Job Opportunity: Food systems advisor in Mbeya and project coordinator on water for resilient farming communities
Job purpose
The Mbeya project coordinator is responsible for the coordination of program components in Mbeya and Songwe region under the 3 year-project Water for resilient communities and food systems in Northern and Southern Highlands Tanzania, and for synchronization with operations of the Arusha team and the Landscape Management Platform in Rungwe DC. They are also responsible for alignment of the program components with Rikolto’s ongoing horticulture program in Southern Highlands and within the larger framework of the Good Food 4 Cities programs in East Africa (in the cities of Arusha, Mbeya, Kampala, Mbale, Bukavu, Goma and Rubavu).
Water for resilient communities and food systems in Northern and Southern Highlands Tanzania employs a systemic approach to mitigate negative impact of climate change on water availability for farming communities in Northern and Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Training sessions, demonstration of solar-powered irrigation technologies and low-tech methods for water saving and retention are combined to promote sustainable water management in an accessible way for smallholder farmers. The project will be piloted in Meru district in Arusha region and Rungwe district in Mbeya region before being rolled out in the larger area of Northern and Southern Highlands.
Reports to: Good Food for Cities (GF4Cs) Program director
Position in the organization: Member of Good Food 4 Cities in East Africa team
Key external relationships:With project partner Simusolar, LGAs in Rungwe DC & Mbeya region and with TCCIA
Location: Mbeya (Rikolto office)
Job size: 100%
Travels: Within Mbeya region, occasional travel to Arusha and Songwe region
Roles
Daily program management: planning and budgeting of activities; track program progress by strategic assessment of results against milestones and logical framework; steer timely and high-quality implementation, monitoring, and reporting by clear prioritization and task management, flagging of issues and facilitating collective decision making on and execution of corrective actions;
Partner, consultant and stakeholder management: foster positive collaboration with project partner Simusolar through clear communication and mutual understanding on responsibilities; identify, select and supervise consultants as required for the program, ensuring timely achievement of deliverables, management of consultant contracts including reporting; engagement of relevant government agencies;
Business case development: responsible for building a convincing case of the demonstrated solution; identify and engage stakeholders to stimulate adoption, register information needs, collect relevant data, illustrate impact of solution and develop strategies to enable upscaling;
Engagement and knowledge sharing with system actors to draw from and further build local capacity to increase project success, including co-facilitation of the Landscape Management multi-stakeholder platform in Rungwe DC
Reporting, communication and knowledge management: coordinate and compile efforts of partners, consultants and technical staff (M&E, communication,… ) to consolidate high-quality external communication, reporting to donor and knowledge documents;
Capitalize on learning network of Rikolto through regular engagement with Global Support Team and other Rikolto offices with similar project experiences;
Take up one of the ‘champion’ roles as part of the overarching regional operation of the GF4C East Africa team
Support fundraising efforts to further develop GF4C programs in Tanzania
Qualifications and technical knowledge
Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field such as food systems, environmental studies, water systems, agriculture, agribusiness, agri-economics or another relevant field
Expert Project Manager with relevant certification and expertise managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, including implementation and budget management responsibility.
Proficient in Microsoft Office
Tech-savvy (hosting online meetings, curating shared online workspace,)
Language
- High level of fluency in speaking and writing English and Swahili
Experience
Minimum five years of project management experience, including project design & implementation, donor compliance, and budget management.
Minimum five years of experience in working with international donors.
Experience in working with private sector led business models.
Experience in strategies for monitoring & evaluation and communication to build convincing evidence for scaling up innovative models.
Experience working in multi-regional projects.
Experience working in an international team across multiple cultural contexts.
Skills
Excellent communication, networking, and planning skills
Organizational talent and complex problem-solving skills
Ability to structure own work independently and coordinate peers’ work.
Multi-stakeholder facilitation skills
Driver’s license for manual car is an asset
Attitude
Strong affinity with Rikolto’s mission and uncompromisingly adheres to Rikolto's ethical values
Acts with integrity and respect towards others
Reliable to deliver commitments.
Able to work independently with minimal supervision while being a strong team player
Creates strong morale and spirit in their team, fosters open dialogue and shares successes.
Eager to learn and share lessons learned
Trustworthy
Is accurate and has attention to detail.
Inspires people to act (in accordance with Rikolto’s vision and values)
Interested candidates can submit their CV and application letter to eastafrica.recruitment [at] rikolto.org by 21st March 2023, 23:59pm indicating “Food systems advisor in Mbeya and project coordinator on water for resilient farming communities" in the subject line.