Primary responsibilities

• The Kenya Fund Associate will be a key in-country member of the Palladium UK PACT team supporting management of day-to-day activities from project implementation and reporting to stakeholder engagement and context analysis to ensure overall programme success.
• Specifically, the Kenya Fund Associate will:

Stakeholder Relationships:

• Support the UK PACT Kenya Fund Manager in promoting UK PACT funding opportunities to potential implementing partners, project and programme outputs to intended beneficiaries, and broader UK engagement on low-carbon development where relevant;
• Working closely with the UK PACT Kenya Fund Manager, contribute to, and where appropriate lead the management of day-to-day interactions with local stakeholders, specifically supporting the relationships with project applicants and grant recipients/implementing partners; and
• Maintain an excellent working relationship with local FCDO team at Post to collaboratively design and generate buy-in for the programme activities.

Project Management: Identification, Selection and Design of Interventions

• Support the UK PACT Kenya Fund Manager and PMU in coordination of grant funding windows and support market engagement to ensure the right local stakeholders are aware of, and well-placed to apply for, UK PACT funding opportunities;
• Contribute to the project screening and selection process, particularly with regard to assessing deliverability and impact potential on the ground;
• Support the UK PACT Kenya Fund Manager to oversee timely implementation of projects and regularly ensure the feedback of results, impacts and learning through quarterly reports to FCDO covering overall progress, progress against outputs, main activities and outputs for the next period, budget, spend and forecast, and risks;
• Support the UK PACT Kenya Fund Manager and PMU to adhere to any local due diligence required from Implementing Partners and to support initial briefing to potential Implementation Partners;
• Support defence against fraud, corruption and safeguarding risks, conducting spot checks and other processes to ensure FCDO grant funding is spent as intended and that Implementation Partners meet FCDO compliance requirements; and
• Support the UK PACT Kenya Fund Manager in advising on the potential to extend, scale up or replicate successful projects, and work with successful Implementation Partners to do this with FCDO approval.

Programme Reporting and Financial Management 

• Support Implementing Partners on project reporting (technical, financial, results and risk), by reviewing and requesting additional information, where required, to ensure reporting meets FCDO requirements
• Support the oversight of project expenditures, assist with preparing budgets, analytic documents and expenditure forecasts, amendments, assist in the preparation of financial reports, and provide the interface for project internal and external audits;
• Support with supplier cost forecast and invoicing processes;
• Support identification of country and project-specific risk management, working with FCDO in post and in the UK, the Team Leader and PMU

Key Competencies and Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:  

• Programme and grant management skills, with experience supporting the deliver and management of projects, grantees or subcontracts
• Strong reporting skills with proven ability to contribute to client formal reporting and ad-hoc requests
• Good knowledge and/or willingness to learn more about the environmental / low carbon sector in terms of policy landscape, relevant state and non-state actors in relation to climate change, and low-carbon economic development
• Some knowledge and understanding of the local political economy and business operating context in Kenya, including socio-economic context and development challenges and priorities
• Strong organisational, inter-personal administration and communication skills
• Strong financial management and administration skills, with the ability to review and quality assure the financial reports of projects
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English
• Shows flexibility and ability to adapt to changing circumstances
• Highly collaborative and committed to close working and open communication with colleagues in post and in the UK, and other UK PACT partners
• Commitment to neutrality in all dealings with stakeholders, including political stakeholders, to build trusted relationships and ensure maximum effectiveness of the programme

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion 

• Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.