Field Officer- West Pokot

Job Purpose: 

We are seeking a Field Officer based in West Pokot to assist our client’s Agriculture Development Manager with the management of green initiatives for our client in the “Agri-Hub Project.” This role involves working directly with farmers on a day-to-day basis to ensure compliance and coordination of bio-fuel agriculture development activities within the county. The ideal candidates Must have a strong agricultural technical background, field training experience, and the ability to interact effectively with government officials, private sector stakeholders, and other NGO partners. This position also demands direct experience with the bio-feedstock value chain.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• In close working relationship with the agricultural team members, support the agricultural development manager in defining the environmental and geo-pedological characteristics for the development of vegetable oil production initiatives (bio feedstock).
• Support the analysis of local agricultural contexts in West Pokot county and agricultural production systems in rural areas of the county.
• Build the capacity of the local communities to boost and manage their bio feedstock agricultural resources sustainably.
• Identify, profile and support farmer cooperatives, farmer field schools and farmer groups in the county.
• Provide information for the client’s monthly and quarterly reports in the agreed format and according to organizational deadlines.
• Participate actively in weekly, monthly and quarterly staff meetings.
• Participate in routine and annual stakeholder consultations and workshops in furtherance of the client’s work.
• Develop mutually beneficial partnerships, teamwork and synergy with relevant government departments, NGOs and other institutions involved in agricultural development work in the project area.
• Stakeholder relations skills, with particular reference to local communities.
• Support other company initiatives (environmental awareness, communications campaigns, local content, etc.) which contribute to agriculture development as requested.
• Administer/maintain assigned motorcycle, computer and any other organization properties assigned to you.
• Share and present the organizations Grievance Mechanism process in stakeholder, farmers and community meetings.
• Receive, investigate, forward to vendors and ensure vendors close out all vendor related grievances, raised by affected communities, in a timely, fair and consistent manner.
• Responsible for receiving and documenting all grievances at the field level and forwarding them to the organizations’ agriculture development manager.
• Any other duties as directed by the line manager.

Education & Qualifications.

• Minimum experience of 3 years in a similar role or field.
• Relevant Bachelors of diploma level qualification in Agricultural Sciences, Agriculture and Agribusiness value chains, Natural Resources, Sciences or the relevant qualifications or any other relevant field.
• Experience in agricultural and agro-forestry development projects, analysis of existing supply chains and production potential of agricultural biomass also for industrial use.
• Ability to design and manage large-scale agricultural and agroforestry interventions.
• Knowledge of agricultural and agro-forestry production systems, with particular reference to contract farming mechanisms and/or agro-industrial initiatives
• Interpersonal skills, teamwork and management coordination.
• Candidate needs to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Must have a Valid motorcycle license & off-road motorcycle driving experience not less than 3 years.
• Must be proficient in Ms Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Understanding of farmer group dynamics, aggregation and marketing strategies
• Knowledge of agriculture certification systems.
• Knowledge of farm mapping activities especially with Agronica farm mapping & traceability will be an added advantage
• Prior experience in Bio feed stock will be an added advantage
• Previous NGO or private sector work experience in rural development

Job Skills and Knowledge:

• Farmer participatory approaches
• Project planning & implementation
• Data collection, entry & analysis
• Field level training
• Communication (both verbal & written)
• Knowledge & practical experience of the farmer field school approach
• Managing partner relationships
• Capacity building farmers for sustainable agri-livelihoods.
• Must be a native of the county applying for with fluency in local dialect spoken in the county . 
• Previous experience working in the arid and semi-arid counties. 

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• This position will be based in West Pokot county of operation with field travel to the project sites within the county.
• Contacts/Key Relationships (Internal/External)
• Develop cordial contact and relationship with all the organizations staff in the region and elsewhere and County Government, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries and other private sector development partners.