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Project Officer – Gender & Advocacy, (Danida Green Business Partnerships – -(DGBP) Project)

ABOUT THE ROLE

• The objective of the project is to create a commercially viable circular economy model for household organic waste, that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, improves household waste services, and transforms the lives of informal waste workers.
• Household organic waste makes up over 60% of municipal waste but is currently un-valued, uncollected, and a source of pollution. The project will create an urban waste collection system in Kakamega, Kenya, to feed 4,000 tonnes pa of household organic waste into Regen Organic’s (part of Sanergy Inc.) new waste processing plant. This will be converted into organic fertiliser and animal feed, providing regenerative inputs for local farmers who in turn supply food to the urban area, creating a circular economy. The innovation is in incentivising household separation of waste and creating privately run aggregation centres that can profitably integrate waste into Regen Organic’s supply chain, whilst creating decent jobs.
• Practical Action is looking for a Project Officer-Gender and Advocacy who will be responsible for gender mainstreaming and proactive advocacy support to the DGBP project. They will work with partners/stakeholders to ensure that gender equity principles are incorporated into all project activities, policies, plans and budgets. They will plan, implement and follow up on gender and advocacy-related activities and provide support to counterpart staff, partners and other stakeholders on mainstreaming gender in their programs, policies, plans, budgets and activities, including design and implementation of trainings on gender-related topics.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Promote and facilitate gender and social inclusion mainstreaming and gender transformative approaches in the day-to-day activities of the project.
• Ensure that the different perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the stakeholders, including those of waste and sanitation workers, are reflected in the project strategies and implementation plans.
• Build the capacity of staff, waste and sanitation workers and other partners through training and technical assistance on gender and social inclusion and ensure they embrace gender mainstreaming in all their operations.
• Plan and actively involve the partners/stakeholders in marking the recognized gender, waste and sanitation related days.
• Lead in conducting gender technical studies and assessments in relation to waste and sanitation management.
• Represent the DGBP project in coordination meetings and other related forums to ensure gender and inclusion issues in waste and sanitation management are captured and acted upon.
• Take lead in the planning and implementation of the advocacy component of the DGBP project.
• Take lead in establishing dialogue, sensitizing, lobbying and supporting gender mainstreaming and social inclusion among community organisations and partners at local, sub-national and national level to mobilise their support and participation in the project’s advocacy and influencing agenda.
• Support the development and implementation of gender action plans within the project and among the project partners to enhance gender equality and social inclusion integration in the waste and sanitation sector.
• Contribute to the development of technical guidance tools and approaches and coordinate the operational roll out of the same.
• Network and maintain dialogue with relevant Government Institutions, National and International Development Organizations to ensure collaboration, synergy and sharing of experiences on GESI, Waste and Sanitation management.
• In collaboration with the communications and impact and influence team, contribute to the production of GESI related content i.e. knowledge products, success stories, etc.
• Represent Practical Action in the project area to local government, local communities, NGOs and other actors when requested to do so.
• Participate in local coordination / networking meetings as required.
• Support effective lesson learning, information management and sharing in close collaboration with the Communication team.
• Contribute to visibility/positioning of Practical Action as a thought leader in gender, waste and sanitation management, including representation at sub/national, regional and international forums.
• Collaborate efficiently and effectively with partners for learning and adoption of innovative interventions to improve project delivery.
• Participate as a member in the organizational Global Gender Group & interact with any other internal and external groups as appropriate.
• Support the timely and accurate preparation and utilization of project activity budgets.
• Support the preparation of donor project reports and other internal reports as required.
• Support development of fundable project ideas and proposals to raise funds for scaling up the DGBP work in the region.
• Keep abreast of information and knowledge in the area of gender, waste and sanitation management, synthesize, document and share both internally and externally.

PERSON PROFILE
To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate should meet the following requirements:
Experience & Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences (Gender studies, Sociology, Rural development or related studies from a reputable University.
• At least 4 years’ field and technical working experience with three years in the gender and development field or relevant working experience in NGOs.

Essential

• An excellent understanding of gender issues in development and women economic empowerment.
• Good understanding of the institutional frameworks pertaining to gender and poverty in Kenya.
• Good lobbying and advocacy skills and ability to negotiate and network with broad range of stakeholders including youth.
• Good networking, team building and alliance building skills.
• Proficient in communicating with different stakeholders including women in rural communities, county and national government representatives, other stakeholders at national level etc.
• Good experience in integrating gender and diversity and sensitivity to gender and diversity issues.
• Good communication, facilitation, training and representation skills.
• Ability to work with, support and influence others.
• Good writing, speaking and typing skill in English is mandatory.

Desirable

• Good knowledge and application of the Gender Action Learning Systems (GALS) methodology in agriculture will be an added advantage.
• Experience working with multi-faceted teams both directly and remotely providing timely support when required.
• Working knowledge of the private sector in waste management in Kenya.

Project Officer – Enterprise Development (Danida Green Business Partnerships (DGBP) Project)

ABOUT THE ROLE

• The objective of the project is to create a commercially viable circular economy model for household organic waste, that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, improves household waste services, and transforms the lives of informal waste workers.
• Household organic waste makes up over 60% of municipal waste but is currently un-valued, uncollected, and a source of pollution. The project will create an urban waste collection system in Kakamega, Kenya, to feed 4,000 tonnes pa of household organic waste into Regen Organic’s (part of Sanergy Inc.) new waste processing plant. This will be converted into organic fertiliser and animal feed, providing regenerative inputs for local farmers who in turn supply food to the urban area, creating a circular economy. The innovation is in incentivising household separation of waste and creating privately run aggregation centres that can profitably integrate waste into Regen Organic’s supply chain, whilst creating decent jobs.
• The objective of the project is to create a commercially viable circular economy model for household organic waste, that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, improves household waste services, and transforms the lives of informal waste workers.
• Practical Action is looking for a Project Officer – Enterprise Development who will work in collaboration with the project team and implementing partners in achieving the project goal and objectives. They will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation and management of the enterprise development activities under the DGBP project.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the project field activities:

• Coordinate enterprise development activities including the promotion of local waste and sanitation businesses and innovations.
• Ensure that households have access to quality waste and sanitation management services from the service providers working with the project.
• Work closely with the project commercial partner to ensure that small-holder farmers in the project geography have access to high-quality organic fertilizers.
• In collaboration with the project partners, establish waste aggregation centers for household organic waste supply.
• Utilize the organizational Market Systems Development approach to address the associated systemic problems within the waste and sanitation space.
• Contribute to the program team’s work on the timely and effective management and implementation of the project’s enterprise development activities.
• Contribute to the development of high-quality progress reports, updates and communication products for internal and external consumption.
• Implement behavior change communications activities to ensure that community members are aware of the benefits of proper waste management.
• Work with private sector and local government to introduce and find strategies to increase compliance with standards including on occupational health and safety.
• Support in organizing and facilitating field visits for key stakeholders to share experiences and good practices.
• Strengthen the capacity of waste collectors and aggregators on technical and business skills & health and safety.

Coordination and communication

• Coordinate with County governments and partners’ teams to deliver agreed knowledge outputs for project learning and sharing.
• Organize meetings, workshops, and other information dissemination events with different stakeholders as appropriate.
• Coordinate and collaborate with other relevant actors for mutual sharing and learning as agreed.
• Support the project partners to design and implement marketing and promotional materials of waste and sanitation services and conduct market assessments to determine the potential demand for services.

Managing Relationships

• Develop and strengthen waste and sanitation management networks and lead in convening strategic project-specific meetings as needed.
• Maintain relationships with County and National level stakeholders ensuring that transparency at all levels is maintained and project information is communicated to relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.

Supervisory role

• Supervise and manage Waste Aggregation Centres and project partners to achieve their maximum productivity to ensure the project -outcomes are met.

PERSON PROFILE
To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate should meet the following requirements:
Experience & Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in business related studies, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Economics, or a relevant subject.
• Master’s degree preferred. Enterprise Development background is added value.
• Five years of work experience in private sector engagement and market development.
• Experience of working in Circular Economy and setting up businesses is preferred.
• Experience in capacity building, financial inclusion and behavior change communications (BCC) is preferred.
• Willingness and enthusiasm to work in challenging and difficult situations, and with vulnerable communities living in remote areas of the country.
• Good communication skills with fluency in English and Kiswahili.
• Good report writing and analysis skills.
• Demonstrated skills in prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to conduct knowledge transfer, effective communication, and people management abilities.
• Possess coping skills and the ability to function under pressure.
• Facilitate community programs to raise awareness of Solid Waste Management best practices.
• Assist to plan and lead training sessions for communities.
• Program management skills with supporting skills in finance management, contract management, communication, negotiation, and representation.
• Leadership skills and an ability to make decisions and participate in setting strategic direction.

Essential

• Excellent report writing, analytical, networking, presentation, and communication skills.
• High levels of demonstrated skills in prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines.
• Demonstrate good work experience with local and national governments, INGO and local NGO partners and the Private Sector.
• Experience in developing micro enterprises

Method of Application

If you are ready for an exciting challenge with an organisation whose mission and values are particularly relevant in these rapidly changing times, please forward your application, curriculum vitae and cover letter to: Practical Action, Kenya Office by email: recruitment@practicalaction.or.ke no later than 21st June, 2024 indicating ‘Practical Action: Job Title’ in the subject line of the email. Your cover letter should outline why you feel this is the position for you and you are the right candidate. Please include the names of 3 referees in your CV.