USAID Project Management Economic Growth Policy Team Leader Specialist Jobs in Kenya

USAID Project Management Economic Growth Policy Team Leader Specialist Jobs in Kenya

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract

The Economic Growth Policy Team Leader is an essential leadership position in the Office of Economic Growth and Integration (OEGI), operating under the supervision of the Deputy Office Director for Analytics, Partnerships, Policy and Systems (APPS) but with wide latitude for planning, organizing, and executing assigned responsibilities.

OEGI implements a portfolio aiming to reduce hunger and poverty through agricultural interventions; increase resilience of households and communities; enable affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy; increase sustainable delivery of water and sanitation service; and catalyzes finance, trade, and investment to bolster development.

The incumbent provides strategic planning, management, and technical leadership to OEGI and the broader USAID/KEA Mission in the formulation of policies and strategies and leads and directs the management of bilateral and regional programs designed to implement USAID’s strategy.

Statement of Duties to Be Performed

Strategic and Technical Leadership 40%

The Economic Growth Policy Team Leader serves as a strategic and senior technical advisor to OEGI and the US Mission to Kenya on issues related to policy and trade. The incumbent will keep abreast of and analyze economic, political, and other trends affecting agricultural and other sectors' development and will keep the Mission informed of these trends.

Being an expert resource on policy, the incumbent leads and participates actively in internal and external strategy discussions, including active engagement across sectors at the Mission.

S/he will synthesize trends at the national and regional levels, incorporate learning from all analyses into current and future programming, and share extensively across all stakeholders.

Representation and Coordination 25%

The EG Policy Team Leader represents OEGI and USAID/KEA at public events and in meetings with senior leaders in the Kenyan, East African and American private sector; in the Kenyan government; and with implementing partners and other stakeholders.

S/he is a principal mission contact with American, Kenyan, and international public and private sector officials on issues related to agriculture sector policy reform, trade, and capacity development.

S/he will be required to maintain relationships and convene stakeholder meetings with a wide range of senior contacts in government and semi-autonomous government agencies, private sector and civil society organizations, donor agencies, implementing partners, regional African institutions, and other stakeholders as related to agriculture and trade policy discussions.

Program Management, Evaluation and Reporting 25%

The EG Policy Team Leader will plan, design, develop, and manage new and existing agriculture, WASH, trade and other programs and activities as a team member in OEGI. S/he is a thought leader in developing the policy agenda in OEGI and with internal and external stakeholders.

S/he will serve as the Agreement/Contracting Officer's Representative (AOR/COR) or activity manager for programs and activities that include policy reform, capacity development, and other areas in Kenya and in the East African region.

Adaptability and flexibility will be required as the Team Leader’s primary responsibilities may change over time as new USAID strategies and OEGI priorities emerge.

Staff Supervision and Team Management 10%

The EG Policy Team Leader ensures fluid office operations and provides program leadership within the Policy Team. Supervises Cooperating Country Nationals, which includes developing annual work objectives, identifying appropriate training opportunities, mentoring and coaching them in facilitation of professional development.

Conducts regular performance reviews and addresses any performance challenges that may arise. The Team Leader is a vital member of the APPS Center of Excellence leadership team and will work with the overall leadership team to develop and implement OEGI’s strategy.

Supervisory Relationship

The incumbent will receive minimal supervision from the APPS Deputy Office Director who provides broad policy objectives and results expected. The incumbent will handle work assignments independently according to established policies, previous training, and accepted practices.

S/he will be expected to develop her/his own work schedule and procedures for accomplishing tasks, and to independently resolve problems that may arise during the execution of objectives.

Supervisory Controls

The incumbent will supervise two Cooperating Country Nationals PMS (Agriculture Policy), FSN-11 and PMS (SPS Regional Policy Coordinator), FSN-11.

Physical Demands:

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

Minimum Qualifications Required for This Position

Any application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in policy, agricultural marketing, agribusiness, agricultural economics, business administration, international development, or other closely related field is required.

Prior Work Experience:

Seven (7) years of professional-level experience in agriculture or agricultural trade program management.

Experience designing and working with public and private sector stakeholders in East Africa on programs designed to improve agricultural commodity value chains or increase agricultural trade.

Prior experience designing, implementing and monitoring development projects designed to improve agricultural commodities and value chains.

Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with institutional and private sector partners and stakeholders in a multinational setting.

Experience in implementing activities designed to leverage investments to support development goals in the area of agricultural development.

Language Proficiency:

Level IV (Fluent) English and Kiswahili in speaking and writing is required.

Job Knowledge

A comprehensive knowledge of agricultural trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS), and best practices in integrating viable agricultural commodities into competitive markets is required.

A comprehensive knowledge of the implementation of market-driven solutions in the planning and development efforts of public-sector officials, particularly Regional Economic Communities such as EAC and COMESA is required.

Thorough understanding of the key logistical challenges faced in the East Africa region and a proven ability to develop and implement innovative solutions to such challenges, either in the region or in a similar development context.

Skills and abilities

Due to frequent interaction with external stakeholders in high stakes environments, the jobholder must be able to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions and communicate effectively to ensure positive working relationships are maintained.

Ability to read, interpret, and understand global best practices related to agricultural free trade agreements, and how those practices might be used in the East Africa region.

Ability to articulate the private sector perspective in dialogue with public sector officials, and to ensure that new regional and national level SPS policies incorporate this perspective.

Ability to broker alliances between the public and private sector that leverage investments and enhance project sustainability. Ability to work effectively with high-level personnel from government, donor community, implementing partners, and other development organizations.

The job holder must demonstrate the ability to prepare well-written reports in English.

Ability to prepare reports and technical and policy briefs with short deadlines.

Ability to process information from a wide variety of sources into cohesive, polished documents.

Ability to adapt in the face of change, synthesize new information, and then provide sound advice to Mission management and others.

Ability to assess problems and develop sound solutions, such as planning for and administering funds, personnel, and equipment to best serve program oversight objectives.

Ability to work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.

Ability to shepherd projects in various stages of design and implementation, including developing budget spreadsheets and statements of work and reviewing and analyzing project reports, financial statements, and quarterly/annual results reporting to ensure on-time achievement of project deliverables.

Strong communications and interpersonal skills. Ability to manage and supervise other technical personnel.

Advanced competency in MS Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ability to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and web-based knowledge-sharing tools.

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; USAID Project Management Economic Growth Policy Team Leader Specialist Jobs in Kenya

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