Programs Assistant - Livelihood and Just Economies

About the role

TISA (The Institute for Social Accountability), a Kenyan civil society organization promoting good governance, is hiring a Programs Assistant to advance gender transformation in food and trade systems. Based in Kitui County, the role supports the planning, implementation and coordination of gender-transformative activities such as household dialogues, GALS processes, male engagement, women's leadership development and safeguarding, working with women producers, cooperatives, county government and other stakeholders. The assistant acts as TISA's lead liaison in Kitui, prepares first drafts of activity reports and reports to the Programs Officer.

Key responsibilities

• Support planning and field implementation of gender-transformative agrifood system activities and work plans in Kitui County
• Apply gender-responsive and feminist approaches in daily programme work and help deliver activities on time, within budget and with accurate reporting
• Engage with women's groups, cooperatives, producer groups, county government departments and community leaders, and coordinate logistics for dialogues, trainings and meetings
• Serve as lead liaison in Kitui County, representing TISA at community and county forums and mobilising community members, especially women, for participation
• Maintain accurate participant records with unique identifiers segregated by gender and other inclusion parameters, track progress against indicators and deliverables, and prepare first-draft reports (session reports, attendance records, case studies, field learning) for the Programs Officer
• Contribute to donor reporting and programme monitoring, and support safeguarding and grievance referral mechanisms at community level
• Support community organizing, participatory accountability processes, capacity-building sessions and training materials
• Help with field budget tracking, procurement planning and activity reports, and report regularly to the Programs Officer

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Agriculture, Community Development, Social Sciences or a related field
• 2 to 4 years of field or community-level experience in gender programming, agrifood systems, livelihoods or accountability sectors
• Experience working with smallholder farmers, women producer groups or cooperatives, and with County Governments to influence policy
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili; working knowledge of Kamba is an added advantage
• Willingness to travel frequently to project sites in Kitui County and other areas

Required skills

• Familiarity with GESI approaches, household dialogues or male engagement methodologies
• Good understanding of agrifood systems and value chain approaches
• Proficiency in MS Office and data management tools
• Strong communication, community mobilization and organizational skills, able to work independently with minimal oversight