Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust Danida Market Development Partnerships Programme Manager Jobs in Kenya

Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust Danida Market Development Partnerships Programme Manager Jobs in Kenya

About MESPT

Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) was established in 2002 by the Government of Kenya and European Union. EU later relinquished their position to the Royal Danish Embassy in Kenya, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (DANIDA) through a Trust Deed of 2013.

The Trust is a development organization with a purpose to grow small holder farmers and Agri SMEs to increase productivity, incomes and enhance competitiveness for job creation especially for youth and women. This is achieved through capacity building which includes skills development, technical support, business advisory, financial and market linkages.

Our focus is to facilitate support and provision of integrated financial and business development services for small holder farmers and Agri SMEs in Kenya. This is aimed at enabling beneficiaries to access finance, increase agricultural productivity, agro-processing, and access markets/ trade opportunities.

About Danida Market Development Partnership Programme

Programme Overview

The Danida Market Development Partnership (DMDP) Programme is designed to give an opportunity to enterprises that are keen on delivering towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The programme brings commercial and non-commercial actors together in partnerships to promote sustainable business, development and employment opportunities contributing to SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 17 (Partnerships for Sustainable Development) among others.

The overall objective of the DMDP programme is to contribute to sustainable economic growth in developing countries within the framework of the SDGs. Through broad partnerships, the facility contributes to the motivation and mobilization of private sector investments.

Programme Outcome

The Market Development Partnership Project will contribute to increased and sustainable incomes and decent jobs within the banana subsector in Taita Taveta County with emphasis on women and youth. This will by extension contribute to poverty alleviation.

Job Purpose

The Programme Manager will provide technical, managerial and leadership oversight to the DMDP project and ensure successful implementation of the programme. Specific tasks include;

Lead and manage all aspects of the programme i.e., planning, implementation, quality, and accountability, monitoring and evaluation.

Work in close liaison and ensure effective communication with the County Government and consortium partners i.e., ORANA and WANDA Agricultural Group to coordinate coherent and consistent delivery of the programme objectives

Provide technical input for the implementation of the programme including in the preparation of work plans, strategies, training materials, guides and manuals and value chain integration;

In liaison with the Programme Team, ensure effective integration of Green and Responsible Business Conduct in the programme

Key Responsibilities

Project Management

Ensure project phase in, phase out and sustainability planning is in place. Ensure yearly budget, detailed implementation plan, and operational strategy are in place and approved in line with the Development Engagement Document (DED) and donor requirements

Ensure annual Project budget utilization is achieved by 100%

In liaison with the MEAL Manager, facilitate Baseline survey, project reviews and evaluation according to the schedule

Ensure high quality coordination is maintained at county, regional and national levels

Provide Project stakeholders with comprehensive documentation and each stakeholder clarified on duty bound activity

Conduct regular meetings among Project teams including implementing partners on work progress and further analysis on needs for change to donor requests through open and constant channels of communications with donors

Operationalize implementing partner agreements, review meetings, and follow-up on agreed items with all key stakeholders

Provide leadership through institutionalization of line management, mentorship, coaching and appropriate staff development.

Develop and implement appropriate tools for progress monitoring to ensure desired quality and impact is achieved.

Ensure issues coming up during project implementation are appropriately resolved

Communicate significant issues in a timely manner to the line supervisor

Ensure the programme has sufficient systems in place to meet programme management standards and comply with donor regulations and good practice

Staff Performance Management

Coordinate the overall performance of the team, by managing the preparation of individual annual work objectives

and targets & facilitate biannual and annual performance reviews and appraisals

Use performance management to ensure high quality programme output.

Participate in programme staff recruitment process.

Ensure proper succession planning for the programme team.

Ensure all MESPT safety and security guidelines are followed and that all safety or security incidents are recorded and reported as soon as they happen

Facilitate effective teamwork, coordination, and work planning

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

Liaise and coordinate with the MEAL Manager to standardize MEAL requirements, including formats and procedures in the programme.

In liaison with the MEAL Manager, facilitate baselines, midterm and final evaluations for the programme and assist with other assessments, including rapid or in-depth sectoral assessments, in new or existing project areas as needed

Conduct regular MEAL field visits to collect data with the help of partners, assess the application of MEAL tools.

Ensure programme implementation is within the best practice constraints of time, scope, and budget.

Facilitate operational research for contextual understanding, identifying opportunities, vulnerabilities, capacities, and resources.

Work to ensure that lessons learned, and best practices are incorporated into new program design
Communicate learnings and analysis of monitoring data to ensure that management is able to make informed decisions on a timely basis to scale up and face operational challenges

Track planned evaluations and ensure that evaluation reports are obtained and shared to facilitate learning,

Provide documentation on case studies and success stories

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

Should have at least 8 years of progressive working experience in the implementation of agri-business projects using Value Chain development and Market systems approach

Experience in managing multi-year donor-funded programmes

An understanding of project cycle management approaches and tools – including participatory capacity assessment and planning, project appraisal, monitoring and evaluation and partners’ capacity building,

Experience in community-based programming

Experience in working with Micro Small and Medium Enterprises

Experience in designing strategies and approaches for enhancing agricultural production, food safety, Access to Market, Green Technologies and engaging youth and women

Familiarity and experience with DANIDA regulations

Experience in networking among development partners and government departments

Ability to work in partnership with county governments and the private sector: capable of ensuring best practice and dealing with performance issues

Ability and resilience to cope with multiple internal and external demands

High level skills and experience in capacity building and report writing

Excellent communication, interpersonal and team building skills#

Qualifications/Other Requirements:

Minimum of bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, or related field.

A Master’s Degree in Agribusiness/Agricultural Economics, Strategic/Project Management, Development Studies, or other relevant fields will be an added advantage.

A post graduate qualification in project management.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications especially with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook.

Behaviour

Holds self and the team accountable to deliver on their responsibilities

Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team)

Engages and motivates others
Future orientated, thinks strategically

Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

Willing to take disciplined risks
Honest, encourages openness and transparency

Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters

How to Apply

Qualified and interested applicants should send their application letters indicating their current/last remuneration, detailed CV with email address, daytime telephone contacts, names, and email contacts of 3 professional referees, 2 must have supervised you at some point, with one being your most recent supervisor to recruitment@mespt.org quoting Job Reference and Job Title in the subject line.

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