Save the Children Need Agronomic Advisor

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Agronomic Advisor

SUMMARY

5 Sep 2025

18 Sep 2025 – 20:59 UTC

Kenya

Programme Operations

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ROLE PURPOSE: 
Save the Children is seeking an agronomic specialist for a 5-year program. This project aims to strengthen agro-economies, climate resilience and well-being of smallholder tea farmers, women and children, in Nandi County through enhanced integration of climate sensitive sustainable land-management practices and access to carbon market finance. The project will reach smallholder farmers with climate-smart agriculture extension services and agroforestry, enhance reafforestation/afforestation in community and protected areas, strengthening market linkages and supply chain infrastructure. This will be complemented by targeted nutrition awareness interventions.
In close coordination with the child poverty technical specialist S/he will promote or implement best agronomic practices and technology for sustainable intensification of crop production at project sites. The Agronomist will support resilient food systems mechanisms, train staff and farmers on methods to improve crop production including agroforestry. She/he will participate in conducting field visits to project sites to advise, coach and mentor farmers about better planting, cultivation, and harvesting techniques, improving crop yield, and solving problems for the successful management of agricultural production operations. In addition, the post holder will engage in documentation of best practices, learnings and lessons in the areas of climate-smart crop production, agroforestry and productivity.
The role holder will ensure that gender, child rights and safeguarding approaches are mainstreamed in the program, ensuring education and training addresses topics of inequity and that participation is balanced. He will ensure that girls and boys and women are protected in all their diversity from violence, abuse and exploitation alongside their right to meaningful participation in decisions that affect them in this project.
He/she will lead in the design of work plans and implementation of technical support to local implementing partners and networks, including sharing and coordinating with all stakeholders in the project implementation sub-counties. The position will be based in Nandi County headquarter town with frequent travel to project sites.
SCOPE OF ROLE: 
Reports to: Operations Manager with secondary reporting relationship to Child Poverty Technical Specialist.
Staff directly reporting to this post: None.
Country Dimensions: Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since 1950. As of 2024, Save the Children operates throughout Kenya with 6 field offices. In 2024, we directly reached more than 695,000 people through our humanitarian and longer-term development work in Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Education, Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), Child Protection and Child Rights Governance. The Country Office oversees several active awards from a variety of governmental and institutional donors, including some of our largest donors such as USAID, ECHO, LEGO, BHA, and FCDO.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Programme Design and Oversight:

• Lead design and oversee the implementation of agroforestry systems, such as indigenous forestry integration, fruit trees, hedgerows, companion planting tailored to local needs.
• Provide technical guidance on sustainable land management techniques, including terracing, alley cropping, and erosion control measures.
• Advise on the cultivation of food crops including vegetables crops with climate-smart thinking and action.
• Establish frameworks for monitoring food crops and agroforestry systems to ensure adherence to climate-smart principles and carbon credit methodological requirements.
• Work with project stakeholders to ensure they are inclusive in crop farming approaches that support small holder farmers.
• Provide technical advice on agricultural related program/project design at CO level.
• Support donor engagement and other related strategic engagement at CO level
• Performs other duties as assigned by the line manager

Capacity Building and Collaboration:

• Facilitate training sessions and workshops for farmers on agroforestry practices, focusing on native and high-value tree species.
• Facilitate training sessions and workshops on monitoring, verification and reporting for carbon credit processes. 
• Engage with local farmer cooperatives, government agencies, and community organizations to build partnerships and foster collaboration.
• Collaborating with the project staffs, provide technical support and liaise with the staffs of relevant government partners and research organizations in the areas of agriculture.
• Provide training on climate smart crop production for project beneficiaries including sensitizing of climate change and its adaptation
• Develop training manuals and other knowledge products relevant to climate-smart crop production and agroforestry.

Advisory Services and Recommendations:

• Provide expertise in tree species selection and agroforestry design to maximize ecosystem and economic benefits.
• Advise on risk mitigation strategies for issues such as land degradation, soil erosion, and human-wildlife conflicts.
• Deliver recommendations to enhance programme scalability and sustainability.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation:

• Implement tools for tracking programme outcomes, including carbon sequestration, improved farmer incomes, and enhanced biodiversity.
• Compile progress reports with actionable insights and present them to key stakeholders.
• Lead studies, assessments, documentation of best practices/lessons and activities related to climate smart crop production.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• BSc in Agronomy, Plant Sciences, Crop sciences, Extension and other related disciplines, MSc in Agronomy preferred.
• At least 10 years of practical work experience in rural development particularly in diversified livelihood and participatory research approaches
• Demonstrates good understanding of the Village Based Advisor (VBA) business model. 
• Demonstrated consultancy experience in designing and executing agroforestry or sustainable land management projects.
• Knowledge of the agriculture development & policy environment in Kenya
• Strong expertise in climate-smart agricultural practices and working knowledge of Kenya’s rural farming systems.
• Exceptional interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills.

Preferred Attributes:

• Familiarity with Nandi County’s biophysical and socioeconomic landscape.
• Experience collaborating with entities such as the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), farmer cooperatives/SACCO’s and Community Forest Associations (CFAs).
• Proven ability to deliver high-quality outputs within tight timelines and resource constraints.

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities, giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
• Creates a managerial environment to lead, enable and maintain our culture of child safeguarding. 

Collaboration:

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on diversity of people and perspectives; knows when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working.
• Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust. 
• Invests time and energy to actively develop self and others to help realise their full potential, and to build the organisation’s capability for the future. 
• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence.
• Displays consistent excellent judgement 

Creativity:

• Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards; promotes and shares best practice within and outside the organization. 
• Develops and implements innovative solutions to adapt and succeed in ever-changing and uncertain global and working environments. 
• Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organization.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Equal Opportunities 
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.
Child Safeguarding
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.
THE ORGANIZATION
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. 
We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th  birthday.
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated.

 Save the Children is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ and assign the best-qualified talent.
Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.
Disclaimer:
Beware that there are individuals who may take and use SCI’s name in an attempt to solicit fees from interested job-seekers. We do not use recruiting persons or agencies to help us identify candidates for employment. If you’re contacted by a person promising you recruitment or placement at SCI for a charge, do not accept, and please get in touch with us at [email protected].
 Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  Download Attachment

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