Kenya: Natural Resources Management and Peace Building Officer - Lokitaung

Jun 8, 2024 | Mercy Corps
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Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, Mercy Corps partners to put bold solutions. into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

USAID's BHA awarded a Mercy Corps-led consortium of Kenyan and international partners with a eight-year Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) in Turkana and Samburu Counties. Through a phased approach that emphasizes evidence gap analysis, as well as partnership, learning, and co-creation with government, civil society, communities, and the private sector, this program aims to drive sustained reductions in acute malnutrition in both counties.

The Mercy Corps’ USAID Nawiri consortium brings together the global leadership, research capacity, technical expertise, and implementation experience necessary to partner with local institutions to test, adapt, and scale evidence-based solutions. The program requires a robust county-centered design with government leadership, active engagement from communities, the private sector, and civil society. Gender inequalities and social dynamics are some of the key drivers of food insecurity and persistent acute malnutrition in the two counties and this program will implement evidence-based interventions to address these. 

General Position Summary

The Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Peace Building (PB) Officer will take the lead role in the implementation of the integrated NRM and Peacebuilding interventions in the program locations assigned in Turkana (Lokitaung). Under the Technical Guidance of the Senior NRM and Peace Officer and direct operational management of the Sub-County Coordinator and in close collaboration with the USAID Nawiri technical teams, the Natural Resources Management and Peace Building Officer will support the USAID Nawiri team at the sub- County office levels, to translate program strategies into implementation bringing a conflict sensitive lens and do no harm approaches, considering the nexus of Conflict and Persistent Acute Malnutrition in these two counties, as per evidence so far.

The NRM and PB officer will further be responsible for ensuring NRM and conflict resolution approaches and interventions are fully sequenced, layered and integrated to provide enabling systems to support development of resilient livestock and agricultural livelihoods including in provision of clean consistent water resources. The NRM and Peace Building interventions should enhance the effectiveness and quality of implementation of programme initiatives undertaken by USAID Nawiri.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY: OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF NRM and CONFLICT PROGRAM STRATEGIES

Includes:

  • Responsible for NRM and PB system actor engagement at sub-county and communities leveraging with other development stakeholders’ to enhance and integrate, layer sequence actions for collective impact.
  • Draws technical assistance and support for self and for the diverse team members from the Consortium to lead quality implementation. Specifically works with support and draws from technical supervision of the of the technical advisors to address NRM and PB, more holistically than traditionally siloed interventions.
  • Support development of adaptive learning and collective impact strategy within RL collaborative partnership strategy (ies) and support integration of adaptations into the project’s work-plan and implementation approaches.
  • Ensure strengthened information systems are used for decision-making, learning and adaptation, to ensure that up-to-date and reliable information is available and that partners and stakeholders have access and skills to interpret and take action.
  • Support collaborative learning and adaptation processes in the County technical working groups and contribute to an enabling environment for learning within the resilient livelihoods team and components of USAID Nawiri. This includes initiating a system of documentation and knowledge management within the team to capture ongoing experiences and learnings to further enhance programming and inform program adaptation and sequencing.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & REPORTING

  • Support planning, development, and implementation of the NRM, peacebuilding, and conflict sensitivity interventions within the project.
  • Organize and facilitate dialogue meetings, workshops, and forums with government representatives, civil society and communities in efforts to prevent violent conflict and promote cooperative approaches to NRM peace, security, and conflict resolution.
  • Support capacity development of partners involved in project implementation through innovative capacity building approaches.
  • Arrange for regular meetings with partners and community structures to review and reflect on progress and results to identify, mitigate challenges, and learn lessons for improved program delivery.
  • Responsible for accurate narrative reporting against agreed objectives and results frameworks
  • Participate in and contribute to quarterly and other scheduled program performance review meetings.
  • Facilitate scenario planning as part of routine program management; work closely with M&E team to ensure context monitoring informs program teams to support adaptations and tracking of impacts of shocks and stresses on programing.
  • Assist the Project team in the development and regular update of the conflict context analysis and advise the program on Do No Harm aspects of the program.
  • Support information and capacity development of NRM and Peacebuilding structures.
  • Work closely with the Peacebuilding forum to influence policy reviews/formulation at the county and regional levels.
  • Develop tools/ methodologies to mainstream different aspects of Addressing Conflict Drivers into different interventions undertaken by USAID Nawiri through networking and collaboration with other development partners and local governments.
  • Contribute to teamwork plans and guide successful implementation of program activities, ensuring teams and partners activities are on track and in alignment to achieve desired impact.
  • Actively participate in the periodic program planning, review and reflection meetings and sessions.
  • Prepare accurate and timely reports and other project documentation and communication that contribute to a learning organization.
  • Prepares activity reports and supports County Resilience Livelihoods Coordinator in the review and development of work plans and thematic reports.
  • Collaborates and part of a larger team driving system-level institutional strengthening, enabling environment and Social Accountability - in planning and implementation coherent and integrated actions that support a multi-sectoral view of nutrition resilient programming. Specific mandates working closely with the USAID Nawiri institutions and local systems strengthening team, citizen engagement and social accountability team and Resilient Livelihoods Team and GYSD team in this task.
  • Liaise with other project teams and staff at the sub office level to ensure that all USAID Nawiri interventions are well-coordinated and prioritized.
  • Collaborate with the M&E team to support monitoring and evaluation on effectiveness and impact of livelihoods activities at the Sub-office level and make recommendations for improvements.
  • Work with program teams and consortium partners, staff members, and all MERCY CORPS / USAID Nawiri staff to promote and ensure the complementarity of development efforts and synergy of results.

COLLABORATION & NETWORKING

  • NRM and Peace Building Officer is expected to establish and maintain an open and cordial relationship with relevant government partners, local government officials, donors, and other development organizations working in the Pastoralist, NRM, and Peace arena to obtain the required support and collaboration for the smooth coordination and implementation of program activities.
  • Integrates participatory community approaches, gender sensitivity, conflict sensitivity and do no harm principles; mainstreams capacity building and sustainability approaches into all activities as appropriate including certifying all interventions to adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
  • Coordinates with the different levels of stakeholders including committees, working groups, community groups, local implementing partners, community resource persons, government stakeholders at sub-county, ward, village - to sustain peace building actions, mobilize rapid actions and ensure effective communication channels.
  • Coordinate with community leadership to facilitate activity integration and targeting of participants, ensuring a conflict sensitivity is maintained.
  • Engages and support systems strengthening actions including within Village Councils and Ward Development planning that aim at strengthening resilience of communities.
  • Link and strengthen capacity of program participants to tap into opportunities including their influence in planning and budgeting for NRM and PB as key nutrition resilience pathways.
  • Continuously update stakeholder mapping and coordinate activities with various stakeholders, to ensure strong linkages between resilient livelihood and other priority pathways for strengthening nutrition resilience in the context.
  • Mobilize sub-county, ward level and village meetings with relevant stakeholders.
  • Support the facilitation of planning meetings and workshops with government, NGO, private sector, and community partners to revise and customize implementation plans.
  • Support with collaborative partnership with other development partners and identify potential opportunities for collective impact.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

  • Represents and ensures buy-in to USAID NAWIRI participatory rangeland management (PRM) and the Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) approaches among relevant stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with the USAID SSBC team to design and deliver integrated communication for social transformational change in securing natural resources and peace.
  • Collaborating with the field M&E personnel to ensure all NRM/ Peace, development activities are appropriately documented, and that data is captured as per established systems of the USAID NAWIRI program.
  • Play an advisory role in advising the program on conflict Sensitivity / Do No Harm issues.
  • Compile and document significant lessons learned from the NRM and PB project activities and adaptations and work closely with the communications advisor to prepare content that can be incorporated into project reports and other products.

INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION

  • Assist sub-office coordinator and County Field Director to coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees, local government and other implementers.
  • Support the facilitation of planning meetings and workshops with government, NGO, private sector, and community partners to revise plans and promote partner acceptance/buy-in.
  • Ensure close coordination and sharing of information with relevant stakeholders such as local government departments, NGO’s and local authorities, as appropriate and advised by the line manager.
  • Collaborate with Consortium partners, sub grantees, local government, and other implementers working at the sub-office level.
  • Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

Supervisory Responsibility

None.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Sub County Field Coordinator

Works Directly With: Resilient Livelihood Team, Systems Strengthening Team, Gender, Youth and Social Dynamics Team, thematic officers across the consortium and Local CSO implementers.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

  • Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to its program participants, community partners, and other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. Mercy Corps is committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of its field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

  • Bachelor’s degree in the field of Natural Resource Management, Environmental Studies, Climate Change and Society, Environmental Management, Peace Building, International relations or other related fields or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
  • Demonstrated understanding of community engagement strategies, the investment environment in Kenya, land laws and policies, peace frameworks, natural resource governance, and conflict sensitivity, and an active interest in the workings of civil society.
  • Understanding of NRM and Peace frameworks/ tools and approaches including the understanding of opportunities and challenges in the pastoralist context
  • Experience working within a development-oriented NGO in environment and pastoralist contexts.
  • Practical experience in the facilitation of multi-stakeholder NRM and Peace activities.
  • Strong communication and analytical skills
  • Demonstrated interpersonal skills in working within a multidisciplinary team and ability to liaise with government, community leaders, and other stakeholders at all levels.
  • Skills in organizing and facilitating community dialogues, workshops, and training events.
  • Proven ability to conduct him/herself professionally under pressure.
  • Knowledge on Conflict Sensitivity / Do No Harm approaches.
  • Skills and creativity in integrating Peace building and NRM aspects in programming.
  • Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Core Competencies: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • Listening: Ability to actively listen (i.e., seeks to understand, asks good questions, paraphrases, and is in tune with speaker’s emotional state)
  • Vulnerability & Courage: Ability to share lack of knowledge, mistakes, or failures; give and receive feedback; and raise difficult questions or concerns.
  • Curiosity: Ability to articulate and explore novel areas of learning that would contribute to greater effectiveness
  • Systems Thinking: Ability to understand, affect, connect, and leverage various parts of a system while maintaining sight of the whole system.
  • Critical & Reflective Thinking: Ability to analyze and understand situations from a variety of perspectives.
  • Flexibility: Ability to accept the unexpected and adjust to what the situation now requires rather than what was required
  • Improvement: Ability to recognize and develop personal strengths and areas in need of improvement and adjust style and approach depending on what the situation requires
  • Decision-Making: Ability to make informed, timely decisions based on a mixture of analysis, evidence, and experience.
  • Honest Reflexivity: Committed to engaging in and modeling honest reflexivity.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will be extremely collaborative, can work independently and take initiative in tasks and self-learning, be proactive in communications, and demonstrate innovative thinking. They will be able to effectively work across departments, and disciplines, often without direct supervisory authority. They will have excellent communication abilities in written English, including concise analytical and technical writing, and can communicate USAID Nawiri’s strengths and overall vision. They will also be able to work closely with a diverse team of individuals with varying backgrounds and objectives, having an excellent team and interpersonal relationship skills, along with a positive mindset. They will be expected to travel to locations within the program geographies, as required, in meeting the demands of the position.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Lokitaung (Turkana County) and requires up to 50% travel, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.  Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.

Ongoing Learning

In support of its belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities it serves, Mercy Corps empowers all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.