Brief introduction of the project:
The GIZ global project “Rural Youth Employment” is part of the special initiatives ONEWORLD – No Hunger (SEWOH). Commissioned by the German federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project is aimed at improving the employment and income opportunities in the agri-food sector in rural areas with a special focus on the youth target group. The focus intervention areas in Kenya are:
1. Improved entrepreneurial environment and improved access to inputs, services and markets
2. Increasing the labor demand through support to SMEs, Startups and development partnerships
3. Improved framework conditions for matching of labor demand and supply
The Project will be implemented in close collaboration with partners in five counties (Bungoma, Kakamega, Siaya, Vihiga and Kisumu), some of which comprise small and medium-sized urban centers (especially the regional center of Kisumu).
The SEWOH project applies the so-called integrated employment approach which aims at creating employment opportunities, supporting income generating activities and improving employment prospects in rural areas and the agri-food sector. The creation of conducive framework conditions and a thriving rural entrepreneurship eco-system, e.g. through better access to productive resources, access to financial services, business development
services and image campaigns for the sector, complement the approach. The project is embedded in the green portfolio of GIZ Kenya as well as aligned to Kenya’s Vision 2030, The Medium-Term Plan (MTP) III, the BIG 4 Agenda, the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS 2019-2029), the National Youth in Agribusiness Strategy (2018-2022), the County Integrated Development Plans of the target Counties (CIDPs).
Qualifications
(1) Relevant Master’s degree (agricultural studies, development studies, economics, social sciences or related fields)
(2) Very good knowledge of employment promotion approaches, business ecosystems and development of favorable business environments for MSMEs and start-ups
(3) Very good knowledge of value chain development and technical and financial business service development, good knowledge of the agri-finance sector
(4) Good team spirit and networking
(5) Very good coordination and communication skills to manage stakeholders and partners and ensure linkages between the different fields of action of the programs as well as other related programs
(6) Knowledge of methods and procedures of the German Development Cooperation are an advantage
(7) Knowledge of gender-sensitive and gender-transformative approaches in rural development
Professional experience
(1) At least 8 years working experience in larger projects of international development programs
(2) Several years of work experience in employment promotion and very good knowledge of the integrated employment approach
(3) Profound experience in the development of business environments, including improvement measures on access to inputs, (financial) services, markets and land
(4) Experiences on the linkage between strengthening MSMEs and demand-oriented qualification of smallholders
(5) Work experience with public-private partnerships, private sector engagement and coordination/ moderation of multi-stakeholder platforms
(6) Several years of work experience in qualification and capacity development of smallholders, stakeholder management and coordination of national and international consultants and service providers
(7) Desirable: Relevant work experience in projects targeted at rural youth or local economic development projects
Other competencies
(1) Proven interest in social development and youth engagement
(2) Fluency in written and spoken English and spoken Swahili are a must, knowledge of Luhya or Luo as well as German are an advantage
(3) Good knowledge of IT, especially MS Word, Excel, power Point as well as ICT applications (e.g. MS Teams)
Responsibilities
TheBusiness Environment Coordinator (m/f)will be responsible for the coordination and
implementation of activities between action fields 1 (Business environment and improved access to inputs, services and markets) and 2 (Strengthening the demand for labor) with a focus on guiding and streamlining national and international consultancies, ensuring timely and qualitative delivery of results, and linking them with other measures and activities of the project for synergies between the action fields and the various stakeholders. He or she will contribute to leveraging the rural youth employment and income situation as well as the labor demand in SME through improving their access to inputs, services and markets. He/she will be responsible for developing and improving services and business models related to access to finance, access to land and activities related to governmental partners, public funds etc. He/she will do this in close cooperation with the consultancy involved in the development of access and business models for inputs, services and markets. He will also coordinate and
streamline the trainings provided by the consultancy to smallholder farmers in close collaboration with the colleagues in action field 2 and the public extension service or other actors involved. Furthermore, he or she will identify strategic implementation partners and establish cooperation with both public and private partners. The coordinator will be responsible for reliable and timely regular presentation of the results to the management level. He or she is responsible to contribute to intra-country and cross-country knowledge management on innovative concepts and experiences, especially in the field of business development.B. Tasks of the Coordinator
Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Coordinate the planning and implementation of national and international consultants and service providers, mainly in the field of action on business development services and access to markets, inputs, services and finance
Conceptualize innovative formats to improve access to finance for MSMEs and develop related business models for service provision in cooperation with partners
Closely work together with political partners to coordinate measures targeting the overall improvement of business environment, including smallholders’ access to financial and extension services
Ensure the linkage between the fields of action 1 and 2 of the project and the related activities
Identify and select suitable implementation partners, foster strategic cooperation with public and private partners and other donors and lead the communication with those partners in the Counties, in close collaboration with the County Coordinator
Strategic advisory to project management for long-term engagement of private sector within the project framework, advise on suitable tools and concepts to implement within the framework of public-private partnerships
Guide the implementation and testing of existing approaches targeting access to land for rural youth and women and organizational development of cooperatives, pilot for instance existing tools for generational succession, land lease models, Cooperative Business School (CBS) for Youth and others
Participate and coordinate planning and implementation of qualification and training for smallholders
Capacity Development
Advise to relevant partners on capacity development measures and development strategies for MSME support in regard to an improved business environment
Facilitating capacity building initiatives for smallholders and project partners while ensuring the linkage between action field 1 and 2 as well as the training and qualifications offers developed by the bilateral GIZ project on youth employment with ATVET centers.
Knowledge Management and ICT:
Supporting in monitoring and evaluation of program activities including reporting
Support in knowledge and innovation management, linkage and synergy activities with other GIZ projects and programs
Develop relevant ICT support concepts and identify relevant (existing) solutions or ICT tools in close collaboration with the project advisors and partner institutions
Facilitate networking, cooperation and communication among stakeholders
Contributions to the global project’s knowledge exchange activities between country packages in Africa and partners as well as GIZ platforms of knowledge management (Sector network rural development in Africa, IDA communities, Kenya Cluster technical working groups).
C. Working Arrangements and Reporting
The Business Environment Coordinator will report directly to the Project Manager of RYE.
Job Requirements
Required education
: Post-graduate education
Required relevant work experience
: 7 years
Required languages:
English (Spoken: fluent | Written: fluent)Luo (Spoken: fluent | Written: fluent),
Mandatory attachments
Please have a scan or photo of these documents ready when you start the application:
Self-prepared CV file
- the employer wants to see a CV that you have prepared yourself
Education certificate
- the official certificate for your highest education
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