To support this work, Policy LINK seeks to recruit a Kenya Country Lead who will provide overall technical and project management leadership for the activity.

General Position Objectives
Lead technical implementation and program management of all Policy LINK activities in Kenya, working closely with relevant technical teams and partners
Maintain strong, positive stakeholder and client relationships that advance technical engagement and implementation in a coordinated and coherent manner
Provide consistent and responsive communication with USAID/Kenya
Develop and nurture an effective, well-functioning Kenya Program team, primed to deliver at the highest level
Ensure full integration of and accountability to Policy LINK global functional areas of operations, communications, and M&E within Policy LINK
The position will continually reinforce Policy LINK’s agreed-upon core purpose and principles, and ensure strategic design, implementation and ongoing decision-making is rooted in the purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.”

Specific Roles and Responsibilities
The Kenya Country Lead will be responsible for the following anticipated tasks, though others may be added as appropriate due to evolving project requirements:

Work with the USAID Kenya Mission, national and county governments, and non-state actors including the private sector and other counterparts to conceptualize and design approaches and activities in support of Mission objectives as captured in the Program’s activity description and concept notes.

Provide technical leadership for the design and implementation of specific policy projects aimed at clarifying and addressing priority policy constraints.

Lead the design and development of an annual work plan for the Program, including
updated annual targets aligned with the work plan and budget.

In coordination with the Regional Director, maintain continuous interface and hold regular meetings with USAID/Kenya to collaboratively design and create interventions and take the lead on reporting and reviewing program progress.

Provide overall supervision to the Policy LINK Kenya country team, including program
staff, collaborators, and consultants.

Ensure overall proper documentation, monitoring, and reporting of the status and performance of the Kenya Program implementation, including setting targets, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning.

Ensure regular and high-quality program communication.
Ensure that accurate budgeting for Kenya Program activities, and as needed, link with relevant finance staff on budgets, procurement and operational support

Ensure that the Program consistently utilises and learns from Policy LINK’s global
practice areas and works closely with Practice teams.

The Kenya Country Lead may be called upon to support Policy LINK’s broader program management activities and may also be part of other relevant activity teams within Policy LINK.

Reporting

The Kenya Country Lead will report to the EA Regional Director. Supervisory/Leadership Responsibilities

The Kenya Country Lead will directly supervise the Kenya buy-in team, including the Senior Technical Policy Expert, the Program Logistics Coordinator and any consultants working with the team. Beyond direct supervision, the Country Lead will provide overall team leadership for program activities and will coordinate closely with other Kenya and global staff.

Performance Criteria
Policy LINK is a performance-based project, highly dependent on individual and team core competencies. Each staff member will participate in an annual evaluation process and receive feedback.

Qualifications Education:
MA or MSc degree required in agricultural or development economics, management, economics, social sciences, or other related fields of study

Experience:
Minimum of twelve (12) years of progressive experience in program management and leadership
Experience working in fast-paced, donor-funded programs

Knowledge of agriculture policy, and institutional frameworks and ability to carry out critical analysis of policy issues

Experience working in collaborative policy processes with national, County
governments and non-state actors

Familiarity, networks and expertise on Kenya’s policy institutions, processes, and systems especially in Agriculture

Strong strategic thinking and organizational skills with the ability to work in a complex, rapidly changing environment responding to changing donor and partner demands

Skills
Strong skills in monitoring and evaluation

Strong written, verbal and presentation skills with the ability to tailor communication for specific audiences.