AGRA Policy Officer and Program Officer Job Vacancies

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2006 to work with African governments, farmers, donors, NGOs and the private sector to reduce hunger and poverty in Africa  through agricultural development targeted at resource poor farmers. AGRA has its headquarters in Nairobi,  Kenya and an office in Accra, Ghana.

AGRA is seeking to recruit exceptional and experienced individuals to fill the following job positions:

Policy Officer

Ref: PO/09-11

This position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, on a three year renewable contract and will report to the Director, Policy and Partnerships.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Identifying policy, institutional and regulatory constraints to the success of AGRA programmatic interventions and contributing towards a comprehensive policy strategy;
• Evaluating and assessing the relevance of agricultural policies across AGRA target-countries and working with communities to develop regional frameworks for the harmonization of agricultural and trade policies;
• Conducting analytical work to develop evidence-based policy and institutions for AGRA-target countries;
• Assisting governments in designing and implementing pro-poor policies for accelerating uptake of green revolution technologies;
• Designing marketing and pricing policy instruments for smallholder farmers and supporting the building of national policy advocacy platforms for influencing agricultural policy formulation;
• Working closely with regional organizations on policy roundtable consultative processes with stakeholders; and
• Monitoring and evaluating impacts of agricultural policies on key indicators.

Key Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience

• A postgraduate degree in Agricultural Economics, Public Administration or Economics, with a strong research and publications background;
• A PhD and experience working within national, African regional or international organizations will be an added advantage;
• At least five (5) years’ experience in designing and implementing agricultural policies in support of smallholder agriculture;
• Strong analytical ability to design and evaluate policy options for promoting agricultural productivity growth;
• Ability to engage in policy dialogue at high-levels in governments and work closely with a diverse group of donors; and
• Fluency in English. Working knowledge of French will be an added advantage.

Senior Program Officer / Program Officer Monitoring and Evaluation

Ref: SPO/PO/09-11

This position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, on a three year renewable contract and will report to the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E).

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the M&E team in reviewing and implementing the AGRA M&E plan, while incorporating the M&E frameworks, as well as in the implementation of M&E Implementing Agreements with Grantees and Partners;
• Providing statistical and analytical support to the M&E team in designing and implementing surveys, as well as in the coordination of data collection activities and reporting systems and in setting procedures to ensure data quality;
• Supporting the M&E team in providing appropriate and timely data and information to AGRA management and to the Board of Directors;
• Identifying M&E plan implementation risks and mitigating actions, data collection and quality review needs and supporting the M&E team to draw TORs for specific M&E related-projects;
• Supporting the development of the Management Information System (MIS) and providing technical assistance to AGRA Program Directors and the M&E Director in the design, development and implementation of the system;
• Participating in external reviews and missions by AGRA Donors or other Africa Government Agencies; and
• Supporting the M&E team in establishing professional linkages with development partners, resource centers, and institutions in the areas of monitoring and impact evaluation.

Key Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience

• An MSc. or PhD degree in Development Economics or Social Sciences with a minimum of ten (10) years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation of development assistance in Africa as well as three (3) years’ developing country experience;
• A high level of Monitoring and Evaluation knowledge in Agricultural Development and Food Security with experiences in data and information organization and management skills;
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, including econometrics and statistical analysis;
• Knowledge, skills and experience in key M&E standard tools as well as extensive experience and familiarity with computer applications; and
• Fluent in English and French.

For both positions, the ideal candidates should have excellent oral and written communication, interpersonal and relationship-building skills with the ability to work both with autonomy and with a team in diverse cultural contexts.

Attractive remuneration packages commensurate with the responsibilities of the positions will be negotiated with the right candidates.

If you believe you can clearly demonstrate your abilities to meet the relevant criteria for these roles, please submit your application with a detailed CV, stating your current position, remuneration, e-mail and telephone contacts, quoting the relevant reference number on both the application letter and envelope.

To be considered your application must be received by 14th October, 2011 addressed to:

The Director
Executive Selection Division
Deloitte Consulting Limited
Deloitte Place, Waiyaki Way
Muthangari, Westlands
P O Box 40092 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
or by email: agra@deloitte.co.ke
Tel: +254 20 423 0000
Fax: +254 20 444 8966