Build Africa Vacancy

Job title: Project Development Officer Location: Tunbridge Wells with regular overseas travel Salary: £30,000 to £32,000 (depending on experience) + benefits Contract: Full-time, 18-month fixed term (with possibility of becoming permanent) Responsible to: Director of Programme Quality Liaises with: Project development staff in Kenya and Uganda, the Project Management Officer and Programme Officer Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in the UK, and Fundraising staff. Child protection level: Enhanced

Closing date for applications: 22nd February 2015 Interviews: 2nd March 2015 Anticipated starting date: Tuesday 7th April 2015

Organisation and context Build Africa is an international development charity with offices in the UK and partner organisations in Kenya and Uganda dedicated to finding long term solutions to poverty. For the rural communities we work with, education and livelihoods are key priorities, and we therefore aim to improve the quality of education enjoyed by children and increasing the ability of families to secure a sustainable livelihood.

In 2014, a new organisational strategy was adopted, committing Build Africa to seven key approaches contributing to the education and livelihoods goals. (www.build- africa.org/sites/default/files/BA_Strategy-Outline_2014_0.pdf)

Our strategy also outlines that Build Africa is made up of people who share a set of core values, which shape the way that we work. These are:  Putting the wellbeing of children first, in everything we do  Reflecting, learning and sharing to develop highly effective ways of working  Pushing the boundaries of development  Empowering our people  Inspiring people to work for us

In order to achieve our ambitious new strategy we will expand our work to new geographical locations, including new countries; strengthen our consultations with and accountability to communities; identify and test innovative ways of working to improve our effectiveness; proactively share with others what we have learnt; strengthen our external relationships where appropriate; and place child safeguarding and protection at the centre of our work. The Programmes team in Build Africa UK are now looking for a new Project Development Officer who will be central to Build Africa’s achievement of these goals.

Role context Build Africa has changed considerably over the last few years. The number of donor funded multi-year projects has increased hugely as a result of our strategy and improvements in the quality of concepts and funding applications, resulting in a growing percentage of Build Africa’s overall turnover coming from these projects. To maintain this growth, we have developed this new position to be responsible for the development of project concepts and the detailed design of new projects that can be submitted to a wide range of statutory funders, trusts, foundations and major donors.

Overall purpose The Project Development Officer is responsible for making sure that Build Africa designs high quality projects that include an analysis of community needs and voices, meets good practice and standards in the sector and incorporates external and internal learning within the education and livelihoods strategic areas.

Main duties and responsibilities Lead on Build Africa UK’s project development  Identify and agree priorities for project development;  Develop an annually agreed number of project concepts that can be developed into funding applications;  Lead on the research design of needs analyses and community consultations in support of project development that are of a high quality, are participatory and inclusive of a range of community members;  Analysing data generated by needs analyses and community consultations to develop evidence-based findings and draft reports;  Work collaboratively with the fundraising team in supporting the development of project proposals for funding and provide input in specific funding applications;  Where appropriate, assist in recruiting and supporting consultants providing targeted technical assistance in project development.

Provide support to Build Africa Kenya (BAK) and Build Africa Uganda (BAU) on project development  Provide guidance, training and technical support to staff members in Uganda and Kenya who are involved in needs analyses and community consultations;  Provide guidance and support to BAK and BAU project development staff on all aspects of project development;  Where appropriate, design and delivery capacity-building workshops or sessions on project development for colleagues in BAK and BAUK.

Contribute to Build Africa’s Programme Strategy  Together with the other members of the Programmes team, agree annual priorities for programmes work in support of the strategy, and develop and monitor annual workplans;  Provide support to the expansion of Build Africa’s work to new regions and countries;  Work closely with the Programme Officer Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning to ensure learning from Build Africa’s work is incorporated in project development;  Work closely with the Project Management Officer to ensure smooth transition from project development to implementation and jointly create processes to make this happen;  Contribute to the continuous development and review of BA’s project cycle management guidelines;  Support the establishment of project partnerships in East Africa and the UK;  Engage in relevant external networks for learning and sharing of best practice;  Support the Senior Management Team in evaluating progress made on milestones agreed within our strategy.

Person specification Knowledge and experience  Educated to a relevant degree level or equivalent experience preferably related to project development;  Experience and knowledge of International Development gained through working in a developing country, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa;  Extensive practical experience of developing international development projects, preferably with a focus on Education and/or Livelihoods outcomes;  Experience in providing technical capacity-building support, including facilitating workshop sessions and providing remote support to colleagues in other countries;  Good understanding of how Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning relates to project development;  Good understanding of the importance of child protection and safeguarding in East Africa.

Skills and competencies  Strong skills in all aspects of project cycle management;  Competent in the design and use of participatory data collection methods and tools, especially for community consultations;  Skilled in analysing both quantitative and qualitative data to develop evidence-based findings;  Competent in using the Theory of Change methodology in developing project concepts;  Strong competency in developing logical frameworks;  Extensive skills in developing and reviewing partnerships.

Attitude and approach  Ability to take the initiative, lead and be led by others, and critically challenge a status quo;  Understanding of the cultural sensitivities of working in multiple countries and able to engage and motivate Build Africa and partner staff in the UK and Africa;  Commitment to working with children and community members in a participatory and empowering way;  Strong people skills with the ability to develop good working relationships with a range of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds;  Willingness to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the Programmes team as well as the wider organisation;  Ability to reflect on how to use time most effectively and to manage a complex workload;  Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines;  Keen interest in developing your own skills and knowledge.

Application procedure

To apply, please submit an application letter of no more than 2 pages and a copy of your current CV explaining how you meet the person specification and why you are interested in working for us to [email protected] by Sunday 22nd February 2015. Interviews will take place on Monday 2nd March 2015.

Please note that you must have all the necessary documents in place to prove your eligibility to work in the UK before applying for this role. Under the Asylum & Immigration Act, Build Africa has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to work in the UK. Consequently, before you can commence work you will be expected to provide evidence of your eligibility to work in the UK. This may be your birth certificate, passport, work permit or another document confirming your right to work in the UK. Please note that copies will not be accepted.

Under Build Africa’s Child Protection policies, we will carry out a Disclosure and Barring Service check before confirming any candidate’s appointment.

If you would like an informal conversation about this position in advance of your application, please contact Daan Gerretsen, Director of Programme Quality at Build Africa on 01892 519619 or at [email protected].