Are you an innovative networker &project manager, a masterful partnership builder, and a strategic fundraiser ready to drive change? We are looking for you.

The job holder shall be based in Nairobi, Kenya, reporting to Regional Manager – East Africa Hub on a Fixed Term contract. 

Optimum Options a leading HR Consultancy firm in partnership with our client an award-winning, global nonprofit... social enterprise Kickstart International are looking to hire a Country Manager for Kenya Office.

KickStart International through agriculture employs two-thirds of Africa’s population. More than anything, these households need an opportunity to make a lot more money. However, most of these farmers rely on seasonal rains to water their crops. They all plant and harvest at the same time, flooding the local markets, making very little money. But with irrigation, farmers break their dependence on seasonal rain by growing and harvesting high-value crops throughout the year. Then they sell their produce when prices are highest and transform their farms into highly profitable enterprises. KickStart works with these smallholders to achieve this life-changing opportunity.

KickStart International (www.kickstart.org) is an award-winning international non-profit social enterprise with a mission to enable millions of smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa to earn a lot more money, climb out of poverty and adapt to changing weather patterns. KickStart unleashes the power of enterprise with the irrigation tools that enable millions of smallholder farmers across the sub-continent to tackle poverty on their own terms. With our innovative irrigation pumps, farming families break their dependence on rain, grow and harvest high-value crops year-round, withstand droughts and flooding, improve quality of life, reduce hunger, build businesses, and strengthen livelihoods. KickStart currently works in 17 countries in Africa. We are an ambitious organization with big impacts. To date, we have sold over 400,000 irrigation pumps to families across Sub-Saharan Africa and lifted over 1.6 million people out of poverty. We are looking for a qualified and experienced professional to drive this legacy in Kenya. 

Position Overview

The Kenya Country Manager is responsible for overseeing the overall operations of KickStart’s activities in Kenya. He/she is responsible for providing leadership and support to the program team in Kenya. He/she develops and implements core program activities that drive sales and donor funded projects deliverables. To achieve this, the Country Manager is responsible for building and strengthening country program delivery of results and providing strategic analysis to support KickStart’s overall growth in Kenya as part of its strategic direction.

The Country Manager is a key member of the Senior Management Team. As such he/she works closely with the Regional Manager for East Africa to ensure overall strategic development and effective operational delivery of the country program’s activities. The manager also works with various functional leads, including Fundraising, Product Innovation & Development, Supply Chain, Impact & Monitoring, Finance, IT & Governance, Human Resources, Marketing and Communication to strengthen project implementation strategies, business development opportunities, partnerships, and fundraising initiatives.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks


Project Management and Target Achievement:


Working effectively with other functional teams to ensure all country donor-funded projects activities and targets are met and exceeded in time.
Drive a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement, fostering collaboration, accountability, and results-oriented mindset in Kenya.
Develop and implement strategic plans, goals, and objectives to drive business growth and expansion in the country market.
Provide accurate project management reports by ensuring that efficient and adequate management practices and tools are in place to enable monitoring of projects and accurate reporting to donors, the board, and senior management.
Working with Project Leads, regularly reviewing the progress of projects against milestones and taking corrective action, raising any issues with the leadership.
Support Project Leads in managing the partners helping them to identify opportunities and respond to existing relationships.
Ensure all projects have Tracking Tool such as an Efficiency Matrix, etc.,
Working with the Marketing & Communication team to communicate and build a strong and positive KickStart brand visibility and recognition among partners.
Identify and establish business opportunities for MoneyMaker products with partners in the country in line with the organizations strategic direction.
Working with the Fundraising & Development team, identify and discuss potential funding opportunities in Kenya and provide advice on their suitability and potential alignment with KickStart’s strategic direction.
Monitor and analyze performance metrics, financial indicators, and market data to track progress towards goals and make data-driven decisions.
Identify local partners and agents in the country and build strategic alliances with them to facilitate the implementation and success of projects.
Represent KickStart in building and maintaining relationships with in-country service providers, government, donor representatives, local and international development partners, and the private sector.
Support effective liaison between Kenya and other KickStart country programs in pursuit of achievement of integrated program direction and delivery
Manage financial budgets, resources, and expenditures to ensure cost-effectiveness, profitability, and sustainability of operations.


Distributor Relationship Management:

Identify and recruit high potential distributors that meet all the requirements of one becoming a distributor and promoter of MoneyMaker Pumps.
Create a communication plan to keep distributors informed and engaged, addressing issues such as underperformance and non-compliance promptly. 
Build and maintain strong relationships with distributors, ensuring they have adequate pumps, accessories, and promotional materials to facilitate sales.
Provide training and support for distributors and their staff on product knowledge, branding, stock management, and customer engagement techniques.
Responsible for credit risk management by ensuring distributors pay their debts.


Marketing, Communication, Sales Support & New Product Testing/Launches:

Execute marketing activities and ensure effective outreach in the field.
Collaborate Marketing, Product Development, and Fundraising to develop successful sales strategies and resources needed to drive sales for the country.
Represent the organization at industry events and partner meetings, building strong relationships and promoting partnerships.
Work with the Product Innovation and Development and Marketing teams to carry out market tests and launches of new products and services.


Strategic Partnership Development & Management:

Research, identify, and establish strategic partnerships with NGOs, Governments, corporations, and key stakeholders to expand KickStart's mission.
Engage potential partner organizations, government agencies, and farmer groups to foster sales initiatives and promote KickStart technologies.
Develop and implement a comprehensive country partnership strategy, including target partner profiles, go-to-market plans, and performance metrics to drive sales.
Negotiate and draft partnership agreements and MOU’s ensuring they have a win-win-win beneficial terms and conditions for KickStart, partners and farmers.
Lead the team to deliver training to partner staff, farmer groups, and stakeholders on irrigation practices and the importance of sustainable farming.
Track and analyze country partnership performance, providing regular reports on key metrics and insights.
Identify trends and opportunities for improvement, informing future partnership strategies. Stay informed about industry trends and competitor activities, identifying potential partnerships and opportunities. 
Lead the team in building and maintaining strong relationships with key partners, acting as a primary point of contact and ensuring ongoing collaboration.
Regularly review and assess the country partnership performance, identifying areas for improvement and optimization. Proactively address partner needs and concerns, resolving issues and ensuring partnership success.


Representation:

Act as the representative for KickStart in stakeholder forums, trade shows, conferences to communicate KickStart’s mission and strategies effectively.


Strategic Direction and Planning

Ensure appropriate vision and strategy are in place to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Kenya program and KickStart International as a whole.
Work closely with the Regional Manager for East Africa, the COO and others to drive KickStart’s strategic goals through annual planning and other forums.
Provide strategic direction to the country program which aligns with KickStart’s global strategic plan and contributes to achieving overall strategic goals.


Leadership and Management

Lead, motivate and manage the country program team in a supportive style adhering to KickStart’s policies and procedures, staff recognition and celebration of success and as well as managing poor performance in the team.
Work with other functional teams to ensure the program is adequately resourced.
Effectively communicate KickStart’s vision, mission and core values to the team.
Ensure staff are empowered to carry out their tasks to their skills and capabilities.
Ensure well-coordinated management of work plans in line with program budgets, donor funded project goals and country strategic requirements.
In consultation with HR, manage staff performance, annual appraisals, motivation, and retention according to KickStart’s policies and procedures.
Work with HR to develop training plans to build the capacity of the country team.
Support effective communication and teamwork within and without the team.
Lead the team in driving sales efforts within the partnership ecosystem, setting clear targets and monitoring performance against key metrics for team members.
Financial/Asset Management:
Oversee all assets and resources assigned to the country program to ensure proper usage and management.
Be responsible for approving work plans, advance requests, expenditures and disbursement for the country program.




Personal Attributes

Qualifications & Experience


Bachelor’s degree in business administration, sales and marketing, agribusiness, project management or related field
7 years of experience in partnership development, sales, or business development.
Strong experience in managing projects funded by donors, the private sector or governments with a record of delivering program goals within deadlines and budgets.
Experience in effectively building and sustaining key external and internal partners and stakeholders to realize organizational goals.


Knowledge of the job


Good understanding of the donor funded project implementation environment.
Proven track record of successfully identifying, negotiating, and managing partnerships.
Strong understanding of B2B sales processes, strategies and the enabling drivers key to success in selling to partners such as NGOs, Governments, Farmer Coops, etc., 


Skills and Abilities 


Project Management skills preferably as a Country Lead
Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 
Ability to drive sales to both corporate clients as well as low-income communities.   
Proficient use of MS Office suite including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint as well as Enterprise Systems such ERP and CRM systems/sales tools. 
Proficiency in written and spoken English and Swahili languages
Ability to identify and prioritize tasks and manage areas of risk
Ability to influence and engage effectively with key stakeholders, partners, and senior management level, articulating strategies with confidence.


Other Desirable Attributes


Commitment to the mission, vision and core values of KickStart International
Non-for-profit/social entreprise sector experience
Knowledge of managing donor funds such Foundations, USAID, EU, DFID, DANIDA, 
Willingness to travel at least 60% of time
A valid driving licence
Experience working with smallholder farmers and low-income communities
Ability to work under pressure both proactively and reactively and prioritize workloads. more

Key Responsibilities and Tasks:

Project Management and Target Achievement:


Working effectively with other functional teams to ensure all country donor-funded projects activities and targets are met and exceeded in time.
Drive a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement, fostering collaboration, accountability, and a results-oriented mindset in Kenya.
Develop and... implement strategic plans, goals, and objectives to drive business growth and expansion in the country market.
Provide accurate project management reports by ensuring that efficient and adequate management practices and tools are in place to enable monitoring of projects and accurate reporting to donors, the board, and senior management.
Working with Project Leads, regularly reviewing the progress of projects against milestones and taking corrective action, and raising any issues with the leadership.
Support Project Leads in managing the partners, helping them to identify opportunities and respond to existing relationships.
Ensure all projects have a Tracking Tool such as an Efficiency Matrix, etc..


Distributor Relationship Management:


Identify and recruit high-potential distributors that meet all the requirements of one becoming a distributor and promoter of MoneyMaker Pumps.
Create a communication plan to keep distributors informed and engaged, addressing issues such as underperformance and non-compliance promptly.
Build and maintain strong relationships with distributors, ensuring they have adequate pumps, accessories, and promotional materials to facilitate sales.
Provide training and support for distributors and their staff on product knowledge, branding, stock management, and customer engagement techniques.
Responsible for credit risk management by ensuring distributors pay their debts.


Marketing, Communication, Sales Support & New Product Testing/Launches:


Execute marketing activities and ensure effective outreach in the field.
Collaborate on Marketing, Product Development, and Fundraising to develop successful sales strategies and resources needed to drive sales for the country.
Represent the organization at industry events and partner meetings, building strong relationships and promoting partnerships.
Work with the Product Innovation and Development and Marketing teams to carry out market tests and launches of new products and services.
Working with the Marketing & Communication team to communicate and build a strong and positive KickStart brand visibility and recognition among partners.


Strategic Partnership Development & Management:


Research, identify, and establish strategic partnerships with NGOs, Governments, corporations, and key stakeholders to expand KickStart’s mission.
Engage potential partner organizations, government agencies, and farmer groups to foster sales initiatives and promote KickStart technologies.
Develop and implement a comprehensive country partnership strategy, including target partner profiles, go-to-market plans, and performance metrics to drive sales.
Negotiate and draft partnership agreements and MOU’s ensuring they have a win-win-win beneficial terms and conditions for KickStart, partners and farmers.
Identify and establish business opportunities for MoneyMaker products with partners in the country in line with the organizations strategic direction.
Working with the Fundraising & Development team, identify and discuss potential funding opportunities in Kenya and provide advice on their suitability and potential alignment with KickStart’s strategic direction.
Lead the team to deliver training to partner staff, farmer groups, and stakeholders on irrigation practices and the importance of sustainable farming.
Track and analyze country partnership performance, providing regular reports on key metrics and insights.
Identify trends and opportunities for improvement, informing future partnership strategies. Stay informed about industry trends and competitor activities, identifying potential partnerships and opportunities.
Monitor and analyze performance metrics, financial indicators, and market data to track progress towards goals and make data-driven decisions.
Lead the team in building and maintaining strong relationships with key partners, acting as a primary point of contact and ensuring ongoing collaboration.
Regularly review and assess the country partnership performance, identifying areas for improvement and optimization. Proactively address partner needs and concerns, resolving issues and ensuring partnership success.
Identify local partners and agents in the country and build strategic alliances with them to facilitate the implementation and success of projects.


Representation:


Act as the representative for KickStart in stakeholder forums, trade shows, and conferences to communicate KickStart’s mission and strategies effectively.
Represent KickStart in building and maintaining relationships with in-country service providers, government, donor representatives, local and international development partners, and the private sector.
Support effective liaison between Kenya and other KickStart country programs in pursuit of the achievement of integrated program direction and delivery


Strategic Direction and Planning


Ensure appropriate vision and strategy are in place to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Kenya program and KickStart International as a whole.
Work closely with the Regional Manager for East Africa, the COO and others to drive KickStart’s strategic goals through annual planning and other forums.
Provide strategic direction to the country program, which aligns with KickStart’s global strategic plan and contributes to achieving overall strategic goals.


 Leadership and Management


Lead, motivate and manage the country program team in a supportive style, adhering to KickStart’s policies and procedures, staff recognition and celebration of success and as well as managing poor performance in the team.
Work with other functional teams to ensure the program is adequately resourced.
Effectively communicate KickStart’s vision, mission and core values to the team.
Ensure staff are empowered to carry out their tasks to their skills and capabilities.
Ensure well-coordinated management of work plans in line with program budgets, donor-funded project goals and country strategic requirements.
In consultation with HR, manage staff performance, annual appraisals, motivation, and retention according to KickStart’s policies and procedures.
Work with HR to develop training plans to build the capacity of the country team.
Support effective communication and teamwork within and without the team.
Lead the team in driving sales efforts within the partnership ecosystem, setting clear targets and monitoring performance against key metrics for team members.


Financial/Asset Management:


Manage financial budgets, resources, and expenditures to ensure cost-effectiveness, profitability, and sustainability of operations.
Oversee all assets and resources assigned to the country program to ensure proper usage and management.
Be responsible for approving work plans, advance requests, expenditures and disbursement for the country program.


Qualifications & Experience:


Bachelor’s degree in business administration, sales and marketing, agribusiness, project management or related field
7 years of experience in partnership development, sales, or business development.
Strong experience in managing projects funded by donors, the private sector or governments with a record of delivering program goals within deadlines and budgets.
Experience in effectively building and sustaining key external and internal partners and stakeholders to realize organizational goals. more

Main Duties and Responsibilities:


Responsible for implementing D1.0-Document and record filing procedure; to ensure update files of all quality policies, procedures, work instructions, and documentation required by The Kenya Flower Council Certification Scheme.
Preparation of certificates for the producers (Farms) after the quarterly certification committee meetings within required... timelines.
Conducting the Certification Scheme Quality System Regulation annual internal audits for compliance to ISO/IEC 17065 Standard, among other standards KFC is required to adhere to.
Implementation of re-certification and certification farm audits to assess compliance with the KFC Standards applicable within the KFC certification scheme and also maintain the competency and knowledge of the standard.
Preparation of timely and accurate reports on such inspections in accordance with ISO/IEC Guide 65, KFC auditing procedures and GLOBALG.A. P timelines and system requirements.
Confirm and ensure timely follow ups and Corrective Action Reports (CAR) on the same are prepared.
Preparation of the KFC farm audit reports for the Certification Committee for the producers.
Participate in the revision of the standards to meet the required levels as new issues arise.
Monitor correct use of the Logos applicable to KFC Certification Scheme.
Carry out any other tasks given by the Kenya Flower Council CEO so long as they do not contradict EN45011 or ISO /IEC Guide 65 principles or any stipulation set down by The Kenya flower Council QMS and auditing procedures.


Key Performance Indicators:


Level of satisfaction of members by the auditor’s support.
Up to date files of all quality policies, procedures, work instructions, and Documentation required by The Kenya Flower Council.
Number completed audit that have been reviewed and approved by the certification manager.
Number of corrective action reports followed up to ensure improvement by members.
Physical and environmental demands:
Position entails significant periods of travel away from the work-station and working out of regular office hours.
No heavy lifting is expected, though occasional exertion of force (e.g., picking up and carrying paper files/reports, a laptop) may be necessary.
Good manual dexterity required to use common office equipment (e.g., computers, copiers/scanners).


Qualifications and experience:


Minimum Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, Agriculture, Environment, Agronomy.
Three years working experience as internal auditor, Lead Auditor or compliance position.
Training and experience in Quality Management Systems ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, Social Accountability SA8000 Lead Auditor, Environmental Management Systems ISO 14001 Lead Auditor., Food Safety Systems ISO 22000 Lead Auditor, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSAS 1800) Lead Auditor and GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Online test. more

Main Duties and Responsibilities:


The specific roles, tasks and responsibilities of the Certification Manager are: –
Management of the Audit and Certification program of all the producers registering and applying for certification within the organized yearly calendar of activities and audit reports are provided to the Certification Committee, for review to ensure that only those that... deserve are awarded certificates.
In-charge of the KFC Certification Body operations: Ensuring that the Certification Body yearly calendar of audit and certification activities and schedules are effectively implemented for efficient delivery of services within the yearly budgets.
Receiving and initiating the resolution of complaints and appeals arising from audit and certification activities from the producers: –
Acknowledging receipt of the complaints within the set timeframes.
Dealing with all complaints from the producers on Certification Scheme operational activities such as audit performance or mismanagement.
Forwarding the complaints based on the Certification Scheme Standards (FOSS), Principles, Compliance Criteria, Scope, Rules and Procedures from the producers and other stakeholders objecting the interpretation of the standards to the Scheme Manager to be dealt with by the Technical Committee and the Board of Directors.
Receiving the recommendations from the Technical Committee from Scheme Manager and communicating the feedback to the Certification Committee and the producers (complainants) with the set time frames.
Ensuring that lead auditors are trained on GLOBALG.A.P. FO, KFC FOSS and Quality System Regulations.
Monitoring, training and updating the Certification Committee members to ensure they are performing their role, task and responsibilities with good knowledge and understanding of the Committee Terms of Reference, KFC FOSS and Certification Scheme Quality Regulations as per the yearly calendar of activities.
Ensuring the membership status of Certification Committee maintained is as per the Committee Terms of Reference.
Preparing and monitoring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the audit and certification scheme members of staff and providing the performance reports within the time frames required by the KFC.
Periodically witnessing the auditors using the to gauge their performance against the current Lead Auditor skills evaluation checklist to ensure their competencies up lifted as required KFC Certification Scheme Quality System Regulations.
Monitoring the Integrity of the Certification Scheme auditing and certification staff to ensure that the audit and certification function maintains Objectivity, Impartiality, Uniformity, Confidentiality, Efficiency and Effectiveness; Good Image and Reputation; Acceptable and Applicable; and Sustainable, as the auditors perform the specific tasks on a day-to-today basis by ensuring that the auditors work within the KFC Ethical standards and professional conduct; auditing and certification procedures and as required by ISO/IEC 17065 standard.
Monitoring the KFC Certification Committee activities including but not limited to; the correct conduct of all the activities within the KFC Ethical standards and professional conduct; auditing and certification procedures and as required by ISO/IEC 17065 standard, among others.
Reviewing the audit reports before they are presented to the Certification Committee to ensure they are conducted within the requirements of the KFC auditing and certification procedures, ISO / IEC 17065 and key stakeholders Floricultural Sustainability Initiative (FSI), Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) and GLOBALGAP IFA.
Actively participating, guiding and clarifying all audit and certification matters to the Certification Committee as a member of the Certification Committee during the review of the audit reports for the purpose of making certification decisions.
Maintaining records arising from Certification Committee meetings that included but not limited to; the minutes, certification register, sanction letters, lifting sanctions, and attendance among others.
Organizing the Certification Committee meetings as per its yearly calendar of activities.
Mobilizing adequate resources (staff & others) for conduction of robust KFC FOSS audits and certification processes to maintain a strong and dynamic standard within the floriculture sub-sector meeting the needs of the market.
Ensure that the audits comply with applicable standards, regulations, and guidance and that resulting reports are fair, impartial, and useful.
Providing yearly audit and certification activity budgets requests to KFC with relevant appropriate resources to enable efficient delivery of services.
Actively participating in the Management Review Meetings with matters impacting on the performance of the KFC FOSS and Certification Scheme Quality System Regulations.
Managing and maintaining records on the following Certification Committee outputs: –
Preparation and dispatch of certificates.
Updating the register of certified producers.
Updating the certification status in the KFC website.
Ensuring that the GLOBALG.A.P. IT System is updated appropriately before and after the certification committee approvals.
Updating the certification status on the websites of approved market stakeholders e.g. FSI Floricode, Certifeye, and others that may be approved from time to time.
Preparation and dispatch of certification sanction letters as directed by the Certification Committee.
Participating and representing KFC interests in stakeholders Committees as approved by the CEO, without providing situations or matters of conflict of interest.
Linking the certification scheme with the civil society on matters related to gender and women empowerment. without providing situations or matters of conflict of interest.
Representing KFC in local and international forums, trade fairs and engagements in the market.
Maintaining up to date documents and records of the KFC certification scheme including the quality policies, procedures, work instructions, and other documentation required by the Council in an approved media e.g. online drive.
Ensuring that the audit reports and other audit related documents are available in the KFC audit and certification platform.
Carrying out any other tasks given by the Kenya Flower Council, so long as they do not contradict EN45011 or ISO/IEC 17065 principles or any stipulation set down by KFC Certification Scheme Quality System Regulations.


Key Performance Indicators:


Effective KFC Certification Committee Activities including and correct conduct of all the activities of this Certification Committee as per Committee ToRs.
Updated register of certified producers after every Certification Committee meeting and the KFC website.
Internal staff trainings on GLOBALG.A.P. FO, KFC Standard and Quality System Regulations.
Representation of KFC at national and international forums, trade fairs and engagement in markets.
Benchmark reports of KFC certification scheme with other international standard and schemes.
Physical and environmental demands:
Significant periods of travel away from the workstation and working out of regular office hours.
Occasional exertion of force (e.g., picking up and carrying paper files/reports, a laptop) may be necessary.
Good manual dexterity required to use common office equipment (e.g., computers, copiers/scanners).


Qualifications and experience:


The qualifications and education required include: –
At least a MSc. degree in Horticulture or Bachelor of Science in Horticulture.
At least 7 years’ experience in a Lead Auditor position within the scope Flowers and Ornamentals. more