Agroforestry and Landscape Restoration Specialist – Kenya

Please note: To apply for this role, you must be willing to work in Kenya, with some travel likely across the East and Southern Africa region.

THE ORGANISATION

The Global EverGreening Alliance (The Alliance/GEA) is an international NGO which coordinates the development and implementation of large-scale land restoration programs.

Its members include World Vision, CARE International, Oxfam, Catholic Relief Services, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, the World Resources Institute and World Agroforestry.

The Alliance was established to create and apply long-term solutions to the global problems of land degradation and climate change. This is done through a collaborative approach with an emphasis on evergreening practices: regenerative farming that integrates trees into crop and livestock production systems of smallholder farms. In May 2022, the Alliance launched Restore Africa, the largest community-based land restoration program in Africa. More than 1.8 million hectares of degraded land will be restored through sustainable land management practices in six countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, improving the livelihoods of more than 1.5 million households and sequestering 80M tons of CO2 in the process. The Restore Africa Program will be implemented by consortia of member organisations across the African region and will be coordinated by the Alliance’s Program Coordination Unit located in Nairobi, Kenya.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Alliance is seeking a passionate, motivated and experienced Agroforestry and Landscape Restoration Specialist to support its Restore Africa Program. As part of the Alliance’s Regional Program Coordination Unit (PCU) team, the role will be responsible for technical guidance and advice to in-country consortia on the selection of tree species of high environmental and carbon sequestration potential and management protocols for carbon removal; identification and consensus building on landscape restoration practices in all program countries; the development of guidelines on the sourcing and supply of quality planting materials for all countries in a timely manner; capacity development of consortium members on agroforestry and landscape restoration approaches and scaling up.

Furthermore, the role will oversee the development and population of related databases on tree seed suppliers, nursery operators and other relevant data for program scaling.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Identifying and leading consensus on contextually appropriate land restoration practices for all projects and with implementing partners in all program countries, building on current best practices of the implementing partners.
• Developing frameworks and guidelines to support implementing partners in selecting and implementing agroforestry and restoration approaches suitable to the context and conducting requisite capacity development of implementing partners.
• Preparing agroforestry-based value creation protocols for relevant value chains in liaison with value chain development officers of implementing partners.
• Offering technical guidance on tree species selection and management protocols for high carbon removal.
• Developing protocols for propagation and management (including approaches such as Assisted Natural Regeneration, Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration) for all tree species in collaboration with technical partner organisations, the internal and external carbon experts.
• Supporting the development of biomass measurement protocols for all program sites and species to feed into selected carbon assessment methodologies.
• Supporting integration of carbon measurement protocols in the field data collection tools in liaison with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) and the carbon experts.
• Developing guidelines on sourcing and supplying tree planting materials for implementing partners, including tree germplasm needs assessments.
• Developing a tree nursery capacity development plan and supporting the implementation of the same for implementing partners.
• Preparing a database of suppliers of tree seeds in liaison with technical partner organisations and other relevant Alliance partners.
• Supporting implementation partners in the development and implementation of scaling strategies for agroforestry and landscape restoration in liaison with the Restore Africa Technical Advisory Group.
• Leading and contributing to cross-project, cross-country learning events to promote the exchange of knowledge, experience and best practices on regreening practices

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (agroforestry, environmental science, agriculture, natural resource management)
• At least ten years’ experience in implementing diverse natural resource management approaches.
• Awareness of landscape restoration best practices, current trends, research and policies in climate action especially relating to agriculture, forestry, and land uses.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning, stakeholder analysis & engagement, and organising & facilitating meetings and workshops
• Experience in data collection and management, including analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining replicable frameworks and databases.
• Demonstrated experience in working with smallholder communities in different agroecological contexts
• Knowledge of soil and biomass carbon pool management, crediting, and securitisation experience is an added advantage.
• Strong independent thinking skills with the ability to work with minimum supervision.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to work on several projects simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation and networking skills.
• Ability to build relationships within and external to the organisation.

CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT

The Global EverGreening Alliance has zero tolerance for child abuse, discrimination, harassment and workplace bullying. All staff are required to sign an acknowledgement and adhere strictly to the organisation’s child protection, safeguarding and other policies. In addition, the successful applicant will need to provide a recent Police Record Check and either provide or successfully apply for a Working with Children Check card where relevant to the context.

To apply for this role, you must have the willingness to work in Kenya, with some travel across the Eastern and Southern Africa region.

How to Apply

Please provide both your CV and a Cover Letter (in one file) clearly addressing the Selection Criteria. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Applications will be reviewed as they come in, so please submit your application as soon as possible.