Head of Department: Food Security, Livelihoods & Resilience

Action Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network, which provides humanitarian relief in more than 50 countries worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health, water/sanitation, and food security. Action Against Hunger-USA, an independent NGO, currently manages programs in 7 countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Haiti. Action Against Hunger-USA implements more than $60 million in programs annually, and approximately 1,500 permanent employees based in New York City, Washington D.C, Nairobi, and country offices. Additional growth is anticipated.

Action Against Hunger has been present in Kenya since 2001 and is a transformative leader in nutrition security for improved quality of life among vulnerable communities. Action Against Hunger wants to contribute to the optimal functional performance of National, County, and Community systems through strategic partnerships for innovative nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions to achieve its impact. The organization recognizes gender equality as central to its core strategy towards realization of effective and sustainable outcomes on nutrition, WASH and surveillance interventions. Action Against Hunger is currently implementing activities in West Pokot, Mandera, Samburu, Isiolo and Tana River counties.

Summary of Position

Action Against Hunger Kenya Country Office is looking to fill the position of the Head of Department: Food Security, Livelihoods & Resilience who will lead the designing and development of FSL, resilience and Climate Change Adaptation programs and projects, identifying new business opportunities including proposal development, and engaging with current and new donors regarding FSL. S/He will provide strategic leadership and direction and ensure high quality, coherent and well-coordinated design and scale-up of FSL, resilience and climate change adaptation programming.

As a member of the Action Against Hunger Kenya Country Office, the Head of Food Security, Livelihoods and Resilience Department will provide managerial, technical and oversight support to the Food Security, Livelihoods, Resilience and Disaster Risk Management interventions, and be part of the broader Food Security & Livelihoods initiatives at the Country, Network and regional levels.

Guaranteeing quality in implementation, relevance and scaling up of FSL strategy and interventions of the country program, in conformity with Action Against Hunger Country strategy and international standards and national policies.

The Head of Department FSL role’s purpose, engagement and delivery are as follows:

• Purpose

The Head of Food Security Livelihood and Resilience Department Provides technical leadership to Action Against Hunger’s food security programs through context analysis, development of strategic FSL & Resilience priorities and promotion of technical innovations and learning capitalization.

• Engagement:

The Head of FSL & Resilience Department provides internal and external representation to ensure a clear understanding of Action Against Hunger’s technical positioning among the various stakeholders. Collaborate with other technical coordinators to develop an integrated technical strategy; and support integrated program definition and implementation.

Ensure close and regular coordination with other technical departments (nutrition, WASH) in overall program coherence specifically recovery and development projects; and support departments (logistics, administration and human resources) in procurement planning and follow-up, and budget follow-ups, human resources planning and overall staff management.

Representing Action Against Hunger in coordination fora with relevant authorities and other agencies.

Implementation of technical advocacy actions in coordination with Program Director and other relevant departments to enhance staff capacity on FSL and resilience programming

Coordinates with Government authorities, NGOs, UN agencies and donor representatives, create links with various technical actors working in the same geographical areas of interventions, and develop partnerships where relevant and appropriate.

• Delivery:

The FSL & Resilience HoD will be able to provide humanitarian and development context assessment and analysis, development and promotion of FSL technical strategic interventions, multi-sectoral approaches and high quality concept papers, proposals and reports.

Strengthen coordination and partnerships with all relevant technical sectors and partner organizations for identification of innovative research projects to address the root causes of undernutrition.

Establish strategic partnerships with various actors (Government, NGOs, UN agencies e.t.c.) in developing and maintaining relations with current and potential donors

1. Essential job duties:

   1.Strategic Leadership 20%

• Develop strategic positioning for the department as part of the Action Against Hunger annual country strategy process and as needed, in close consultation with field teams and other technical departments.
• Lead in the review and implementation of the FSL and resilience strategy well aligned with the ACF Kenya and International Strategic Plan (ISP).
• Support in development and review of FSL and resilience annual work plans, budgets, and monitoring frameworks to ensure effective implementation and achievement of FSL interventions.
• Provide guidance and support to FSL program managers and field teams to ensure the quality and impact of interventions.
• Identify new geographical areas of interest and or confirm existing areas according to humanitarian, recovery and development needs and the Action Against Hunger strategic plan
• Work closely with the business development team in the design and formulation of new project proposals and concept notes providing technical and budgetary input throughout the program development and design phase on FSL and resilience funding opportunities.
• Lead the design, planning, and implementation of food security and livelihood programs, incorporating best practices and innovative approaches.
• Oversee the identification and prioritization of target communities and beneficiaries, ensuring inclusivity and participation in program activities.
• Foster partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, donors, and community-based organizations, to enhance program effectiveness and sustainability.
• Oversee country FSL and resilience program portfolio; identify, propose and develop new program orientations, strategies and activities, in aligned to the best practices
• Ensure harmonization and coherence of recovery and development of FSL approaches and activities across all program bases with the development of project implementation plans.
• Promote an integrated approach among the WASH, Nutrition and FSL sectors wherever feasible and justified.
• Serve as lead on new project development to ensure high quality technical and donor reporting across all the resilience , recovery and development program activities and ensure they meet Action Against Hunger’s and donor’s standards
• Work with partnership, advocacy and communication focal person to engage in outreach and advocacy with policy makers and practitioners at National and County government levels
• Represent Action Against Hunger in Kenya key national or regional coordination fora ensuring active presence and participation in national FSL coordination meetings, cluster and technical working groups
• Develop a strong state and county level relationship with local authorities and institutions related to Food Security and livelihood
• Create links with various FSL actors working in the same operational areas and develop partnerships where relevant and appropriate
• Ensure that relevant stakeholders have a clear understanding of Action Against Hunger charter, background, program objectives and activities in the field.
• Provide technical leadership in areas food security, agriculture, livelihoods diversification, income generation, and community resilience.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends, research findings, and best practices in food security and livelihoods programming, and incorporate relevant innovations into program design and implementation.
• Build the capacity of staff and partners through training, mentorship, and knowledge sharing activities
• Identify staff training needs and work with HR department to develop and implement relevant training plans.
• Ensure compliance of FSL program standards to achieve grant/funding objectives
• Work in close relation with FSL technical counterpart in HQ and Regional FSL advisor.

2. Program Development and Management 30%

3. Technical Support 20%

4. Climate change integration 10%

• Work with relevant partners to advocate for policies and practices that promote climate resilience and sustainable development at local, national, and regional levels, engaging with government authorities, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Foster partnerships with climate change experts, research institutions, and civil society organizations to leverage resources, expertise, and best practices in addressing climate-related challenges.
• Represent Action Against Hunger in FSL and resilience forums, networks, and working groups focused on climate change, sharing lessons learned and advocating for the integration of climate resilience into FSL and resilience programming.
• Work closely with MEAL HOD to develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress, measure impact, and ensure accountability.
• Lead the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and success stories to inform program adaptation and scale-up.
• Support the organization in reporting to donors and other stakeholders, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and standards.
• Contribute to integrated surveillance activities as applicable through input on development of tools, analysis and interpretation, etc.
• Ensure the regular analysis and reporting of recovery and development needs, malnutrition causal factors and linkages at country level through regular high quality field assessments, participation in coordination forums, regular consultation with stakeholders and collection of secondary data.
• Ensure the appropriate development and implementation of high quality technical monitoring systems, indicators and supporting tools to monitor the impact and outcome of recovery and development FSL programs; ensure their harmonization across bases and build capacity of field teams on their implementation and regular timely use.
• Provide direct support to field staff on program planning and monitoring (procurement planning, budget design, forecast and follow-up, monthly reports, technical reports, etc.)
• Ensure internal and external evaluation of programs in the operational area in a manner that facilitates organizational learning.
• Support learning and application of innovative approaches in FSL at field level in collaboration with other Action Against Hunger technical departments and external partners
• Ensure documentation and capitalization of lessons learnt and good practices; and contribute to the preparation of publications, where applicable
• Monitor program progress and performance, conducting regular field visits and assessments to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide effective leadership and supervision to departmental staff, fostering a culture of collaboration, professionalism, and continuous learning.
• Contribute to performance reviews; provide constructive feedback, and support staff development and career progression.
• Promote a supportive and inclusive work environment that values diversity, equity, and respect.
• Identify training needs and work with HR department to develop and implement relevant training plans.
• Ensure the development and implementation of proper systems to reduce the risk of corruption and conflict of interest by program staff and local authorities, and increase accountability and transparency of operations.
• Any other duty assigned 5%

5. Monitoring, Evaluation, surveillance and Learning 10%

6. Team Management and Capacity Building 5%

Any other duty assigned by the supervisor/ employer

II. Supervisory Responsibilities

Technical and managerial supervisory line to FSL managers/Officers.

III. Gender Equality Commitments

• Foster an environment that supports values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. Race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect all cultures.

IV. Fiscal Responsibility

FSL Portfolio

V. Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

VI. Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required.

Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.

Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Master’s degree in food security, Agricultural Education and Extension, Agricultural/Applied Economics, Agribusiness Management, Food Policy and Applied food science, Veterinary Sciences, or related courses.
• At least 7 years’ experience in food systems, nutrition sensitive agriculture, livelihoods, natural resource management and Disaster Risk Reduction.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Experience working in humanitarian and development contexts, recovery and rehabilitation as well as with national governments, regional bodies, UN agencies and INGOs.
• Excellent knowledge of technical fields related to Food Security & Livelihoods that includes excellent working knowledge of food security, Market systems and nutrition sensitive resilience.
• Proven track record in designing, implementing, and managing complex food security and livelihoods programs, preferably in Kenya or similar contexts.
• Strong technical expertise in areas such as agricultural production, value chain development, income generation, and community-based resilience.
• Sound analytical and technical competence in the subject matter of food security and livelihoods
• Field experience in FSL programming, including agro ecology, value chain analysis, income generation, emergency food assistance, COD, HEA, etc.
• Experience in Food security and Livelihood assessments including cash and market assessments in both development and emergency contexts.
• Experience with research and partnership developments with universities.
• Experience with donor communications.
• Demonstrated previous experience in and strong proposal writing and donor reporting skills.
• Demonstrated experience in financial management and preparation of budgets for programming.
• Good diplomatic and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge and experience in assessment and research methods.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, donors, NGOs, and local communities.
• Strong organizational skills and technical review/writing of detailed technical documents.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work both independently and as a member of a team
• Interest and/or experience in Cash transfer programs, Agriculture and livestock programming in Humanitarian setting and community led methodologies.