Senior Project Officer - Nanyuki in Laikipia County with extensive travel to the field & other offic

REPORTS TO: Programme Manager

STAFF REPORTING TO POSTHOLDER: 2 Project Officers 

LOCATION: Nanyuki in Laikipia County with extensive travel to the field & other offices when requested 

DURATION & HOURS: Fixed term & full-time, renewable based on performance and availability of funds 

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Programme Manager will support will provide overall leadership in the Sustainable Agricultural value chains Enterprises in Central Kenya (SAVES) implemented by Farm Africa in partnership with AGRA. The programme aims to enhance smallholder livelihoods through sustainable farming and strengthened marketing for maize and pulses. It will tap the potential offered by the sector for entrepreneurship and employment, building knowledge and capacity so that the farming communities including young people, are attracted by the opportunities and growth potential offered by working in sustainable farming.

Specific objectives are to: 

a) Enhance resilient agricultural systems that are context specific by promoting improved agronomic practices through sustainable agriculture 

b) Advocate for sustainable farming agricultural policies through engagement of public (county governments) and private sector partners.

c) Promote sustainable productivity and resilience in smallholder farming through improved seed system support and facilitation 

d) Enhance economic opportunities and inclusivity for smallholder farmers through strengthened market engagement

The Project covers Meru, Kirinyaga and Laikipia Counties.

The Senior Project Officer (SPO) will be responsible for coordinating the delivery of the SAVES project by ensuring that all activities are aligned with budget allocations and project objectives. The SPO will play a critical role in reviewing project implementation plans, managing day-to-day field operations, and ensuring that activities are executed efficiently and effectively. This role will involve close collaboration with field teams, partners, and community stakeholders to ensure adherence to project timelines, budgetary constraints, and quality standards. The SPO will also be instrumental in monitoring progress, identifying challenges, and implementing corrective actions to keep the project on track, ultimately contributing to the program’s success in enhancing smallholder livelihoods through sustainable farming practices.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Implementation and Coordination:

•      Support the Programs Manager in implementing the SAVES program across Meru, Laikipia, and Kirinyaga counties.

•      Ensure program activities are delivered to a high standard, adhering to the agreed work plans, timelines, and budgets.

•      Coordinate with implementing partners to build synergies and complementarities, ensuring effective collaboration and seamless execution of project activities.

•      Support the Programs Manager in disseminating program successes and insights to enhance Farm Africa’s broader impact.

•      Provide capacity development training and support to the project in Laikipia, Meru and Kirinyaga to effectively mobilise and deliver agronomic development services to beneficiaries (social mobilising, identification of interest youth groups, business planning, and strengthening market linkages).

•      Work with the agribusiness office to enhance the private sector initiative and employ the commercial aspects to the project value chains

•      Work closely with the Program Manager to identify key business targets, develop and deliver a plan to create opportunities and to achieve those targets including increase in production to meet market demand and incomes for the youths.

•      Participate in developing agronomic training programme, and conduct training to the VBAs, youth groups, cooperatives and individual farmer on-farm support through established demonstrations.

•      Develop strategic linkages with other value chain actors with a view of creating synergistic partnerships/collaborations that would be beneficial to the farmers’ agri-business enterprises

Stakeholder Engagement and Field Coordination:

•      Coordinate relevant stakeholders and service providers to deliver trainings to project beneficiaries such as agronomic trainings, linkages to inputs and outputs markets etc

•      Build and maintain strong relationships with local stakeholders, including farmers, community leaders, government officials, and private sector partners.

•      Facilitate stakeholder meetings and community workshops to promote program objectives and ensure community buy-in.

•      Develop strategic linkages with other value chain actors with a view of creating synergistic partnerships/collaborations that would be beneficial to the farmers’ agri-business enterprises

Compliance and Reporting and communication:

•      In coordination with the PM, compile monthly and quarterly reports (with illustrations such as graphs) to indicate the progress of the project activities in line with the required milestones.

•      In coordination with the PM, assist in preparing donor progress and final implementation reports, ensuring they meet high standards and are submitted on time.

•      Ensure compliance with donor requirements and Farm Africa’s internal policies and procedures at the field level.

•      Working together with the communications officer, contribute to knowledge management efforts, documenting best practices and lessons learned for scaling up by other partners, including government and private sector stakeholders

Financial management:

•      Work closely with the Programs Manager to monitor project budgets and expenditures at the field level, ensuring activities provide value for money.

•      Prepare procurement plans against prevailing project work plans and ensure that all activities are well resourced to meet the required milestones for each quarter. 

•      Report any financial discrepancies or inefficiencies promptly to the Programs Manager.

People Management:

•      Support processes that aim to ensure that all Project officers in SAVES have clear work plans and objectives and receive quarterly supervisions and reviews, and lead on organising the quarterly review process in collaboration with the PM.

•      Champion Farm Africa’s organisational Values in action through the line management function.

•      Alongside the Corporate Services Manager and Finance Manager, provide intensive support to ensuring adherence at project level to Farm Africa’s organisational policies and manuals (Field Staff Handbook, Procurement and Finance Manuals, Security Policy, Anti-Fraud, Corruption and Conflict of Interest Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Communications Protocols), etc

•      Supervise and mentor field staff, ensuring they are well-equipped to deliver on their roles effectively.

•      Identify capacity gaps among the team and propose training or capacity-building initiatives to enhance staff performance.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL):

•      Working closely with the MEL team, Lead field-level Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning activities, ensuring data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform program adjustments.

•      Support the structured quarterly review cycle and ad hoc evaluations to assess program impact and efficiency.

Other

•      Provide cover for Project officers in SAVES in their absence when no other natural replacement exists.  

•      Act as a representative for Farm Africa to government, donors, private sector partners and other NGOs

•      Any other duties as may be directed by the line manager, PM or CD

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Education, qualifications & other knowledge

o A degree in Horticulture/ Agricultural Economics/Agriculture or any other relevant qualification from a recognised university

o Demonstrated track record of business development success with smallholder farmers in Horticultural value chains

Desirable

o Knowledge and practical experience in value chain development

o Experience in public private partnerships

o Previous work experience with farmer organisations

Experience

o 5+ years work experience in implementing agricultural development projects or agribusiness marketing 

o 5+Experience in smallholder farmer agronomic & agribusiness capacity development 

o Experience in field coordination, stakeholder engagement, and team supervision

o Strong background in business administration and management from the private sector•      o Budgeting and financial management

o Capacity building of organisations and individuals

o Participatory training methodologies

o Network of private sector contacts

Skills & abilities

o Possess skills in community mobilisation

o Networking skills

o A go-getter and able to develop new business partnerships and ingenious  but practical business ideas

Our Values

Investing in smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa. Farm Africa is a leading NGO specialising in growing agriculture, protecting the environment and developing businesses in rural Africa. 

EXPERT. Deep expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of everything Farm Africa does. 

GROUNDED. Positive change starts with Africa’s people, so our experts work closely with local communities, engaging them in every level of decision-making.

IMPACTFUL. We take a long-term view so we can deliver lasting changes for farmers and their families.

BOLD. We model innovative new approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that are failing.