Self Help Africa (SHA) – Programme Coordinator-Nutrition and Gender.

Job Title: Programme Coordinator-Nutrition and Gender
Organisation: Self Help Africa
Department: Programmes
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Reports to: Senior Programme Manager & Private Sector Lead (SPM&PSL)
Benefits: 22 days annual leave, Medical Insurance (self + spouse and up to 4 children under the age of 18years), 10% Employer pension contribution and 25% leave allowance
Travel: 70% County level travel
Restrictions: 6 months’ probation, 2-year fixed term full time employment contract

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About Self Help Africa:

Self Help Africa (SHA) is an international NGO dedicated to the vision of an economically thriving and resilient rural Africa. We have 50 years of experience working with smallholder farmers, farmer associations, cooperatives, and agribusinesses across Africa to help farmers grow and sell more food, improve diets, diversify incomes and make their livelihoods more sustainable and resilient to external shocks. SHA also builds awareness of issues affecting smallholders and represent their interests at policy and institutional level.

SHA is a core member of The Gorta Group which is composed of a group of innovative organizations driving sustainable economic and social change across Africa. Comprising Self Help Africa, Partner Africa and TruTrade, the Gorta Group combines expertise in market-based solutions to poverty and rural development; climate change mitigation and resilience; trade facilitation and farmer and worker rights; underpinned by an inclusive ethos that specifically targets women and youth.  In August 2021, United Purpose joined the Gorta Group, which operates as Self Help Africa (SHA), bringing together two organizations with proud histories of assisting those in greatest need. United Purpose, formerly Concern Universal, has worked for more than 40 years as a leader in community-led development and grassroots innovation. SHA now has over 700 staff worldwide, because of the merger, and a global turnover of over €40m. We are currently implementing a portfolio of 80 projects in Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia funded by a variety of institutional and private donors including the European Union, Irish Aid and World Food Programme. In 2020, we supported close to eight million people in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil and Bangladesh.

Job Purpose:

Hunger and malnutrition remain a major issue worldwide and are of particular concern in SHA (Self Help Africa) countries of operation. Nutrition, in the past has been placed within the health sector. However, there is a recognition that the food and agriculture sector have a major role to play in ensuring improved food and nutrition security. Nutrition is a key theme across SHA’s programming: we aim to ensure that increased and diversified production translates to improved nutrition at household level, so it is essential that all our programmes have a strong nutrition focus.

Equally, SHA recognises the importance of gender equity to ensure progress in reducing poverty. Working with smallholder farmers and recognising that women contribute the bulk of labour on family farms, there is a need to ensure our programmes have a strong gender element to improve cohesion within the household with better resource and power sharing. Development goals cannot be achieved without explicit consideration being given to all, which includes women, men, boys and girls, understanding their different needs and contributions.

This role is a key part of SHA’s drive to build technical excellence, improve programme quality across the organisation and become a leader in innovative development practice.  Promoting nutrition sensitive agriculture will involve ensuring that all of SHA programmes and projects progressively integrate explicit nutrition objectives and indicators into project/programme design and guide its implementation. It also ensures that gender is mainstreamed within all programmes.

This post will facilitate learning, mentor programme staff and build staff capacity (both SHA and partner staff) based on best practice from within the organisation and experiences from other development actors.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Resource:

• This position will be the resource person for Nutrition and Gender within the SHA Kenya programmes. The role will involve working with the team throughout project cycle management – from supporting the development of concept notes ensuring a strong nutrition and gender element, proposal development, programme delivery, supporting M &E and evaluation of projects/programmes.
• Advise, mentor, train, and support programme/partner staff to effectively integrate nutrition sensitive agriculture and mainstream gender into programmes and projects including setting objectives and measuring results.

Networking:

• This role will ensure SHA engagement in relevant networks to strengthen SHA’s visibility in nutrition and gender, remain current/up to date within this sector and where possible capitalise on relevant opportunities that arise in terms of funding, and dissemination of SHA work.
• Networking with relevant stakeholders will include the various ministries at national and county levels, UN agencies such as UNICEF, FAO and WHO and other relevant NGO’s involved in nutrition and gender sectors.

DETAIL OF KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the Senior Programme Manager & Private Sector Lead in planning and designing programmes; ensuring that nutrition and gender are specifically addressed with effective implementation strategies in line with SHA Kenya’s programme strategy.
• Support SHA staff and partners in developing nutrition and gender components of projects/programmes through establishing knowledge gaps and conducting capacity building/training and conducting project/programme monitoring visits.
• Support the SHA programme team/technical staff/partner staff in rolling out of project interventions to ensure that the project/programme interventions are both gender transformative and nutrition sensitive.
• Develop and carryout reviews of SHA nutrition and gender policies/guidelines and strategies that provide strategic direction keeping abreast of resources already available in country or regionally/internationally.
• Together with the SHA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer be responsible for designing, collecting, processing, analysing nutrition and gender data within SHA programmes.
• Identify and support the development of tools for programme and partner staff, such as IEC material, to use for gender and nutrition throughout SHA programmes/projects.
• Contribute and share knowledge, information, best practices and lessons learnt on gender and nutrition to ensure high quality programming throughout SHA programmes/projects for internal and external use.
• Liaise regularly with the Nutrition Advisor and Social Inclusion Advisor at Head Office for support and share learning with other SHA country programmes and head office.
• Guide processes of identifying and participating in nutrition and/or gender research as required.
• Facilitate and assist the timely submission of regular reports (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual) or special reports as deemed necessary.
• Organise and facilitate workshop SPM&PSL/trainings to share information/learning.
• Strengthen strategic partnerships with civil society organisations and the private sector to influence nutrition and gender responsive policies and laws.
• Keep updated on technical aspects of nutrition and gender with specific focus on vulnerable groups.
• Active networking and advocacy profiling of SHA country programme with external stakeholders implementing similar programmes at local, national and/or international level.

Key Relationships:

Internal

• Country Director
• Senior Programme Manager & Private Sector lead
• SHA Project/Programme Managers in-Country
• Partner Organisation Staff
• Head Office Technical Advisers
• Other SHA Country Nutrition & Gender Advisers

External

• Key Ministry Stakeholders (Ministry of Health, Gender and Agriculture as relevant)
• UN agencies, in particular; UNICEF, WHO, FAO and UNFPA
• Relevant National Food and Nutrition Organizations
• Research institutions and Universities as relevant

Qualifications/Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, Public Health or related discipline
• At least five years’ experience in the design and implementation of nutrition and gender projects/programmes
• Extensive knowledge and experience of sector thinking on nutrition, gender and inclusion, value chain approaches in Kenya.
• Experience working with multiple stake holders including civil society organization, public and private sectors and development agencies
• A good understanding of project cycle management approaches and tools including knowledge of M&E principles with a bias on Nutrition sensitive and gender focus development.
• Experience in facilitation of learning process and networking
• Experience in research and report writing
• Experience in developing and delivering training or general capacity building skills
• Excellent level of spoken and written English
• Very good working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and general IT skills
• Commitment to working with a value-based organisation
• Self-motivated with good interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Experience in teamwork and coordination
• Willingness to travel in country and overseas to support nutrition and gender activities in other SHA country programmes

Desirable

• Experience in gender and social inclusion in an Agricultural development environment
• Demonstrated experience in integrating/mainstreaming gender in development and humanitarian projects focused on food, nutrition, and livelihoods sectors
• Ability to communicate effectively in more than one national language

Role Competencies:

• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work as part of team across different cultures.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and take initiative.
• Ability to solve problems and take appropriate corrective action.
• Ability to spend up to 70% of time in field travels.

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Download the Job Description

This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available and SHA reserves the right to make necessary changes.

How to apply:

If you are interested in the position and have the right skills and attributes, please download the Application Form and fill it in. Upload this form along with your CV and covering letter to our Online Recruitment Platform.

If you are experiencing any problem with submitting your online application please visit this link for assistance: https://bit.ly/SHA_TechSupport1

Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.

Closing date is Wednesday 4th May 2022

Please note that Self Help Africa Kenya advocates for equal opportunity and does not require applicants to pay any fee at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process. Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.

Self Help Africa is committed to the highest possible standards of openness, transparency, and accountability in all its affairs and is completely against fraud, bribery, and corruption. All employees are bound by code of conduct, child protection and conflict of interest policies.

Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

Police vetting is required.

All applicants are encouraged to read through the following safeguarding policies as you make your applications:

1. Code of Conduct
2. Conflict of Interest
3. Child Protection

Women applicants are highly encouraged; Self Help Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer

https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/programme-coordinator-nutrition-and-gender-based-in-nairobi-kenya-2/