Field Officer – Practical Action 1330 views

Field Officer – Practical Action

JOB FUNCTIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Implementation of activities of the Smallholder Women Farmers Achieving Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security through Agroecology, Solar Gardens and Natural Resource Management in accordance with the project documents.

Delivering Performance as One Practical Action (70%)
• Coordinate and monitor project activities, working particularly with the local leadership, women, youth and other disadvantaged groups in order to effectively mobilise community members for the various project activities;
• Contribute to identification, analysis and mitigation of project risks in their operating areas;
• Develop and implement action plans in line with the main implementation plan as outlined in the full project proposal and UKAID Match Grant Management Agreement;
• Together with the M&E officer, facilitate beneficiary targeting, mobilisation, registration and verification;
• Support the M&E officer generate accurate project updates and reports for sharing with stakeholders and funding partners;
• Facilitate the development of community resource management plans and undertake needs assessments and capacity building of local community groups and leadership;
• Apply Livelihoods Centred Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction approach including Vulnerability Capacity Assessments and Disaster Preparedness, Response and Capacity Building;
• Build and foster alliances and networks in the area of operation which enhance sharing, learning and collaboration among stakeholders;
• Facilitate training of targeted farmers, extension officers, communities in Agroecology, Training for Transformation (TfT), Post-Harvest Management, Land Management Practices, Catchment Area Management Practices, Natural Resources Management, Water Harvesting Technologies, Farming as a Business, Farmer Group Operations and Dynamics, Participatory Market Systems Development (PMSD), as well as Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs);
• Support target project farmers to embed sustainability in all aspects of the project;
• Document, package and disseminate case studies, best practices, project results, impacts, lessons and most significant change stories;
• Implement Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) with farmer groups at solar gardens and dryland fields particularly for production, water and energy management.
• Support Solar Technician, monitor installations and maintenance of solar-powered Garden equipment
• Give regular project progress update reports to the Project manager
Achieving Change Ambitions and Strengthening Organizational Profile (20%)
• Contribute to change ambitions and strengthening of organizational profile by participating in district activities, for example agriculture shows.
Generating Funding and Managing Relationships (10%)
• Contribute towards funding proposals.
PERSON PROFILE
Qualifications and Experience:
 First degree in Agriculture, specialising in horticulture, agronomy or agribusiness;
 A qualification in social science/development studies is an added advantage;
 At least three years practical experience in agroecological farming, irrigated agriculture, natural resources management and climate change adaptation strategies/ technologies;
 Sound knowledge of market linkage approaches;
 Practical experience in grassroots participatory processes (CBAs, PMSD, project development, community land use planning) and gender sensitive approaches and methodologies for programme identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
 Proven project coordination and facilitation experience with evidence of effective decision making and a critical focus on the delivery of agreed results within time and budget constraints and to expected standards;
 Good working knowledge with MS word, SPSS, Excel and PowerPoint.

Other Required Skills and Knowledge
• Fluency in spoken and written local languages in Bulilima district especially Ndebele & Kalanga;
• Ability and willingness to locate and operate (100%) in the selected wards of Bulilima district;
• A clean class 3 driver’s license with at least 2 years riding experience is a must, a clean class 4 drivers’ license is an added advantage;
• Good organisational and personal management skills, with ability to prioritise work, respond swiftly and accurately to queries and issues, giving strong attention to detail;
• Commitment to Practical Action’s working culture (inspiring, dynamism, connectedness, learning, creativity, getting the job done);
• Commitment to Practical Action overall aims, policies and experience of promoting gender equity, diversity and the interests of marginalised people in all aspects of Practical Action’s work;
• Willingness and ability to meet deadlines.

Submit a 3 page CV along with names of at least three professional references and a supporting statement of not more than two pages outlining how your qualifications and experience will equip you to succeed in the role of your choice. Applications should reach The Human Resources Leader for Southern Africa at: [email protected] N.B: This is an urgent placement and shortlisting shall be done as applications are received.