Country Engagement Manager

Scope: Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA)

Reports to: Global Account & Engagement Manager, Regional Director

Countries: Kenya

Deadline: September 14th 2022 by 11:59Pm.

JOB CONTEXT

The five-year strategic objective of the VCA program is “By 2025, local civil society groups have claimed a central role as empowered innovators, facilitators and advocates of climate solutions”. Our program is about climate justice i.e. climate change is not only an environmental problem to be addressed but also a societal challenge with ethical and human rights aspects. Hence our intention is to build wide societal support for locally shaped climate solutions through an inclusive and rights-based approach. This includes building a broad-based climate alliance at country level, bridging divides (urban-rural, gender, youth), that amplifies voices in new, unusual ways. In addition, we will influence national and global policies and financial flows in support of these locally shaped solutions. The program is being implemented by an alliance of six organizations: WWF NL, Hivos, SouthSouthNorth, Akina Mama wa Afrika, Shack Dwellers International, and Fundación Avina. During the 5 years’ program period the alliance aims to increase ownership of the program by local CSOs. The program is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the “Power of Voices” framework.

The Country Engagement Manager (CEM) is responsible for the delivery of a coherent program of activities and partner engagement in the country in which s/he is based, in close cooperation with national alliance ofVCA and in line with theVCA global ToC and overall objectives. The CEM is part of the nationalVCA team and in Kenys the Hivos CEM has a leading role for the consortium. Improvement and innovation is part of the responsibilities of the CEM.

In terms of partner coalitions, the CEM builds, monitors and manages the quality of theVCA partner portfolio in-country together with the other alliance members and stimulates coalition building between different (national) CSOs to increase local ownership and to amplify voices for Joint Climate Action. The CEM identifies potential relationships between partners and other stakeholders (e.g., local or central government institutions, tech actors), supports (coalitions of) partners in the proposal preparation phase, appraises partner (coalition) applications, and provides continued support throughout implementation, both virtually and through monitoring visits. The CEM is responsible for increasing local ownership and shifting decision making power to local organizations. The CEM will play an active role to further develop ideas and modalities of local ownership through the VCA program from a national perspective. The CEM ensures adequate capacity development of partners and other involved organizations in the VCA program at national level.

As far as other activities are concerned, the CEM is responsible for identifying and building collaborative relationships with strategic organizations, individuals and initiatives in support of locally shaped climate solutions for a just climate transition. He / she/ they is expected to have strong networking and facilitation skills. The CEM is also responsible for initiating research that supports the program, and overseeing and contributing to a learning and M&E program based on the global PMEL methodology. Finally, the CEM will ensure the partners and Hivos deliver timely inputs into this system and organize learning events to improve the country program and ToC on a yearly basis.

Besides the CEM the national Hivos team includes a (junior) project officer. The CEM is manager of this project officer and ensures high quality and timely outputs. Finance support will be provided through a Finance Manager and Finance Officer based in Kenya.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Result Area : Networking

Result Description: Establish and maintain good relationships with stakeholders in country (civil society, government, private sector, development partners and media) and alliance members of VCA.

Result Indicator: Solid support base for VCA. Count measured by evidence of joint actions taken by key stakeholders.

Result Areas: Partner engagement

Result Description: Identify and select (coalitions of) partners in close collaboration with national VCA team; Share and increase ownership of program by (national) partner organizations;

Ensure timely and high quality reporting of partners contracted by Hivos.

Result Indicator: Contracts with a coalition of partners that cooperate efficiently and inspirational to enhance the role of civil society in climate action.

Result Area: Capacity building

Result Description: Identify training and other needs of national partners and alliance members to improve program delivery and enhanced local ownership.

Result Indicator: Capacity development trajectories developed and implemented

Result Area: Learning

Result Description: Gather and use monitoring data to draw lessons and continuously improve in-country program to highest possible level of impact; Actively engage in program-wide learning activities led by the global PMEL team and Hivos global DMEL.

Result Indicator: Lessons learnt and collected data lead to improved country plans and feed into VCA global learning stream

Result Area: Innovation

Result Description: Ensure the program is constantly innovating, e.g. through building unusual partnership and cooperation between urban youth and local communities. Include other ways of working e.g. by linking climate change and transparency or other use of media (e.g. citizen led reporting).

Result Indicator: Recognition of new ideas by coverage in specific media or development blogs

REQUIREMENTS

This is a mid-level to senior position for nationals or residents of Kenya:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in development studies, governance or another relevant field.
• Minimum of five years relevant working experience preferably in advocacy and influencing strategies.
• Solid knowledge of relation between climate change and daily needs of people such as food, energy and water.
• Experience with locally shaped climate solutions and building joint climate actions is an advantage.
• A keen understanding of country political and social dynamics; analytical and conceptual skills, and ability to translate these into relevant and timely actions.
• Excellent networking, relationship building and negotiation skills;
• Excellent verbal, writing and communication skills in English and have native speaker ability of the main language of the country where they are based.
• Experience overseeing projects to ensure the effective design, implementation and increase ownership of right holders.
• Experience overseeing and using monitoring and evaluation plans and indicators
• Ability to lead small country team on location without daily support from Hub management.
• Level skills: cooperation, influence, leadership.
• Job skills: communication, project management, enterprise.