Programme Associate, G6 at World Food Programme (WFP)

JOB PURPOSE

The programme associate positions will be in various duty stations and are funded by MasterCard Foundation (MCF) project. They will report directly to the Head of Field Office, and technically to the Programme Policy Officer coordinating the MCF project from Nairobi.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Key Responsibilities of the Programme Associate, with specific focus on scope of work funded by the MCF: Off-take and aggregation by smallholder farmers and post-harvest loss management

• Provide technical support in planning and designing initiatives that optimize value creation and commercialization opportunities across all segments of food systems (production, transformation consumption), with specific focus on off-take, aggregation, and post-harvest loss management along priority value chains in the county of operation.
• Support aggregation of FSCs and farmers for markets and agricultural support services. This will include: facilitating FSC Development through identification, profiling, and on-boarding;  learning, connection and growth through business development and entrepreneurial Coaching (BDEC); establishing connections and building sustainable partnerships linkages with partners along selected value chains, Conduct performance evaluation for FSCs; Indirectly or directly transfer existing and emerging agricultural technology and innovations to FSCs and farmers; and  identifying and supporting innovations at FSC and farmer level.
• Farmer Organization development through undertaking profiling exercises, identifying, and recommending capacity strengthening needs and support county government lead departments in designing and implementing tailored capacity strengthening initiatives.
• Provide technical support and help to implement market-led approaches that focus on post-harvest management, value creation, linkage with private sector actor and support alignment with wider programme policies and guidelines.
• Identify new opportunities for developing WFP’s market support initiatives that are in line with the strategy of making food systems sustainable, inclusive and resilient.
• Propose ways to strengthen integration of gender, youth, nutrition, and climate-action in all activities being implemented in the counties of operation
• Liaise with internal counterparts to support effective collaboration, implementation, and monitoring of ongoing project activities.
• Ensure and/or perform accurate and timely collection and recording of project data into WFP’s programme data management tool (inputs and outputs) and ensure consistency of information 
• Prepare a range of reports and data analysis, ensuring comprehensive reporting and documentation, based on data collected. This includes regular programme performance status, documentation, and communication of best practices to inform scale and bad practices for learning, highlighting of trends/issues while ensuring deliverables adhere to corporate standards and quality control.
• Support in Partnership forging and collaboration. This would include mapping of key partners to engage based on smallholder, trader, and processor needs.
• Other assignments as required

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has experience in working with smallholder farmers and market actors in agricultural market support at scale
• Has contributed technically to value chain development
• Has worked in the technical area i.e., nutrition, food security analysis, market linkages, crop/animal production, emergency preparedness and response, etc.).
• Has contributed to implementation of programmes in arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya.
• Demonstrated responsibility and initiative to respond independently to various queries with only general guidance and use judgment in dealing with unforeseen operational problems daily.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:                                   

• Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness Development, Range Management, Post-Harvest Management, Environmental Science, Land and Water Management, Social Sciences, or other fields relevant to international development assistance. 
• Possession of a University Degree in these fields will be an added advantage.

Language:

• Fluency in both oral and written communication of English and Kiswahili.