Program Description
In 2016, the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of ICT and in partnership with academia, civil society and the private sector, established the Ajira Digital Program to bridge the gap between skills demand and jobs. The program aims to introduce young people to digital and digitally enabled work and provide the tools, training and mentorship needed for young people to work and earn an income with dignity. The Ajira Digital Program also seeks to position Kenya as a choice labour destination for multinational companies as well as grow and encourage local companies and the public sector to create digital and digitally-enabled work
KEPSA together with the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs and with funding from the Mastercard Foundation under the Young Africa Works (YAW) – Kenya initiative, has embarked on a project to scale the Ajira Digital Program and enable over 1 million Kenyans to access dignified work through digital platforms in the next three years. Contributing to the achievement of the country's objective of becoming a globally competitive knowledge-based middle-income economy in an increasingly digital world. The partnership between the Ajira Digital Program & the Young Africa Works Initiative covers five programs across the supply, demand and linkage aspects of the job’s ecosystem.
Supply: Provide access to training and mentorship (work readiness and up-skilling opportunities)
o Program 1: Operationalization of existing Ajira Youth Empowerment Centres (AYEC)
o Program 2: Institutionalise Ajira Digital Clubs and curriculum in higher-level learning institutions (TVETS and Universities)
Demand: Increase local availability of dignified work
o Program 3: E-Government: Public Sector providing digital work
o Program 4: Private sector engagement: Support of digital platforms
Linkage: Enhance central linkage/information repository for all stakeholders & beneficiaries
o Program 5: Revamp of the existing Ajira Digital portal to offer relevant and timely labour information to benefit the entire ecosystem needed to grow work opportunities powered by the digital space.
Duration Of The Assignment
This position is a three-year contract subject to satisfactory periodical performance review
Expected Output
The Policy Advocacy Officer- eGovernment is expected to manage the delivery of an efficient and quality transcription service to the judiciary and from this use case, the delivery of a sustainable blueprint for the rest of the government to deliver digital and digitally-enabled work through the use of digital platforms.
Qualifications And Experience
The Policy Advocacy Officer- eGovernment will be expected to have:
A minimum of a University degree
At least seven (7) years of relevant experience in project management and managing complex teams, post-graduation
Knowledge of public policy cycles, including public policy institutions and instruments
Experience in managing private sector/government projects will be an added advantage
Knowledge of transcription services will be added advantage
Experience in managing large scale projects delivered through vendors/service providers
Demonstrate knowledge of Government and how it operates and functions
Capacity to work under pressure and meet tight schedules and deadlines with minimal supervision.
Excellent in communication, problem solving, analytical and interpersonal skills, and a team player
Demonstrate ability to multitask and work in a dynamic environment
Excellent in data management, report writing and organizational skills
Good command of Computer Programs and Applications
Proficiency in written and spoken English and Kiswahili.
Reporting Requirements
The Policy Advocacy Officer-eGovernment will report to the Project Director
Responsibilities
Objective Of The Role
Program 3 seeks to drive the adoption of the gig economy by Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with the first project being transcription of judiciary court recordings through digital platforms. Kenya is at a point of critical growth with Government leading in all the big infrastructure projects (roads, housing etc.) as well as the rolling out of the big 4 development agenda that seeks to provide food security (agriculture), universal healthcare, affordable housing and local manufacturing.
The number of youth that can be linked directly to employment through the government programs can contribute to 40% of jobs in the ecosystem and the Policy Advocacy Officer-eGovernment will provide strategic and technical end-to-end project management support to increase the growth of digital work from government in its digitisation efforts. The project officer will specifically oversee the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPOs) firm(s) that will deliver transcription services to the Judiciary as well as work with the Ajira Digital project teams at KEPSA and the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs to design a blueprint of how Government can outsource more work directly to youth.
Specific Duties And Responsibilities
Specifically, the Policy Advocacy Officer, eGovernment will undertake the following activities:
Serve as the focal point between the Ajira Project Management Team and the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Judiciary and all other Government Ministries
Ensure effective planning and execution of all activities in Program 3, including planning and coordinating partner meetings and seminars with various stakeholders.
Oversee the delivery of a pilot for the judiciary to transcribe court proceedings through a business process outsourcing firm (BPO) documenting lessons that will allow scale up to all the courtrooms in the country
Provide project management and support to the entire judiciary pilot project which includes but is not limited to management of the BPO firm(s) that will deliver the services, oversee and implement quality assurance mechanisms of the process and deliverables as well as evaluation of the BPO performance to ensure that the transcription services are meeting predefined standards
Lead the development of lessons learned from the judiciary pilot and identify opportunities for further eGovernment work
Lead the development of a blueprint for other MDAs to outsource work to gig workers through digital platforms
Develop and manage relationships required to scale this pilot across other Government Ministries, Departments and agencies (MDAs)
Maintain accurate and updated project documentation throughout the program lifecycle
Liaise with government officials throughout the engagement through various means such as group discussions, surveys and self-evaluations to evaluate the process and course correct as needed
Capture success stories and coordinate activities to ensure they are publicized appropriately
Prepare weekly, monthly, quarterly or any other periodical updates or reports as may be required
Drive the program values and philosophy through all activities
Troubleshoot where necessary and as needed
Perform any other duties assigned
Job Requirements
Required education
Required relevant work experience
Required languages:
Mandatory attachments
Please have a scan or photo of these documents ready when you start the application:
Self-prepared CV file
