Practical Action is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that uses technology to challenge poverty in developing countries. We find out what people are doing and help them to do it better. Through technology we enable poor communities to build on their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions – transforming their lives forever and protecting the world around them.

ABOUT THE ROLE

• Practical Action is implementing a 2-year project globally and in Kenya to Create the Enabling Conditions for Eliminating Open Burning of Waste, through regional roadmaps and city pilots. This is a consortium project, where Practical Action Kenya is leading on the delivery of a city-level action plan to eliminate open burning of waste, implementation of selected actions, delivery of a citywide behaviour change campaign and feeding into the regional Africa roadmap. We will be involved in national and regional engagement to encourage commitments to adopt and implement the roadmap and action plans. Core to our role in the consortium is our ability to support informal waste collectors and recyclers, engage with city-level planning, and ensure that the roadmaps and their implementation are focused on benefiting low-income communities and informal service providers.
• The Project Officer will have the primary responsibility of working with informal waste collectors and recyclers to improve rates of waste collection and recycling; supporting community actions to reduce waste dumping and burning; and planning and delivering a behaviour change campaign to reduce open burning of waste.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Leadership and Strategic Alignment

• Play a role in contributing to Practical Action’s change ambitions and the Strategic Business Plans.
• Bring experience from community engagement to inform the theory of change systems map, analyzing the nature, causes and scale of waste management and open burning problems.

Strengthening Profile, Generating Funding and Managing Relationships

• Represent Practical Action in the Project area to local government, local communities, NGOs and other actors when requested to do so.
• Participate in local coordination / networking meetings as required.
• Support effective lesson learning, information management and lesson sharing within Practical Action and externally through different medium.
• Develop and maintain professional links with development agencies, government bodies, county governments, technical and economic specialists, universities and other professional institutions as required by the project.
• Develop informal networks to assist in the planning and review of work as appropriate
• Support Fund raising initiatives for Practical Action in waste management

Delivering Quality

• Directly implement the project interventions and ensure the active and meaningful participation of informal waste workers and community groups.
• Ensure the timely, quality delivery of activities designed and delivered.
• Support the implementation of behaviour change campaigns involving all relevant local stakeholders and informed by local understanding of the drivers for open burning of waste and poor waste management practices in general. Support the production of clear and quality reports that demonstrate good accountability.
• Work effectively with the Project Manager and other teams to ensure that the project is implemented according to contract (in terms of budget, activities, and time frame) and that any amendments are cleared in a timely manner.
• Support the project’s effective and systematic monitoring and evaluation and ensure findings are recorded and escalated to guide the continued successful implementation of other projects and inform the development of other new initiatives.
• Ensure sharing between team members, colleagues, and peers – both internally and externally – thus ensuring that the project is contributing access to relevant knowledge and lessons learning.
• Support the identification and analysis of trends, threats, and risks in the area of waste management, open burning of waste and behaviour change, building this into research and learning from the project.
• Ensure gender and inclusion is considered within every activity.
• Engage the community and stakeholders during reflections, reviews and evaluations (using PLA tools), ensuring the voices of the most vulnerable are heard.
• Actively participate in team reflections, identifying learnings and challenges and contributing ideas for adaptive for increased impact
• Support accountability with communities and stakeholders including the running of feedback and response mechanisms
• Work with partners (and at times building their capacity) to implement the activities.
• Contribute to ensuring safeguarding in the project

PERSON PROFILE

To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:

Experience & Knowledge

• Bachelors of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning, Community Development, Urban Water and Sanitation or Waste Management, Social Science/Development studies or any other relevant subject.
• 3-5 years relevant working experience in urban community engagement, supporting the informal sector, waste management, behaviour change programmes, urban planning or upgrading with low-income communities.
• Ability to work with Urban informal sector and community groups.
• Proficient in communicating with different stakeholders i.e. Urban low-income residents, businesses and landlords, youth government representatives etc.
• Good communication, facilitation, and representation skills
• Ability to work with, support and influence others.
• Ability to innovate, initiate and accept challenge.
• Good writing, speaking and typing skill in English is mandatory.
• Demonstrated experience of integrating gender and diversity.
• Knowledge and skill in developing IEC/BCC materials and delivering behaviour change campaigns.

Essential

• Experience working with multi-faceted teams both directly and remotely providing timely support when required.
• Fluency in English, Swahili and other local languages

Desirable

• Existing strong relationships and networks within the change ambition area of interest
• Knowledge of monitoring, evaluation and learning strategies Specific to waste management e.g., waste quantification and composition exercises
• Knowledge of gender and safeguarding best practices