,
regional and national (for target countries)— that can be used to guide
NSA supported activities, including gender and youth
Program Development and Management:
Work with the Regional Director to develop a realistic but
aggressive timeline for program delivery and to ensure timely
implementation of the program
Conduct or provide technical support to program activities to
drive direction of AL II investments and technical assistance
interventions
Identify likely barriers to program delivery and work with the
Regional Director and Senior Organizational Change/Institutional
Development Specialist on solutions
Coordinate with staff in other Africa Lead offices to promote program consistency and replicate successful initiatives.
Contribute inputs for annual continent-wide Africa Lead work plans
Engage directly in training, mentoring and provision of technical assistance as appropriate
Review training curricula as developed by specialized training TA
Travel to counties as needed to engage in technical assistance, assessments, training and mentoring
Attend national, regional and international workshops as
appropriate and as approved by Regional Director to ensure access to
relevant innovations and ideas that can extend and deepen program impact
Reporting:
Provide to Regional Director and Senior Organizational Change/Institutional
Development Specialist weekly short bulleted list of priorities for upcoming week and accomplishments from previous week
Provide to Bethesda-based Knowledge, Learning and Communication (KLC) Manager
Kenya program input for quarterly and annual reports, and other required reports to USAID
Work with KLC team to identify KM/Learning products
Other:
Participate in weekly senior management meetings led by the Regional Director
Participate in weekly country program meetings led by the Senior Organizational
Change/Institutional Development Specialist
Performance Criteria: Africa Lead II is a performance-based
project, highly dependent on individuals and team core competencies.
Each staff member will participate in a semi-annual evaluation and receive feedback.
Based on this evaluation, decisions related to promotion or salary increase will be made.
Supervision:
The Agriculture Policy Development Specialist will report
to the Regional Director, and will collaborate closely with other
members of the Senior Management Team—Technical, Country Programs,
Finance/Administration, and Logistics—to ensure smooth coordination of
activities.
Qualifications, Background and Experience:
Successful candidates will have strong interpersonal,
leadership and management skills as well as relevant experience
implementing programs to increase local capacity to improve food
security.
Specific experience and specialization in the following areas is required:
agricultural policy reform, advocacy, and implementation;
civil society capacity building;
food security; and
public education/awareness.
Education:
An advanced degree in agricultural economics/development, international development, political science, or other relevant field
Work Experience:
Minimum of 10 years of technical experience in working
with the private sector and civil society on complex development
programs
Thorough understanding of institutional and process dynamics of agriculture policy making in Africa
Experience in building capacity of the private sector and civil society to better engage in policy formation and implementation
Experience in human and institutional capacity development,
agricultural development, food security, policy reform and advocacy, and
civil society/non-state actor development
Previous experience on USAID or donor projects and experience in and knowledge of African development issues
Skills:
Knowledge or understanding of social, economic, and political context governing food security issues in developing countries
Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, creative problem solving, conflict and ethical management skills
Strong training, facilitation and communication skills
Computer literate in word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (Microsoft)
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Fluent English language skills required
Proficiency in other languages preferable
If you believe you qualify for this job, kindly submit your CV and
current/expected salary to Ruth Ndegwa (ruth_ndegwa@africaleadftf.org).
Only qualified candidates will be contacted.
Deadline to submit your CV is December 5, 2014.
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