Kenya: Learning Officer, Climate Change Program - Kenya

This is a 3 months assignment
PROGRAM/ DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

The DFID funded multi-year Building resilience and adaptation to climate extremes and disasters (BRACED) programme is designed to improve people's resilience to climate extremes in Asia and Africa by linking disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation methods into development approaches. BRACED seeks to inform and influence resilience policy and practice at local, national and international levels. BRACED Mercy Corps is a consortium led by Mercy Corps that includes TANGO Intl, Makerere University, University of Nairobi and Wajir South Development Association (WASDA). BRACED Mercy Corps is being implemented in northern Kenya (Wajir County) as well as northern Uganda (Karamoja). The BRACED Mercy Corps programme is designed around three integrated thematic focus areas viz. Natural Resource Management and Governance, Market Systems Development and Gender Mainstreaming.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Learning Officer (LO) will support a Mid-Term Performance Review (MTR) of the BRACED programme activities in Karamoja and Wajir. The LO will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the review, including coordinating and packaging the deliverables as well as ensuring quality and timeliness. S/he must have experience in project evaluation methods, participatory research design and implementation, strong adult learning facilitation skills, and sufficient experience with evaluation standards and practices to ensure a credible product. The LO may also play a role as a technical specialist in one or more sector or operational areas being reviewed. The LO will assist in the development of tools for the MTR and the design of an impact-modeling workshop to be carried out as part of the review. The LO will take the lead in the drafting the MTR report with contributions from other team members and present the report and after incorporating Mercy Corps staff comments. The team LO must be fluent in English and have strong writing skills.

The LO will provide the Mercy Corps BRACED team and DFID with an objective assessment of project progress towards achieving its objectives, the effectiveness of the approaches and partnerships, and any strengths and challenges. The findings and recommendations from this MTR are therefore expected to inform decision-making processes and improve performance towards the achievement of BRACED key results and goals. The review findings will also contribute to the broader BRACED knowledge management component by informing policy and practice around what is and isn't working and the reasons for this.

Specifically, the MTR will:

1. Assess the extent to which planned results (both the quantitative and qualitative) of the project have been achieved vis-à-vis the project objectives and goal;
2. Assess the effectiveness of the project's approaches during implementation towards achievement of its objectives and key results;
3. Establish evidence that suggests that the project activities are replicable, saleable and sustainable;
4. Identify lessons learned and challenges and make clear, explicit and actionable recommendations, and including suggestions of options to improve not only project performance but also the design and implementation of future project interventions and course corrections

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the MTR team in designing the assessment tools and sampling methodology.
• Support in the development of detailed MTR questions in collaboration with the BRACED Knowledge Management team.
• Design and lead an impact-modeling workshop in Karamoja and Wajir with the objective of critically evaluation the causal logic of the project interventions and approaches.
• Conduct a field test on the assessment tools and refine these as necessary.
• Provide training and technical support to the field team as required, including training, field-level supervision of activities and assistance in collecting, entering, screening and analysing the data.
• Manage the quality and consistency of field level data collection activities and ensure that the tools are being applied in a systematic way, and according to the MTR evaluation questions developed in collaboration with the BRACED Knoweldge Management team.
• Lead/Facilitate a participatory review workshop with the MTR teams, Mercy Corps, BRACED staff and other stakeholders to review and validate the field study findings.
• Oversee and assist the analysis of the review findings and present these in a comprehensive and logical format.
• Carry out additional field investigations to fill in gaps in the MTR findings and to address other questions around project performance impact that emerge during the course of the MTR or validation workshop.
• Take the lead in drafting the MTR report and present the findings to various stakeholders.
• Provide briefings and recommendations to Mercy Corps BRACED on the future program strategy including course corrections identified during the MTR.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning

As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

No direct supervision is required but the LO will provide technical backstopping and leadership to the MTR teams.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: BRACED Program Director with dotted line to the Kenya and Uganda Country Directors

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Head of Office for Mercy Corps Wajir and Moroto, BRACED Program Managers and BRACED project staff, Uganda and Kenya program managers, University of Nairobi and Makarere University and the MTR team

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Masters Degree in Development Studies, Humanitarian Assistance, International Relations or related field.
• At least 3 years work or research experience with an international development or humanitarian organization with at least one year of work/research experience in a developing country
• Demonstrated experience in research design, project evaluation or impact assessment
• Experience in workshop facilitation and collaborative (participatory) learning
• Research or work experience on issues relating to gender and resilience
• Strong communication and writing skills

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful LO will possess strong technical leadership skills with a demonstrated ability to work well with a diverse multi cultural team in remote settings. S/he will have proven experience in project evaluation or research design and implementation in a rural developing country context. The successful LO must be comfortable operating and travelling in a sometimes-volatile security environment and have the flexibility to change plans and work plan activities accordingly.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya and will require up to 85% travel to Wajir and Kampala and Karamoja Uganda. Mercy Corps will provide accommodation in all locations as well as transport to and from the field. Kenya has world-class medical facilities however malaria is endemic to all the assignment locations other than Nairobi therefore preventative measures such as prophylactics is advised. Travel to Kenya and Uganda also requires an up to date yellow fever vaccination. During the field activities the LO may be required to work up to 6 days a week.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Apply Here

PI94507836

Apply Here:http://www.Click2Apply.net/g76ykpjnn8