Head of Department: Food Security, Livelihoods

Founded in 1979, Action Against Hunger International (ACF) is an international humanitarian recognized in the fight against hunger. ACF mission is to save lives through the prevention, detection, and treatment of malnutrition, especially during and after emergency situations and conflicts

Purpose
The Head of Food Security Livelihood and Resilience Department Provides technical leadership to Action Against Hunger’s food security programs through context analysis, development of strategic FSL & Resilience priorities and promotion of technical innovations and learning capitalization.
Engagement:

The Head of FSL & Resilience Department provides internal and external representation to ensure a clear understanding of Action Against Hunger’s technical positioning among the various stakeholders. Collaborate with other technical coordinators to develop an integrated technical strategy; and support integrated program definition and implementation.
Ensure close and regular coordination with other technical departments (nutrition, WASH) in overall program coherence specifically recovery and development projects; and support departments (logistics, administration and human resources) in procurement planning and follow-up, and budget follow-ups, human resources planning and overall staff management.
Representing Action Against Hunger in coordination fora with relevant authorities and other agencies.
Implementation of technical advocacy actions in coordination with Program Director and other relevant departments to enhance staff capacity on FSL and resilience programming
Coordinates with Government authorities, NGOs, UN agencies and donor representatives, create links with various technical actors working in the same geographical areas of interventions, and develop partnerships where relevant and appropriate.

Delivery:

The FSL & Resilience HoD will be able to provide humanitarian and development context assessment and analysis, development and promotion of FSL technical strategic interventions, multi-sectoral approaches and high quality concept papers, proposals and reports.
Strengthen coordination and partnerships with all relevant technical sectors and partner organizations for identification of innovative research projects to address the root causes of undernutrition.
Establish strategic partnerships with various actors (Government, NGOs, UN agencies e.t.c.) in developing and maintaining relations with current and potential donors

Essential job duties:
Strategic Leadership 20%

Develop strategic positioning for the department as part of the Action Against Hunger annual country strategy process and as needed, in close consultation with field teams and other technical departments.
Lead in the review and implementation of the FSL and resilience strategy well aligned with the ACF Kenya and International Strategic Plan (ISP).
Support in development and review of FSL and resilience annual work plans, budgets, and monitoring frameworks to ensure effective implementation and achievement of FSL interventions.
Provide guidance and support to FSL program managers and field teams to ensure the quality and impact of interventions.
Identify new geographical areas of interest and or confirm existing areas according to humanitarian, recovery and development needs and the Action Against Hunger strategic plan
Work closely with the business development team in the design and formulation of new project proposals and concept notes providing technical and budgetary input throughout the program development and design phase on FSL and resilience funding opportunities.
Lead the design, planning, and implementation of food security and livelihood programs, incorporating best practices and innovative approaches.
Oversee the identification and prioritization of target communities and beneficiaries, ensuring inclusivity and participation in program activities.
Foster partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, donors, and community-based organizations, to enhance program effectiveness and sustainability.
Oversee country FSL and resilience program portfolio; identify, propose and develop new program orientations, strategies and activities, in aligned to the best practices
Ensure harmonization and coherence of recovery and development of FSL approaches and activities across all program bases with the development of project implementation plans.
Promote an integrated approach among the WASH, Nutrition and FSL sectors wherever feasible and justified.
Serve as lead on new project development to ensure high quality technical and donor reporting across all the resilience , recovery and development program activities and ensure they meet Action Against Hunger’s and donor’s standards
Work with partnership, advocacy and communication focal person to engage in outreach and advocacy with policy makers and practitioners at National and County government levels
Represent Action Against Hunger in Kenya key national or regional coordination fora ensuring active presence and participation in national FSL coordination meetings, cluster and technical working groups
Develop a strong state and county level relationship with local authorities and institutions related to Food Security and livelihood
Create links with various FSL actors working in the same operational areas and develop partnerships where relevant and appropriate
Ensure that relevant stakeholders have a clear understanding of Action Against Hunger charter, background, program objectives and activities in the field.
Provide technical leadership in areas food security, agriculture, livelihoods diversification, income generation, and community resilience.
Stay abreast of emerging trends, research findings, and best practices in food security and livelihoods programming, and incorporate relevant innovations into program design and implementation.
Build the capacity of staff and partners through training, mentorship, and knowledge sharing activities
Identify staff training needs and work with HR department to develop and implement relevant training plans.
Ensure compliance of FSL program standards to achieve grant/funding objectives
Work in close relation with FSL technical counterpart in HQ and Regional FSL advisor.

Program Development and Management 30%

Technical Support 20%

Climate change integration 10%

Work with relevant partners to advocate for policies and practices that promote climate resilience and sustainable development at local, national, and regional levels, engaging with government authorities, donors, and other stakeholders.
Foster partnerships with climate change experts, research institutions, and civil society organizations to leverage resources, expertise, and best practices in addressing climate-related challenges.
Represent Action Against Hunger in FSL and resilience forums, networks, and working groups focused on climate change, sharing lessons learned and advocating for the integration of climate resilience into FSL and resilience programming.
Work closely with MEAL HOD to develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress, measure impact, and ensure accountability.
Lead the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and success stories to inform program adaptation and scale-up.
Support the organization in reporting to donors and other stakeholders, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and standards.
Contribute to integrated surveillance activities as applicable through input on development of tools, analysis and interpretation, etc.
Ensure the regular analysis and reporting of recovery and development needs, malnutrition causal factors and linkages at country level through regular high quality field assessments, participation in coordination forums, regular consultation with stakeholders and collection of secondary data.
Ensure the appropriate development and implementation of high quality technical monitoring systems, indicators and supporting tools to monitor the impact and outcome of recovery and development FSL programs; ensure their harmonization across bases and build capacity of field teams on their implementation and regular timely use.
Provide direct support to field staff on program planning and monitoring (procurement planning, budget design, forecast and follow-up, monthly reports, technical reports, etc.)
Ensure internal and external evaluation of programs in the operational area in a manner that facilitates organizational learning.
Support learning and application of innovative approaches in FSL at field level in collaboration with other Action Against Hunger technical departments and external partners
Ensure documentation and capitalization of lessons learnt and good practices; and contribute to the preparation of publications, where applicable
Monitor program progress and performance, conducting regular field visits and assessments to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Provide effective leadership and supervision to departmental staff, fostering a culture of collaboration, professionalism, and continuous learning.
Contribute to performance reviews; provide constructive feedback, and support staff development and career progression.
Promote a supportive and inclusive work environment that values diversity, equity, and respect.
Identify training needs and work with HR department to develop and implement relevant training plans.
Ensure the development and implementation of proper systems to reduce the risk of corruption and conflict of interest by program staff and local authorities, and increase accountability and transparency of operations.
Any other duty assigned 5%

Monitoring, Evaluation, surveillance and Learning 10%

Team Management and Capacity Building 5%

Any other duty assigned by the supervisor/ employer

Supervisory Responsibilities

Technical and managerial supervisory line to FSL managers/Officers.

Gender Equality Commitments

Foster an environment that supports values of women and men, and equal access to information.
Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. Race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
Value and respect all cultures.