Coordinator II – IITA Kenya

COORDINATOR

II – IITA KENYA

THE

ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International delivers research-based

solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food

systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises

of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national and multinational partners

across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and with the public

and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research

partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing

food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem

services.

THE

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

(IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations

to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and

natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan

Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase

employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR,

a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Please

visit

http://www.iita.org/

for more information on IITA.

ABOUT

THE POSITION

This assignment is for a Country

Coordinator for Kenya and South Sudan that will lead and coordinate IITA

supported country-level implementation under the Enabling Sustainable Regional

Agricultural Extension (ENSURE) Project being implemented by IITA in seven East

Africa Community countries. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer and overall

ENSURE project coordinator, this role will translate approved regional plans

into practical country workplans, coordinate with EAC National Focal Points,

Ministries, National Research and Extension Systems, private sector actors, and

other partners, supervise implementation and field delivery, and ensure timely

monitoring, documentation, and reporting.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

1.The role

covers ENSURE implementation in Kenya and South Sudan, with Nairobi as the duty

station and regular travel to project locations.

The

role will:

Coordinate

preparation, consolidation, and routine updating of country workplans,

implementation schedules, budgets, milestones, and risk actions in line with

approved ENSURE plans.

Support

formal country entry and follow up engagement with EAC National Focal Points,

ministries, research and extension agencies, regulatory bodies, and private

sector partners.

Coordinate

stakeholder mapping, awareness creation, and the establishment and

operationalization of national and local Innovation Platforms, including

platforms organized around relevant Agro-Ecological Zones.

Coordinate

country implementation of digital advisory activities, including localization,

deployment, user onboarding, monitoring, and scale up of AKILIMO, AgWise, and

other relevant CGIAR and existing in-country tools.

Coordinate

capacity building for public and private extension agents, lead farmers, farmer

promoters, cooperatives, youth entrepreneurs, and Innovation Platform

facilitators, including Training of Trainers.

Plan

and support field supervision, demonstrations, partner delivery, and corrective

actions.

2.The Coordinator

will be IITA's day to day country coordination focal point for Kenya and South

Sudan.

The role will:

Maintain

effective working relationships with the EAC Secretariat and Project

Implementation Unit (PIU), National Focal Points, national and subnational

authorities, NARES, extension services, farmer organizations, CGIAR Centers,

development partners, and private sector actors.

Convene

and document country coordination meetings, workshops, consultations,

supervision missions, and partner follow ups.

Align

partner contributions with country workplans, technical standards, reporting

requirements, and ENSURE output indicators.

Support

appropriate governance arrangements for Innovation Platforms and other

collaborations.

3.Country

Implementation, Monitoring, Reporting & Knowledge Management

The role

will:

Maintain

country implementation trackers covering milestones, deliverables,

dependencies, risks, decisions, partner commitments, procurement needs, and

expenditure follow up.

Monitor the quality and timeliness

of field activities and partner outputs, conduct supervision visits, document

findings, and follow corrective actions through to closure.

Coordinate

collection, validation, and timely submission of country data to the harmonized

MEL systems, including disaggregated beneficiary and training data.

Prepare

concise monthly internal updates and timely country inputs to quarterly

technical and financial reports, annual reviews, and field supervision reports.

Support

visibility and knowledge sharing by documenting lessons, results,

implementation adaptations, and success stories.

Requirements

• Education
• and Experience
• Master's
• degree in International Agricultural Development, Crop Science/agronomy,Agribusiness, Project or program management
• certifications, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, or a related field.
• At
• least eight years of progressively responsible experience coordinating
• agricultural research for development, extension, agribusiness, digital
• agriculture, innovation scaling, or related programs.
• Demonstrated
• experience coordinating multi-country or multi-partner initiatives and
• translating approved plans into tracked implementation.
• working with government ministries, national research and extension systems,
• farmer organizations, private sector actors, development partners, and research
• institutions.
• establishing or supporting multi-stakeholder platforms, partnerships, or
• collaborative governance arrangements.
• coordinating capacity building activities, field implementation, and
• supervision across dispersed locations.
• with monitoring, evaluation, learning, data quality assurance, and donor or
• institutional reporting.
• working in Kenya is required. Experience in South Sudan or comparable fragile
• and conflict affected settings is an added advantage.
• Technical Competencies
• Strong
• project coordination, work planning, facilitation, and follow through skills.
• Strong
• partnership and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability
• to interpret results frameworks and maintain practical implementation, budget,
• risk, and reporting trackers.
• Strong
• analytical, writing, synthesis, and presentation skills.
• Ability
• to work independently, manage competing priorities, travel frequently, and
• operate effectively in multicultural and interdisciplinary teams.
• Excellent
• written and spoken English is required. Proficiency in Kiswahili is desirable.
• Expected Deliverables
• Approved
• and regularly updated implementation workplans for Kenya and South Sudan,
• aligned with the ENSURE project milestones and budgets.
• Current
• stakeholder maps, engagement plans, meeting records, action logs, partner
• follow-up matrices, and country risk registers.
• Documented
• establishment and operational support for national and local Innovation
• Platforms, including governance and participation records.
• Coordinated
• country delivery of awareness, facilitator training, Training of Trainers,
• cascade training, on-farm capacity building, digital advisory deployment, and
• field supervision activities.
• Validated
• country data submitted on time through the integrated MELIA reporting platform.
• Monthly
• internal country progress updates and timely, inputs to quarterly and annual
• ENSURE reporting.
• Quarterly
• field and Innovation Platform supervision reports with corrective action plans
• and follow up status.
• level documentation of results, lessons, adaptations, implementation risks, and
• success stories.
• Key Performance Milestones
• Within
• 30 days, complete onboarding, validate stakeholder and activity maps, and
• establish integrated workplan, action, risk, and reporting trackers for both
• countries.
• Within
• 60 days, agree country coordination routines with National Focal Points and
• IITA project coordination team and document priority partners, field sites,
• dependencies, and delivery risks.
• Within
• 90 days, demonstrate effective coordination of country meetings, partner follow
• up, reporting inputs, and initial field or Innovation Platform activities.
• Quarterly,
• complete planned supervision visits, submit validated monitoring data and
• country report inputs on time, and track corrective actions to closure.
• By
• the annual progress review, provide a synthesis of results, challenges,
• adaptations, partnerships, and the following year’s priorities for both
• countries.
• TERMS OF
• EMPLOYMENT
• This position is a National recruited position based in
• Nairobi, Kenya.
• The project runs for a period of 3
• years.The initial contract will be
• for 1 (One) years subject
• to a probation
• period of
• 3 (three)
• months and is
• renewable depending on performance and availability of resources.
• The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and
• inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation,
• contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and
• mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global
• character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races,
• colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability
• statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female
• candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
• Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.
• Summary by Impactpool
• The Coordinator II position at IITA Kenya involves leading and coordinating the implementation of the ENSURE Project in Kenya and South Sudan. The role requires translating regional plans into actionable country workplans, engaging with various stakeholders, and ensuring effective monitoring and reporting. The Coordinator will also oversee capacity building activities and maintain relationships with government and private sector partners. This position is based in Nairobi and requires regular travel to project locations.
• Candidate Requirements:
• Master's degree in relevant field
• 8+ years of experience in agricultural research coordination
• Experience with multi-country initiatives
• Familiarity with government and private sector engagement
• Experience in capacity building and field supervision
• Strong project coordination and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent written and spoken English; Kiswahili proficiency desirable
• Experience working in Kenya; South Sudan experience is a plus
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