Helen Keller International (HKI), an International NGO, has been working in Bangladesh since 1978. HKI implements different projects in partnership with national and international NGOs, development partners, academic and research institutions, and the private sector. HKI takes a gender-sensitive approach to improving nutrition, food security and eye health. Current program areas include Dhaka, , Khulna, Barisal, Sathkhira, Nilphamari, Sylhet, Chittagong, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) awarded HKI a five-year cooperative agreement to lead the Development Food Aid Program, “Sustainable Agriculture and Production Linked to Improved Nutrition Status, Resilience, and Gender Equity” (SAPLING) on September 30, 2015, with the overall goal of improving gender equitable food security, nutrition and resilience of vulnerable people within the Bandarban District of the CHT. To achieve this objective, HKI is working in partnership with CRS, CARITAS Bangladesh, five local implementing partners, individuals, communities, institutions, traditional ethnic leaders and the Government of Bangladesh to affect enduring positive change in its program areas by addressing immediate needs while investing in the future of food security and resilience.

HKI is seeking qualified candidate for the position of Manager - Integrated Enhanced Homestead Food Production (IEHFP) for its SAPLING project. Preference will be given to qualified candidates from Bandarban Hill District and CHT in general.

Title : Manager - Integrated Enhanced Homestead Food Production (IEHFP)
Job Location : Bandarban
Reporting to : The Team Leader - Livelihoods
Duration : The project period is five years until September 2020; however, the initial employment offer will be for one year, with expected start date in April/May 2018.

Scope of Work

The Manager - IEHFP is responsible for overall leadership, guidance, and direction for the successful implementation of SAPLING’s IEHFP intervention being implemented with over 46,000 participants in five upazilas of Bandarban District. The multi-sectoral IEHFP intervention incorporates gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), nutrition, natural resource management (NRM), disaster risk reduction (DRR) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) into its overall design and strategy for achieving food security through diversified, resilient livelihoods.  The Manager – IEHFP oversees and coordinates implementation of the multi-sectoral, “We Can Grow!”, curriculum, ensures community-based Learning Centers (LC) are properly established and promoting innovation and demonstration of new and/or improved technologies, and contributes to the technical integrity of climate smart commercial and other on-farm production in complementary interventions. The Manager - IEHFP is expected to provide strategic and technical direction within his/her domain, develop programmatic and operational plans to carry out IEHFP activities and achieve expected outcomes and targets, and enforce systematic para-level supervision by various team members to ensure quality control. The Manager - IEHFP will also develop and manage activity budgets, ensure compliance with USAID environmental and other regulations related to IEHFP (e.g., agriculture), assist in recruitment of technical staff, and solicit and provide advice on activity-related procurements. The Manager- IEHFP will provide technical and administrative support to 10 upazila-based technical officers (TO), including review of their monthly plans and reports, and contributing to their on-going capacity building.  The Manager-IEHFP is expected to coordinate with all other managers/team leads.

Job Responsibilities

Planning and Capacity Building:

  • Lead goal setting, implementation planning and monitoring, quality control, and budgeting for the multi-sectoral IEHFP intervention.
  • Assist TOs in development of monthly, quarterly and annual work planning, tracking against their progress, reviewing their monthly reports and guiding discussions on application of and follow-up on findings.
  • Provide on-the-job and formal training, coaching and mentoring for TOs to plan, carry out, and monitor activities for IEHFP, on-farm IGAs and NRM interventions, as required.
  • Develop annual detailed implementation plans (DIPs) for submission to donor and detailed action plans (DAPs) for internal use, with relevant Program Managers and upazila teams.
  • As appropriate, update/develop guidelines for implementation of food production activities, asset transfer, para-level supervision, improved horticulture production, improved poultry rearing practices, etc.
  • Develop an exit strategy and sustainability plan for IEHFP (We Can Grow curriculum, LCs, HH visits).
  • Continually review training manuals, TOTs, guidelines, forms, standard operating procedures, etc., in coordination with others, to incorporate learnings and strengthen program quality.

Monitoring and technical oversight:

  • At least 50% of time should be spent conducting monitoring visits of para-level activities and supporting FFs and USs to implement IEHFP correctly and within the timeline.
  • Gather information from various sources, including established M&E systems and monitoring visits, and collaborate with M&E team regularly for analysis of data to understand outcomes and achievements.
  • Track progress against the DIPs and DAPs and update as needed, coordinating with team leads, program managers, upazila coordinators, TOs, etc. to trouble shoot, make recommendations and provide proactive support to the program implementation team.
  • Coordinate with M&E team to extract key findings on IEHFP and work with TOs and others to adjust or modify activities where needed.
  • Provide written monthly and quarterly reports on programmatic achievements and lessons learned to Team Leader - Livelihoods.

Coordination and Networking:

  • Conduct monthly meetings with TOs to discuss progress and findings.
  • Participate in monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings with other team members to identify key technical concerns, share technical information, coordinate activities at all levels and contribute to the overall improvement of the program.
  • Establish linkages between sub-district agriculture officers and Upazila Agriculture Officers to further improve the smooth and efficient implementation of related activities. Expected results of coordination efforts are reduction of duplication, building on gains of other initiatives/leveraging resources, and introduction of appropriate pro-poor and climate friendly technologies.
  • Facilitate effective coordination among consortium partners to ensure understanding of IEHFP activities, expectations, compliance with activity plans.
  • Lead IEHFP inter-disciplinary coordination meetings involving key team members and management to share challenges and work to resolve the issues raised.

Required Qualifications

Education and Aptitude

  • A Master’s degree in agriculture or related field with a minimum of seven years of program management experience

Job related experience and knowledge

Required:

  • Minimum of 7 years of relevant program management experience in food-production related development activities funded by USAID or other donor projects.
  • Experience developing and managing work plans and related budgets.
  • Experience with robust M&E systems, including collection and use of monitoring data to improve program implementation.
  • Demonstrated problem solving skills and ability to effectively adjust program strategy and activities for improved implementation.
  • Demonstrated commitment to management practices that promote gender and social inclusion.
  • Willingness to travel an average of fifty percent of time to project sites within upazilas, unions and villages (paras) in Bandarban District to provide direct oversight, coordination and support to interventions and related staff.
  • Excellent communication skills in both English and Bangla.

Preferred:

  • Experience working within consortium projects.
  • Experience working in a multi-sectoral development program.
  • Experience working with community and/or household-level interventions in which participatory systems to achieve accountability were employed.
  • Experience working in the CHT areas and/or knowledge of the CHT region.
  • Fluency in one or more ethnic language spoken in Bandarban

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Interested persons are requested to apply with a complete résumé (not more than 4 pages), cover letter stating your suitability for the position, contact telephone number and a copy of a recent passport size photograph. Applications should be sent to: The HR Manager at E-mail: Bangladesh-Recruitment@hki.org by March 17, 2017. Note: Please mention the position title in the subject line. Only short-listed candidates will be called for interview.

“Helen Keller International is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified women and minorities candidates. The organization has a smoke free working environment.”

Founded in 1915 by Helen Keller and George Kessler, the mission of Helen Keller International (HKI) is to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. HKI combats the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition. Headquartered in New York City, HKI’s programs prevent blindness and reduce malnutrition in 21 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States.”

www.hki.org