USAID Development Assistance Specialist Jobs in Kenya

USAID Development Assistance Specialist Jobs in Kenya

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The USAID Development Assistance Specialist (Mission Environmental Officer/Climate Integration Lead) serves as a technical resource in strategic planning, program and activity design, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the entire Mission portfolio for environmental compliance and for climate integration.

The Specialist is officially designated as Mission Environmental Officer (MEO), and as Climate Integration Lead (CIL). As MEO, the Specialist ensures all Mission programs/projects/activities are in compliance with Title 22 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulation (22 CFR 216 or “Reg. 216”).

As CIL, the Specialist ensures all Mission programs/projects/activities meet ADS 201mal and USAID Climate Risk Management guidelines.

The Specialist serves as environmental climate advisor to Mission management and to Technical Offices and Implementing Partners (IPs) on Climate Risk Management, and in identifying and analyzing climate vulnerabilities and developing mitigation measures.

Statement of Duties to be Performed

Climate Integration Lead (CIL)

The Specialist serves as the Mission Climate Integration Lead, ensuring compliance with USAID climate risk management processes, as detailed in relevant ADS mandatory references.

The Specialist is a technical advisor to Mission staff and IPs, working to identify and analyze climate vulnerabilities, and develop mitigation measures by monitoring, identifying, and sharing opportunities to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation into Mission strategies, programming, and operations.

The Specialist assures an appropriate level of climate risk screening is considered throughout the program cycle, including at the strategy (Country Development Cooperation Strategy), project (Project Appraisal Document), and Activity levels, providing guidance to design teams and AORs/CORs/Activity Managers to properly identify, mitigate, and document climate risks.

The Specialist works within the Mission information system, and with other tools, to document and manage compliance with USAID climate risk requirements and contributes climate risk expertise to the management and improvement of existing information systems. The Specialist is the designated Mission point of contact with USAID/Washington for all areas of climate risk management needs.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

The MEO/CIL works with Mission staff to support regular and effective monitoring of the environmental and social compliance aspects of development activities, periodically monitoring programs/projects/activities through office reviews and field visits and supports staff and IPs to carry out their activity monitoring responsibilities.

The Specialist ensures development of, and effective oversight of, Mission document tracking information systems, including all environmental compliance (IEEs, RCEs, EMMPs, EAs) and climate integration documentation.

The Specialist supports proper and timely reporting, e.g., the environmental compliance reports required in the Operation Plan, by regular monitoring of information systems, noting the need for new documents, status of pending documents, and any outstanding issues, e.g., projects where no environmental compliance field monitoring is being conducted.

The Specialist participates directly with Mission staff to remedy outstanding issues and keeps Mission management and the regional BEO informed of issues and resolution.

The Specialist travels to all areas of the host country and/or the Region to conduct field visits, in order to support USAID technical leads to monitor environmental compliance, effectiveness of mitigation measures, and evaluate the overall environmental impact of the implementation of programs/projects/activities.

The Specialist acts as an advisor, providing feedback to IPs to identify problems, and to offer technical recommendations and potential solutions for full compliance.

Capacity Building

The Specialist leads assessments of capacity building shortfalls and identifies effective and efficient training delivery approaches to build the capacity of USAID and IP staff, and of host-country counterparts; assists staff to identify and obtain additional environmental expertise and resources to meet environmental and social compliance needs; and, serves as activity manager for obtaining additional environmental expertise and resources to provide needed capacity building.

The Specialist develops training methodologies and/or serves as a lead trainer for formal courses and

workshops; and provides mentoring and on-the-job training to staff, particularly to AOR/CORs and IPs, to ensure environmental compliance and climate integration requirements, policies, and procedures are known and followed.

The Specialist develops networks and shares best practices with other Mission and Regional MEOs and Environmental Officers; and provides MEO and climate risk technical support to other Missions as needed.

The Specialist works closely with the USAID/HCTM/OHCI/DS-298 DS-298, USAID Version 10-2019 regional Bureau Environmental Officer to communicate requirements, policies, procedures, guidance, best practices, and changes and updates, and supports development of and improvement to various communications tools, such as Webinars, newsletters, websites, etc.

Minimum Qualifications Required for This Position

Education:

The work requires a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Ecology, Integrated Sustainable Development, Natural Resources Management, or a closely related field.

Prior Work Experience:

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in an area involving application of environmental impact assessment or closely related regulations, standards, policies and best practices in a developing-country setting is required.

This experience must demonstrate the ability to prepare and/or review environmental scoping statements, environmental impact assessments, and implementing environmental management plans.

In addition, an understanding of climate risk management is required.

Language Proficiency:

Level IV (advanced professional proficiency) English and local language proficiency (if appropriate), both oral and written, is required.

Job Knowledge

The Specialist must have in-depth professional-level knowledge of development principles, concepts, and practices, especially as they relate environmental impact assessment, environmental policies, host country regulations, and environmental best practices and international standards in international development; and, the problems and policies of the host country from the business, political, civil society, and social perspectives.

The Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics of the host country and the region; development problems in the environmental sector in the host country and the region; an understanding of the resources, resource constraints, and overall development prospects and priorities of the host country and the region; and, knowledge of, or the potential to quickly acquire knowledge of, USG legislation, policy, and practice relating to USAID and USG Environmental and Environmental Integration activities, of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and of the objectives, methodology, and status of assigned activities.

The Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the organization and respective roles of the different levels of the host government, in order to enhance effective communication and to develop consensus on USAID strategy and program/project/activity implementation.

Skills and Abilities

The Specialist must have a good knowledge of, and demonstrated experience in, the role of Environmental and Environmental Integration activities within the broad context of international development programming.

The Specialist should possess strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, and proven ability to work independently, with minimal supervision or guidance; and, proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly, and concisely, both orally and in writing, including in the preparation of substantive environmental reports.

The Specialist must be able to obtain, evaluate, and interpret factual data, to prepare precise, accurate, and complete reports using computer software applications, and to develop and present briefings; and apply this knowledge to complex problems in the host country and the region.


How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; USAID Development Assistance Specialist Jobs in Kenya

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