Kenya: Advisor, Climate R&I, Nairobi, Kenya

Sep 4, 2023 | International Rescue Committee
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The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s largest humanitarian relief and development organizations. For 90 years, the IRC has been at the forefront of every major humanitarian initiative to assist people uprooted by war, persecution, or civil conflict. IRC staff go to the toughest places, implement both immediate response and long lasting programs. In all its country programs and in the US, the IRC partners with local governments, community organizations and private sector companies to achieve measurable improvements in people’s economic well-being, safety, health and education. The IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab designs, tests, and scales life-changing, cost-effective solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster. One of the IRC’s four global research and innovation priorities is climate resilient agro-pastoral livelihoods. IRC generates and adapts solutions to increase the resilience in the areas hardest hit by climate change and conflict, with a focus on women, who are disproportionately affected by climate impacts and already face significant challenges in agriculture. IRC innovates within the following focus areas: improving seed security and strengthening disaster risk reduction. Its solutions are localized to specific priority countries and help to reduce poverty and food insecurity by enabling people and institutions to absorb, adapt and respond to climate shocks.

Job Overview/Summary: 

The Advisor will take a lead role across climate research and innovation projects, providing Airbel and IRC country program colleagues with technical advice from early stage conceptualization through to testing and scale. The Advisor will collaborate closely with a team of experts in behavioral sciences, human-centered design, and research, as well as in-country project participants to provide technical support including: developing theories of change and logical frameworks, participating in innovation design processes and workshops, and supporting monitoring and evaluation system development and data analysis.

In addition to technical assistance, the Advisor will support project oversight and ongoing implementation. A successful Advisor will be well versed in evidence-based programming in the areas of: climate-smart agriculture and livestock support, disaster risk reduction, value chain development, and/or market systems development.

In addition, the Advisor should be proficient in gender-sensitive programming and able to support gender-transformative approaches. To this end, the position will work closely with team members from the cash & emergencies and livelihood teams. The position requires a self-motivating and forward-thinking personality with experience working with different cultural backgrounds. The Advisor needs to be able to leverage their technical expertise in designing and testing new and creative approaches to humanitarian programming. The Advisor also needs to be excellent in proactive communication and relationship building with remote teams. 

Provide technical support to Climate GRIP portfolio

  • Assist in the design, quality implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of innovation projects across all of the Climate GRIP focus areas.
  • Ensure alignment with Airbel practices, the ERD TU and country SAPs.
  • Provide expert advice based on best available and most recent evidence and build capacity of TU colleagues and country staff on relevant topics. Include a strong component of promoting gender equality, local partnership, and inclusion.
  • Contribute to the development and execution of the Climate GRIP strategy, vision, and roadmap 

Local partnership building and business diversification

  • Support the Climate GRIP pursuing project and long-term business development opportunities for Airbel-led or country-led opportunities. Tasks include program design and narrative review, and technical proposal development.
  • When necessary, write technical narratives of proposals and donor reports for Climate GRIP projects. 

Representing and communicating internally and externally

  • Engage in priority networks, working groups, panels, and external fora on climate resilience issues
  • Build partnerships with implementers, research organizations, private sector partnerships, and other organizations with frontier innovations
  • Regularly provide briefings and responses to information requests on the Climate GRIP portfolio, emerging issues and political developments to diverse audiences, including IRC colleagues, donors, the media, UN agencies, inter-agency networks, and new recruits. 

Job Requirements:

Education

Master’s degree in international development, business, economics or related fields or a combination of equivalent education and lived experience. 

Work Experience

  • Minimum of 7 years of proven experience in international emergency and development field posts, related private sector entities and/or research entities
  • Experience in managing large evidenced-based economic emergency and development programs, including staff and budget management, preferably in conflict- or disaster-affected environments
  • Technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: (i) agricultural livelihoods, (ii) value chain development, (iii) Research/innovation services (iv) measurement, evaluation, and learning.
  • Demonstrated success in large business development for economic programs and familiarity with key donors and their funding streams. 

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies

  • Capacity to work flexible hours, as appropriate to reasonably accommodate for projects implemented in different time zones and team meetings across time zones
  • Demonstrated assessment, data collection and analysis skills, including needs assessments, market assessments, incorporation of gender analyses into assessment approaches and development of monitoring and evaluation systems
  • Demonstrated dedication to a Do No Harm approach, gender equality and inclusion
  • Demonstrated ability to work across functions and sectors to build strong working relationships and to ensure high-quality market-based program delivery.
  • Knowledge of main institutional donors and a proven track record in developing funding proposals and reports for a range of institutional and other donors.
  • Strong program/technical, project design, proposal development and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Excellent interpersonal skills involving listening to, interacting with, and communicating clearly with people from diverse nationalities and backgrounds, and senior level internal and external partners, with a high degree of professionalism and pro-activity.
  • Solid organizational skills: proficiency in working productively in a fast-paced environment and under remote team and management structures
  • Proficiency with Windows-based software, knowledge management tools, remote training and engagement tools, and familiarity with mobile monitoring tools
  • Demonstrated dedication to an anti-racist and Do No Harm approach, gender equality and inclusion 

Language Skills

Fluent in English; Demonstrated excellence in one of the other IRC working languages – Arabic, French, or Spanish preferred. 

Working Environment

Up to 40% travel is anticipated, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. The IRC is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. IRC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. IRC will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact IRC to request accommodation. The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. IRC strongly encourages applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal. 

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. IRC offers benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in its workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic. 

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation. 

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at the company. IRC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. IRC will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact IRC to request accommodation.