THIS IS A LOCAL POSITION

BACKGROUND:

IUCN is an Accredited Entity of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and works closely with the GCF secretariat, governments, civil society, private sector and partner organizations to identify, design and implement projects that meet the GCF’s ambitious standards.

After three years of detailed design and development, the GCF board formally approved IUCN’s “Towards Ending Drought Emergencies: Ecosystem Based Adaptation in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Rangelands” (TWENDE) project in January 2019.

The objective of the TWENDE project is to reduce the cost of climate change induced drought on Kenya’s national economy by increasing resilience of the livestock and other land use sectors in restored and effectively governed rangeland ecosystems. The project will contribute to improved adaptation to climate change of Kenya’s national policy of “Ending Drought Emergencies”, as outlined in “Kenya Vision 2030.

The Project addresses the overarching climate change challenges through three components, and their relevant outputs and activities:
Component 1: Climate change adapted planning for drought resilience.

The National Drought Management Authority (“NDMA”) will act as the Executing Entity for this Component;
Component 2: Restoration of rangeland landscapes for ecosystem based adaptation. The Government of Kenya (“GoK”), acting through the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (“MoAI”), will act as the Executing Entity for this Component;
Component 3: Climate change resilient ecosystem management for investments.

Conservation International (“CI”) will act as the Executing Entity for this Component.

The project will strengthen climate change adaptation in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).

The project will be implemented in 2 landscapes encompassing 11 counties, which have devolved powers under Kenya’s new constitution. The project will benefit 620,000 people in 104,000 households and will protect or restore 500,000 hectares of rangelands in a landscape of 2.5 million hectares. The target landscapes are dry season grazing areas: critical resource zones that provide refuge during periods of drought.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position is intended to provide technical, operational and coordination oversight for the implementation of the approved project work programme at the landscape/counties level (also referred to as the project hubs).

Under the supervision of the Chief of Party; the Senior Project Officer will be responsible for coordination and support of executing entities teams to ensure effective and timely activity development, planning, delivery, monitoring, and reporting in the TWENDE implementation landscapes.

A key aspect of the position will be to facilitate integration and implementation of the three project components at the landscape/site level and to assist with management and coordination oversight of activities. The position has a strong focus on capacity building and mentoring of partners to deliver on project objectives including monitoring and evaluation of outputs against actual outcomes.

S/he is expected to develop and maintain professional relationships within project teams as well as provide liaison with stakeholders within the counties of operations to ensure timely responsiveness to priorities and recognition of GCF’s local standard practices, especially with regard to procurements, travel and local employment standards.

S/he will also serve as a member of the of the Landscape management team (LMT) and at the same time of the of the Project Management Unit (PMU).

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

Project planning and administration;
Translate the PMU approved programme of work to the landscape level;
Support the landscape hub team/partners in preparation of work and budget expenditure plans;
Assist in processes related to inception, contracting and start-up of activities including establishment of indicators, benchmarks, work plans and inception workshops;
Facilitate processes that support stakeholders to successfully implementing climate change resilient strategies as envisioned by the project.
Support project officers in providing technical oversight and guidance on activities carried out by and for partners, ensuring coherence with the project’s logical framework;
Supervise the work of project officers in the hubs in terms of work planning, implementation, logistics, HR, attendance and other project implementation related tasks;
Support the management of the project related expenditures in accordance with GCF/IUCN procurement procedures;
Provide follow up support and tracking of administrative, programmatic and financial issues with project implementing partners.

Monitoring and Reporting;
Support partners and project officers in completing the annual Project Implementation Review reports, based on the six monthly project progress reports
In collaboration with ESARO M&E expert, support TWENDE team in M&E planning and monitoring
Document, package and disseminate the information and or lessons from the project to a wider audience for awareness, advocacy and policy influencing;
Ensure the collection, collation, reporting, organization, and keeping records of all project data and documents;

Project Coordination and Partnership Management;
Lead the day-to-day communication with executing partners to ensure a high level of coordination within the project
Provide liaison between the project’s national PMU and the landscape hub team (LMT)
Work and coordinate with county governments and other stakeholders in the implementation of the activities for various projects.
Support the building and maintenance of positive and productive relationships between the implementing institutions.
Support establishment of agreements and implementation plans between key stakeholders.
Guide and support work towards synergies within the various components of the project, by facilitating joint planning and strategy on areas of mutual concern
Support KCO resources mobilization team and provide any other support as agreed upon by the supervisors in leading and coordination of collaborative and co-financing projects.