Reporting to: The BOMA Project Executive Director
Location and Timing: Start May 2013 or as soon as possible; Nanyuki, Kenya and in the field in Marsabit/northern Kenya; twelve month minimum commitment with possibility of extension up to an additional two years.
Compensation: Salary plus housing in BOMA Project shared housing with international health coverage; expense stipends for visas, internet and phone.
About The BOMA Project: a fast-growing, early-stage organization (non-profit in US; Kenyan NGO) that seeks to solve one of Africa’s toughest problems: how to build incomes for ultra-poor women in the arid lands of Africa (40% of the continent). We do this through the Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP), an innovative two-year poverty graduation program for women living in extreme poverty in northern Kenya. BOMA helps pastoral women to start small businesses in their communities so they can earn a sustainable income, pay for food and medical care, send their children to school, survive drought and accumulate savings for long-term family stability.
REAP helps women to build a pathway out of extreme poverty by addressing three elements that contribute to the cycle of aid dependency in the arid lands of Africa: low incomes, inconsistent cash flows and inadequate financial services for the rural poor. Profits from each REAP business provide a diversified income, while BOMA savings associations help women to manage cash flow (for daily needs), plan for future expenses (such as school fees and medical care), and respond to shocks (such as drought or family emergencies). Meanwhile, BOMA businesses and savings associations are often the first—and only—source of affordable goods, cash and credit in the community.
REAP was launched in the fall of 2008. Since that time, BOMA has launched 1145 businesses, helping 3963 women earn an income so that they can support over 19,000 dependent children in the Samburu and Marsabit Districts of northern Kenya.
BOMA’s Agents of Change program provides leadership development training through the provision of scholarships for students from Northern Kenya to attend vocational and secondary school in the country and scholarships to EARTH University in Costa Rica, a four-year undergraduate program that focuses on sustainable resource development.
The BOMA Project is uniquely positioned to advance the goals of building climate resilience, reducing vulnerability, increasing income and assets, providing a diversified livelihood, and helping families cope with shock. Project Summary:
The BOMA Project is anticipating a grant from the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) under the Arid Land Support Programme (ASP) that will support the building of more resilient livelihoods for some of the poorest people of Northern Kenya. The programme will complement the DFID supported Hunger Safety Net Programme and, where appropriate, use common payment mechanisms and integrated monitoring and evaluation systems.
The three-year grant from DFID will fund the development and implementation of community-level development programmes to reduce vulnerability to shocks and stresses in Marsabit County. BOMA’s program under ASP will focus on: • Diversifying livelihoods for pastoral women and their families through BOMA’s Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP) • Strengthening governance structures that support resilience through a multi-pronged approach that capitalizes on—and expands—the BOMA and REAP networks across the district. The goal of the governance component is to support the National Drought Management Authority’s (NDMA) work in the areas of risk reduction, rapid reaction, coordination, information and knowledge management. BOMA will help to shape and advance a disaster preparedness system that capitalizes on local information, regular reporting and coordination with increasingly higher levels of authority.
Through a variety of interventions at the REAP business level, community level, sub-county level and county/national level, BOMA will help to ensure that resilience information collected at the village level informs the centrally-based community information collection and analysis systems. Position Summary: 1. Oversee the implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of BOMA’s DFID-funded Arid Land Support Program work. 2. In coordination with the REAP Program Director, facilitate productive activities, defined work plans and project objectives on a quarterly basis for the livelihoods (REAP) and governance teams.
3. Establish financial measures for efficiency and economy in order to achieve exceptional value for money objectives.
4. Establish quality control measures for all aspects of the project through completion. 5. Maintain a clear schedule of activities including project implementation and reporting deadlines. 6. Work closely with the Monitoring & Evaluation team and establish quality control measures and deadlines for activities in the collection, input and evaluation of all data of program participants.
7. In coordination with the REAP Program Director and other staff, establish and maintain productive communications between community leaders, local and county authorities and national agencies to ensure coordination and effective implementation of project activities. 8. Oversee all technical, financial and administrative staff working on the project. 9. Serve as the principal link between DFID and The BOMA Project. 10. Communicate regularly with BOMA’s Executive Director on project activities. 11. Participate in meetings relevant to the DFID project. 12. Other duties as may be required.
3. Establish financial measures for efficiency and economy in order to achieve exceptional value for money objectives.
4. Establish quality control measures for all aspects of the project through completion. 5. Maintain a clear schedule of activities including project implementation and reporting deadlines. 6. Work closely with the Monitoring & Evaluation team and establish quality control measures and deadlines for activities in the collection, input and evaluation of all data of program participants.
7. In coordination with the REAP Program Director and other staff, establish and maintain productive communications between community leaders, local and county authorities and national agencies to ensure coordination and effective implementation of project activities. 8. Oversee all technical, financial and administrative staff working on the project. 9. Serve as the principal link between DFID and The BOMA Project. 10. Communicate regularly with BOMA’s Executive Director on project activities. 11. Participate in meetings relevant to the DFID project. 12. Other duties as may be required.
Desired Qualifications: • University degree/Bachelors required; Masters desired in a relevant field • Minimum of 10 years work experience in international development • Minimum of two years of experience overseeing a donor-funded program from a government or multi-lateral agency • Strong organizational and analytical skills • Strong financial management and administration skills • Working knowledge of the microfinance field and local governance issues, particularly devolution issues, challenges, and developments in Kenya • Ability to establish strong relationships with a range of organizations, beneficiaries and related parties including national and sub-national government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector • Prior experience in East Africa desired • Must be motivated, have the ability to multi-task and be self-directed with a flexible outlook • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively to establish effective working relations with a team. • Proficiency in computer applications such as Word, Excel and Power Point. Knowledge of STATA or a similar statistical analysis program and experience with customized Salesforce applications a plus.
How to apply:
If interested, please send your resume and a cover letter to Meg Harris, Executive Director, at The BOMA Project at meg@bomaproject.org
Applicants will be required to submit a minimum of three references after the initial CV review. Meg Harris, Executive Director The BOMA Project PO Box 1865 Manchester, VT 05251 USA Telephone: 802 231 2542 Website: www.bomaproject.org
The Boma Project Project Director
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