Program Officer – AIM -Kakamega NGO Job BRAC

Project Management Jobs, BRAC Jobs. Program Officer – AIM drives implementation and monitoring of Action for Impact and Empowerment (AIM) program initiatives, requires a Development Studies/Social Sciences Degree and 3+ years program management experience. Full-time role in Kakamega.

Job Summary

Reporting to the AIM Branch Manager, the Program Officer (PO) will be responsible for the overall implementation of direct field-level programme activities for the three programmatic pillars: Social & Economic Empowerment (Livelihood & Education pathways), Enabling Environment for AGYW. The PA will lead the participant selection process and set-up of the clubs. She will also be in-charge of the day-to-day management and supervision of the clubs and will supervise and follow-up on all mentor activities. The PA will also be responsible for conducting mentor training, asset purchase and distribution, selecting participants to the AIM education pathways, working with schools, and follow-up of school-related activities. She will keep all related programme documents, prepare programmatic data, and other required reports. The role will keep close working relations with regional technical persons, BRAC microfinance counterparts, and key community stakeholders.  

Responsibilities

Technical and Implementation Support:

• Provide supervisory support to all AIM-related program activities at the branch level, ensuring activity planning, roll-out, implementation, and tracking, in accordance with the operations manual; ensure achievement of programmatic targets as per AOP.
• Lead team-set up, staff onboarding, training, and activity planning of AIM-PAs and BAOO.
• Lead community identification, listing, entry, and household (HH) survey-related activities
• Oversee the selection and set-up and decoration of AIM clubs, participant selection by using the BInsight application, and supervise the operation of club activities with direct assistance from PAs
• Lead mentor recruitment, training, YDC formation, training & meeting, VSLA formation, training and operations.
• Ensure all programme data collection, activity implementation information, attendance, and other information is collected using Binsight and any other programmatic approved tool.  
• Provide technical guidance and direction to PAs to match participants to livelihood and Education pathways.
• Ensure the distribution of livelihood and education support to the right participants and the timely collection of the shared cost portion from the eligible participants.
• Ensure timely banking and other finance-related activities with reporting.  
• Lead all market development-related activities, community mobilization & collaborate with the BRAC Microfinance (MF) team in ensuring AIM MF days are effectively conducted.
• Lead and ensure the education-related support to the eligible participants within the Branch.
• Lead the distribution or provision of school-related costs (in-kind or cash) and monitor the use of resources, as well as the school attendance of AIM education participants.
• Ensure 80% of eligible AIM participants in the Branch transition to MF.
• Ensure custody of all digital devices and other accessories with the office furniture
• Ensure the updating of all branch-level files, registers with the display board as per the programme design.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of management information system (MIS), financial, and donor reports
• Ensure gender based violence (GBV) case management and reporting when cases are reported through the PAs
• Finalize branch-wise procurement plans for the necessary asset and input support, including numbers, item specifications, budget, and bidding
• Ensure all branch-level procurement in compliance with policy and budget allocations
• Track and maintain sufficient cash flow for smooth day-to-day project activities

 Supervisory and Coordination Support:

• Lead all branch-level activities and serve as the branch’s main focal point for internal and external stakeholders
• Coordinate closely with AIM Technical Sector officers  (AIM-TSOs) to develop capacity of programme assistants (PAs) in livestock, agriculture, education, market development, and social inclusion
• Facilitate monthly branch coordination meetings to ensure communication, planning, and internal alignment
• Organize and facilitate all branch-level trainings and workshops as per program design

Safeguarding Responsibilities:

• Ensure the safety of team members from any harm, abuse, neglect, harassment and exploitation to achieve the programme’s goals on safeguarding implementation
• Act as a key source of support, guidance and expertise on safeguarding for establishing a safe working environment
• Practice, promote and endorse the issues of safeguarding policy among team members and ensure the implementation of safeguarding standards in every course of action
• Follow the safeguarding reporting procedure in case any reportable incident takes place and encourage others to do the same

Program Implementation Support

Social Empowerment Pillar

• Lead the AIM program community-level inception activities, including community and participant selection, club selection and setup, club launching, participant enrolment activities, mentor selection, training and onboarding, community mobilization, linkage services, and value chain mapping.
• Lead the implementation and supervision of activities in assigned clubs as per program design, activity plan, and budget
• Conduct household (HH) and other surveys, as per programme requirement
• Form and manage AIM safe spaces/clubs as per programme target in selected communities
• Ensure achievement of club-level program targets as per implementation guideline and report any operational/management issues to AIM-BM
• Follow-up closely with participants to minimize attrition and prepare monthly attendance reports and bi-monthly drop-out reports
• Ensure manual and digital attendance collection by the mentors

AIM Livelihoods Pathway

• Conduct participant-wise livelihood option selection, organize livelihood technical training, entrepreneurship training and other need base training/refreshers
• Provide enterprise development support, and coordinate all market development and facilitation activities in the community
• Ensure assets/inputs transfer and other livelihood-related activities
• Conduct participant follow-up through initial/immediate home visits after receiving livelihood assets, home visits, and group visits to ensure the asset safety and growth, increase household income, and confidence building
• Collect the livelihood shared cost portion installments from the livelihood participants and deposit them accordingly to the branch office. 
• Form and follow-up VSLAs to create a savings culture to the participants and to serve few other programme activities by leveraging this platform based on the programme design. 
• Help with conditional cash transfers of assets and cost recovery of such assets
• Ensure a minimum 80% of transition to formal microfinance institutions for AIM livelihood participants 

Education Pathway

• Select participants for AIM – Education, mobilize, and support the set-up of a peer mentor study circle.
• Ensure education-related support to the eligible participants
• Support and follow-up activities of ongoing peer-mentor study circle
• Support with distribution or provision of school-related costs (in-kind or cash) and monitoring use of resources, as well as school attendance of AIM education participants
• Support in creating linkages between enabling environment activities and school management activities  
• Support identifying out of school very young adolescent (VYAs) & adolescent girls (AGs) who are interested in completing their education
• Support in conducting household (HH) and other surveys, as per programme requirement

Enabling Environment Pillar

• Formation of the youth development committee (YDC), training, meetings and other community-level activities/meetings as per programme design.
• Conduct local level service providers mapping and support Branch managers to establish a rapport with relevant service providers mapped.
• Support in GBV and SRH referrals and other relevant referrals of AGYW to relevant service providers.
• Support to ensure gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) related activities. 
• Support in identifying AIM youth and mobilising for AIM community dialogues and action planning.

Procurement, Coordination and Supervisory Support

• Select, train, and supervise AIM club mentors and ensure continued follow-up coaching and mentoring for their capacity improvement
• Help to ensure all branch level procurement and logistics and supply and keep all programme related documents, files, and registers as per design. 
• Support with the school improvement planning and execution, follow-up of teacher development activities, and supervision of school-related activities.
• Manage and strengthen management information system (MIS), program/management data collection, and reporting through manual and digital (BInsight) platforms.
• Ensure internal monitoring within the programme to assess the quality of service delivery, data collection and integrity, and documentation in the clubs.
• Ensure appropriate, timely and accurate data collection against agreed indicators to enable both consolidation of branch internal and external reports.
• Attend monthly coordination meetings organized at the branch level and provide updates on club activities, flagging any issues needing attention from the branch/area manager.
• Ensure cash flow by submitting cash requisition timely for smooth day-to-day project activities
• Prepare and input quality programme data using both relevant manual and the digital programme management information system (BInsight MIS)
• Prepare financial and other reports, as needed, and submit it in time 

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Ensure the safety of team members from harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, and exploitation to achieve the project goals on safeguarding implementation. Act as a key source of support, guidance, and expertise on safeguarding to establish a safe working environment.
• Practice, promote, and endorse the issues of safeguarding policy among team members and ensure the implementation of safeguarding standards in every course of action.
• Follow the safeguarding reporting procedure in case any reportable incident takes place; encourage others to do so.

Experience

• Graduate Degree or Post-secondary Diploma in any relevant discipline
• At least 1 year of experience in the national/international development sector, including experience working with marginalized communities to implement community development programs, including education, microfinance, livelihood, agricultural and food security, and/or girl’s, women’s empowerment programs and other related programmes/projects

Knowledge, Skills & Competencies

• Ability to spend extended periods of time in the field and travel within the country
• Computer literacy and Proficient in using mobile devices, and computers, particularly with Microsoft Office
• Experience in use of digital reporting and/or survey platforms (e.g. KoBo, Google forms, SurveyMonkey, CommCare, SurveyCTO etc) are preferable.
• Strong sense of teamwork and collaboration and demonstrated ability to build relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and dedication to the mission of BRAC
• Strong sense of teamwork and collaboration and demonstrated ability to build relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds
• Community mobilization skills, including good communication and facilitation skills. 

Education

• Graduate or Diploma-Social studies, Community development, Gender and Development, Human Resources, Business Administration, Education and other related subjects

How to Apply

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