Childfund Work Location Nairobi, Kenya
Childfund Division Global Impact
ChildFund Department Country Management
Job Details
Position title: Manager Sr., Livelihood
Location: Nairobi
ChildFund office: Kenya
Manager/Supervisor title: Program and Sponsorship Director
Position type: Full-time fixed term
Work environment: On-site
About ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 25 countries to connect children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are.
ChildFund’s Values
ChildFund values a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment where everyone is welcomed and celebrated equally. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.
ChildFund’s Commitment
ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.
About This Role
The Livelihoods Manager position will lead and manage the design, implementation, and monitoring of livelihoods programs, ensuring alignment with ChildFund’s global and country strategic priorities. The role will focus on enhancing household, youth and community economic resilience through sustainable livelihoods, food security, and climate adaptation initiatives.
The position will be responsible for overseeing the systematic translating of all livelihoods related strategic priorities in the Country Strategic Plan into implementable actions and interventions. The holder of the position will lead the designing and development of new business opportunities including proposal development and grant management of livelihood sector projects and programs. S/He will ensure that livelihood interventions implemented either directly or through local partners are of the highest technical quality through provision of regular technical oversight, capacity building, program monitoring and reporting. S/He will also be responsible for the designing of programs relating to youth in the livelihood sector
Primary Responsibilities
Program Strategy, Design & Implementation
- Lead the development of the ChildFund Country livelihoods strategy aligned with ChildFund’s global and country strategic plan priorities and other relevant Country’s’, regional, and global strategies and agenda.
- Contribute and participate in the development and review of the country strategic plan and related country-level strategies, policies, and frameworks.
- Design and oversee implementation of integrated livelihoods programs that promote climate-smart agriculture, food security, youth employability, and enterprise development.
- Promote integration of livelihood programs with other sectors’ priorities through creation of linkages and joint participatory planning processes.
- Ensure youth agency, gender equity, and inclusion are embedded across all interventions.
- Provide technical leadership in the development of tools, guidelines, and training materials for livelihoods programming.
Technical Support & Oversight of Local Partners
- Provide ongoing technical assistance and capacity strengthening of Local implementing partners, and other technical partners at the county and national level.
- Support partners in program planning, budgeting, implementation, and reporting to ensure quality and compliance.
- Conduct regular field visits and technical reviews to monitor progress, identify challenges, and recommend corrective actions.
- Facilitate peer learning and knowledge exchange among partners to promote innovation and best practices.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL)
- Collaborate with the MEAL team to develop and apply robust frameworks for tracking program outputs, outcomes, and impact.
- Support partners in data collection, analysis, and reporting, ensuring alignment with donor and organizational standards.
- Lead documentation of success stories, lessons learned, and evidence-based practices for internal and external dissemination.
Business Development & Grant Management
- Identify new funding opportunities, participate in donor prepositioning efforts and proposal development for livelihoods and youth empowerment initiatives.
- Build and maintain relationships with donors, foundations, and development partners.
- Oversee grant implementation, ensuring timely delivery of results, financial accountability, and donor compliance.
- Support budget development, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting in collaboration with finance teams.
Representation & Advocacy
- Represent ChildFund Kenya in national and regional technical working groups, CSO coalitions, and policy forums related to livelihoods, youth development, and climate resilience.
- Advocate for inclusive and sustainable livelihoods policies and practices at the county and national levels.
- Identify and pursue new collaboration and partnership opportunities.
- Actively participate and represent ChildFund in relevant technical working groups, networks, seminars, and conferences
- Build strategic partnerships with government agencies, private sector actors, and civil society organizations to enhance program reach and sustainability.
Team Leadership & Capacity Building
- Supervise and mentor program staff, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation.
- Organize and facilitate training workshops for staff and partners on livelihoods-related topics.
- Promote cross-functional collaboration within ChildFund Kenya to integrate livelihoods into broader child protection and development programming.
Safeguarding.
- Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks; acquire relevant knowledge and skills to enable understanding and application of the safeguarding policy and procedures;
- Promote strong safeguarding practices and perform his/her duty and responsibility to safeguard,
- Report violations, and promote appropriate behavior; and
- conduct oneself in a manner consistent with the organization’s policies and values.
Required Experience and Education
- Master’s degree in Agriculture, Economics, Development Studies, or related field.
- 8 – 10 years of experience in livelihoods programming, including food security, family and youth economic empowerment and environmental care and adaptability.
Required Competencies
ChildFund’s Core Competencies
- Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
- Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
- Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
- Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
- Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
- Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.
Other Required Competencies
- Language requirement: The ability to read, speak, and write fluently in English. Proficiency in Swahili will be an added advantage.
- In-depth and hands-on experience in livelihoods programming: Experience in managing and implementing livelihood sector programs including climate smart and conservation agriculture, circular economy, voluntary/ Village Saving and Loan Schemes (VSLAs) and resolving funds, youth entrepreneurship and skills development, social enterprise investments, policy influencing and advocacy, and related interventions.
- Deep understanding and experience in household and youth livelihoods, agri-food systems, market systems, financial inclusion strategies and sustainable economic trends such as green, blue and circular economy.
- Technical Expertise and Leadership: The ability to provide technical support and leadership for the expansion and diversification of revenue streams
- Grant Proposal Development: Strong skills in technical writing; ability to collaborate with other sector managers, and program technical specialists and the Country Office, Regional and global business development teams to craft well-aligned grant proposals that adhere to ChildFund’s Results Framework, key sectoral and global practices, and evidence of impact.
- Demonstrated success in writing winning proposals for donors such as IDB, World Bank, Global Affairs Canada, EU, and private foundations, among others.
- Donor Relations and Funding Models: Proficiency in identifying global donors, cultivating relationships with key donors, advising on donor trends, knowledge and understanding of existing and emerging funding models.
- Livelihoods Grant Acquisition: Expertise in leading the Livelihoods grant acquisition portfolio, focusing on proposal development.
- Impact Assessment and Collaboration: Competence in guiding ChildFund Livelihoods program evidence and impact assessment needs, priorities, and thought leadership strategy and product development.
- Capacity Building and Training: Demonstrated ability to conduct effective capacity building and training both in face-to-face and virtual settings.
- Work effectively in a matrix environment involves the ability to navigate and collaborate within a matrix organizational structure, where multiple reporting lines and cross-functional teams are common.
- Effective representation and networking: represent the organization effectively in various forums and build strong networks with technical partners, multilateral agencies, foundations, and other stakeholders.
- Strong computer skills, with familiarity in using Microsoft Office suite applications: This competency requires proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.