SayPro Vacancy Announcement – Outreach Project Management

Vacancy

Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) seeks to recruit a competent and highly motivated individual for its Farmer Communication & Outreach Project, a project of the Farmer Communication Programme (FCP) projects, to be based in Nairobi.

About Biovision Africa Trust

BvAT, a not-for-profit organization established in Kenya in 2009 and is situated on the main campus of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kasarani, Nairobi. The Trust’s goal is to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Kenya and other African countries, through dissemination of information and knowledge on appropriate technology, to improve human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Through the Farmer Communication Programme, BvAT has farmer resource centres established in 11 counties in Kenya managed under the Farmer Communication & Outreach Project providing opportunities for face-to-face interaction with farmers to learn about practices and technologies in ecological sustainable agriculture (ESA).

BvAT also runs the Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative (EOA-I) in African countries in West and Eastern Africa, and the Knowledge Hub for Eastern Africa as part of Knowledge Centre on Organic Agriculture (KCOA) in Africa.

Job Purpose:

The overall purpose of this job is to provide support and management of the Farmer Communication & Outreach Project activities under the Farmer Communication Programme aimed at information dissemination and capacity building on ESA to enhance economic, social, and environmental livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The main tasks of this position involve project management, providing support to resource centres, supporting networking and resource mobilization and monitoring and evaluation of the project.

Project Management

1. 1. Provide technical support to all the project staff and project partners on awareness creation, training, and overall project activities implementation on ecological sustainable agriculture.
   1. Support designing of project activities, development of logical frameworks and performance indicators.
   2. Lead and co-ordinate programme/project assessments, planning, implementation monitoring and reporting.
   3. Provide team management support in terms of feedback, communication and skill development to keep staff, partners and other stakeholder motivated and committed to project deliverables.
   4. Work closely with the finance department and manage project budgets and work plans, ensuring value for money and project expenditures are within approved budgets.
   5. Liaise closely with other BvAT programmes and projects e.g., other FCP projects (Biovision Infonet, TOF Radio, Mkulima Mbunifu, TOF Magazine, videography), EOA Initiative and KCOA-KHEA to share/contribute content/information for dissemination.

Support to Resource Centers

1. 1. Ensure outreach farmer resource centres are operational, well branded and meet standards that foster provision of quality advisory and extension services and enhance accessibility by the farmers and other users.
   1. Apply staff performance management tools, carryout periodic staff capacity assessments against skills requirements and facilitate capacity building for field teams including on-thejob training, workshops, exchange visits, and training courses
   2. Coordinate the development and dissemination of communication and outreach training materials and resources such as posters, banners, flyers, fact sheets, brochures, farmer participatory-produced videos, farmer magazines and modules, among others.
   3. Monitor the farmers’ database (name, gender, group affiliation, and age group, key farming enterprises) to ensure it is up to date on key areas of information needed.
   4. Develop and implement strategies that ensure visibility of BvAT and the Outreach project including supporting field teams to actively participate in partner and county stakeholder forums.

Networking and Resource Mobilization

1. 1. Develop project proposals including budgets for the Outreach project and seek other project sustainability strategies.
   1. Foster and leverage on working partnerships with key national and county level partners for greater impact and scale. This also entails identifying new initiatives/partners, where Outreach Project might wish to have a greater focus in the future.

Monitoring and Reporting

1. 1. Coordinate and support preparation and submission of Outreach technical and financial reports according to BvAT/FCP reporting guidelines and donor policies.
   1. Ensure timely tracking and reporting of project implementation and achievement of expected results against planned objectives and targets, and conducting monitoring visits, staff training and support on use of M&E tools.
   2. Review timesheets for all project’s staff and submit to HR office.
   3. Coordinate annual performance appraisals for all staff under the Farmer Outreach and Communication Project.
   4. Carry out resource centre monitoring to check on the progress of implementation by field staff, activities involving farmers and adoption of ESA practices by farmers.
   5. Any other duties that may be assigned by the supervisor from time to time.

Responsibility for Finances and Physical Assets.

• * The jobholder has accountability to oversee the utilization of the budget, ensure funds are properly utilized.
  • Monitor outreach assets/equipment and rent payment for the resource centers.

Required Qualifications

• Preferably a Master’s Degree in Agriculture, Project Management and/or related fields.
• Project Management certification is an added advantage.
• Minimum of at least 10 years of relevant experience.

Required Skills and Competencies

Technical Skills

• * Background knowledge in agriculture
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills
  • Computer skills
  • Negotiation skills
  • Networking skills
  • Fundraising/resource mobilization skills
  • Creativity, innovative skills
  • Excellent skills on Project Planning, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation

Behavioural Skills

▪ Teamwork skills
▪ People management skills
▪ Effective collaborator and positive influencer.
▪ Strong facilitation and organisational capabilities.
▪ Strong work ethics
▪ Excellent communication skills (both oral and written)

Working Relationships

Internal Relationships: Interacts frequently with the FCP Coordinator, FCP Projects, Farmer Field Officers, HR Department and the Finance Department
External Relationships: Contact with research and development partners, including icipe, KALRO, KEFRI and Ministry of Agriculture, county governments.