Kenya Country Lead for Soil Nutrition Roadmap program

Development Gateway Job Description: Kenya Country Lead (Consultant)

The Organization:

Development Gateway: An IREX Venture (DG) is an international non-profit organization with team members based in more than 10 countries worldwide. For over 20 years, DG has researched data ecosystems, built digital tools to support those data ecosystems, and advised on data strategy and digital transformation to strengthen decision-making, transparency, and service delivery. DG has expertise in deploying digital tools in agriculture, health, aid management, data & data strategy, extractives, information management systems, open contracting & procurement, and beyond. We support a variety of partners in over seventy countries around the globe to better collect, analyze, visualize, and use data by building digital tools, creating strong incentive structures and processes, and providing training and support.

We are a creative and dynamic group of people based around the globe. We value hard work, innovative thinking, a commitment to teamwork, and a good sense of humor.

Program Information:

DG, with support from the Gates Foundation, will lead an exciting data science-driven program to support 3-4 governments in West and East Africa in using data and modeling to inform country strategies and investment plans to strengthen soil health. Leveraging data from various sources – international and local – we will engage Ministries of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Institutes, and the private sector to identify critical constraints to improved soil nutrition, crop production, and farmer income. Based on this analysis, we will support identifying national soil health strategies and targeted interventions to be carried forward by the government and private sector in line with the AU’s ten-year soil health roadmap process.

Position Overview:

The Kenya Country Lead (Consultant) manages client relationships and oversees progress on the Soil Nutrition Roadmap project. In this role, you will build and establish relationships with relevant stakeholders, manage local partners, support product innovation, support systems, and user needs assessments, and ensure the steady implementation of project activities remains consistent and engaged. A wide degree of creativity, latitude, and responsibility is expected. This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya. The ability to live and work legally in Kenya is required.

The Work You Get To Do:

Stakeholder Relationship Management (30%)

• Builds relationships with key stakeholders, including national and subnational government ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture, civil society organizations, academia, and/or private sector partners to promote engagement in the program;
• Coordinates with key client stakeholders to ensure project buy-in, primarily through necessary logistics and in-person meetings;
• Ensures SNR model outputs and frameworks align with national priorities and policies.
• Provides input to the broader Soil Nutrition team on political nuance and Kenya’s cultural context;
• Meets with stakeholders as required to gather additional information.

Project Management and Implementation (40%)

• Provides insight and thought leadership to enable the program team to navigate the soil health stakeholder landscape and regularly update the Soil Nutrition team on the progress made and challenges;
• Works closely with the Program Manager and Country Lead Oversight, maintains an understanding of all big-picture items for Kenya’s implementation, and helps to ensure successful and timely implementation in the country;
• Leads assessments to gather relevant data and establish country priorities;
• In conjunction with the Program Manager and Country Lead Oversight, writes reports, prepares and conducts presentations, and contributes to relevant project documents, such as minutes from partner meetings, assessments, and back-to-office reports, etc;
• In conjunction with the Program Manager and Country Lead Oversight, manages all administrative tasks, including kicking off the project, serving as the main point of contact for in-country stakeholders (Ministry of Agriculture, civil society organizations), and scheduling meetings and organizing workshops as necessary.
• Designs an in-country engagement plan to support the overall program engagement plan
• Maintains an engagement tracker and provides updates on activities, outcomes, and lessons learned.
• Identifies best practices and shares them with the SNR team to refine engagement strategies.

Data Analysis (30%)

• Coordinates data collection activities, ensuring data quality and relevance to SNR goals.
• Assists the Data Scientist in the search for data.
• Reviews suggested data sources provided by country and data teams
• As needed, use data analysis and visualization skills to communicate ideas via written drawings, quick electronic drawings, etc.
• Collaborates with the Program Manager, Data Scientist, and QA Engineer to support data use and impact surveys for ongoing project evaluation.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred; Bachelor’s required. Candidates from academic majors, including agriculture, development aid, and data for international development, are encouraged to apply;
• 6+ years experience in project implementation, technology development, or data for international development. Experience working with governments and NGOs preferred;
• Experience working in agriculture, fertilizer, or agronomy; evidence of solid networks preferred
• Fluency in English;
• Proven track record of managing client relations in a global environment;
• Data analysis experience.

Nice to Have Qualifications:

• You have effective project implementation and presentation skills. You enjoy getting things done while keeping your clients happy and building relationships.
• You have strong problem-solving skills and are known for your commitment to continuous product and process improvement.
• You have excellent written and verbal communication and customer interaction skills.
• You have a solid ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, creative environment. Entrepreneurial attitude and skills are essential.
• You want to work for a non-profit organization synthesizing policy, data, and technology.
• You’re comfortable working with data using spreadsheets, simple databases, and data analysis.
• You can communicate easily with technical and non-technical staff and communicate well with our geographically dispersed team.
• You use strong organizational skills to handle a broad and unpredictable workload, meet deadlines, and work under your initiative.
• You can work effectively both autonomously and as a great teammate by leading through example.
• You are willing to learn and use novel technology.

The initial term of this consultancy will be 6 months, and it is a full-time consultancy position. An option to extend for one to two years is expected.

To apply, visit developmentgateway.org/careers/. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Competitive hourly consulting rate of $30–$35, based on location and experience.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.