PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR – NUTRITION (THE RURAL ENTREPRENEUR ACCESS (REAP) MODEL

About BOMA’s Products:

BOMA’s Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP) has been instrumental in combating poverty among women in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). We’ve expanded our efforts to address chronic malnutrition through REAP for Nutrition, integrating nutrition-specific interventions to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition effectively.

Job Summary:

As the Portfolio Director, REAP for Nutrition, you will lead BOMA’s initiatives in reducing malnutrition. This pivotal role involves developing programmatic strategies, ensuring high-quality implementation, and scaling nutrition-focused inclusion programs across the ASALs. We are seeking a respected leader in nutrition, food security, and poverty alleviation, passionate about shaping the future of nutrition-focused economic empowerment programs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Product Strategy and Leadership

• Set and lead BOMA’s intellectual and strategic vision, direction and priorities as they relate to REAP for Nutrition including setting and meeting annual targets for reach and fundraising.
• Engage as a leader in the global landscape of nutrition work, especially collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to develop innovative approaches to engage and scale efforts that reduce acute and persistent malnutrition in the poverty eradication space.
• Set the pace for technical excellence in BOMA’s REAP for Nutrition product across the portfolio.
• Develop innovations to BOMA’s REAP for Nutrition approaches to meet the changing needs of ultra-poor and vulnerable people in the African drylands, including women, youth, refugees, IDPs and other marginalized populations, as they face unprecedented shocks and stressors.
• Map new potential partners and establish partnerships (technical, funding, implementation and research) to support BOMA’s nutrition and food security efforts.
• Be a culture champion for BOMA, aligning with BOMA’s foundational and operational values.

Portfolio Impact and Performance

• Track and monitor portfolio performance through real-time and retrospective metrics and assessments to ensure continuous improvement in quality, effectiveness, and efficacy of the REAP for Nutrition product.
• Implement data-driven activities and initiatives to ensure a high-quality portfolio of learning experiences, including metrics of malnutrition, the ability of participants, communities and systems to address malnutrition and food insecurity, and deliver on partnership excellence as drivers of success.
• Collaborate with Research and Learning to establish a product-specific research and learning agenda to drive the field – and BOMA’s work – forward.
• Inform the design of BOMA’s research on REAP for Nutrition, including impact evaluations.
• Collaborate with Monitoring and Evaluation to design, develop, implement, and provide technical assistance on M&E frameworks, evaluations and data collection tools.
• Document, disseminate/share lessons learned and best practices, including inputs for reports and technical publications to inform and shape the intersection between nutrition and poverty graduation.

Business Growth

• Collaborate with Sustainability and Impact to define and document BOMA’s 5-year approach to growth for the REAP for Nutrition product.
• Aggressively pursue business development opportunities to expand BOMA’s REAP for Nutrition in Kenya and new markets beyond Kenya.
• Track and target government, donor and partner interest and shifts as they relate to nutrition, food security, and social and economic inclusion.
• Lead the design of new business development opportunities related to REAP for Nutrition.
• Grow existing REAP for Nutrition projects and partnerships through thought leadership and quality implementation.
• Identify and spearhead partnership development for expansion and growth opportunities for scaling REAP for Nutrition.

Oversee Project Management

• Ensure all projects in the REAP for Nutrition portfolio are being delivered on-time, on-budget and with quality, and tracking all KPIs for the product (including linkages).
• Ensure all projects are meeting BOMA’s standards for operational excellence and donor expectations.
• Retain and lead staff implementing existing REAP for Nutrition activities, including assessing and developing performance with the expectation of retaining highly talented Project Directors and Managers.
• Support all BOMA’s teams to build capacity and execute with excellence, and address any capacity gaps quickly and efficiently.
• Support the design and delivery of training to increase staff capacity, collaborating close with the Training and Capacity Development team.
• Deliver high quality training and technical assistance to partners, where BOMA is not implementing directly, and provide operational support as needed to operationalize existing and new programs.
• Work with partners in the portfolio to replicate “best of” approaches.
• Lead the adoption and use of technologies such as Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and Taroworks to further BOMA’s efficacy.
• Develop monthly, quarterly and annual reports, per donor requirements and expectations, and track Portfolio Budgets.

Representation/Advocacy/Engagement

• Manage relationships with existing partners to build BOMA’s brand in the nutrition space.
• Recruit new partners and initiate new strategic partnerships, including hosting visitors and organizing exchange visits.
• Position BOMA as a leader in nutrition, and related issues such as gender inclusion, livelihood adaptations and food systems, and to enhance learning and promote sector-wide adaptations.
• Recommend conferences, networks, and other collaborative spaces for BOMA to explore to expand organizational presence in nutrition work.
• Represent BOMA wherever needed and as often as possible.
• Through representation, enhance BOMA’s own learning and promote sector-wide adaptations.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences, nutrition, food systems, agriculture or another relevant field required; (Masters is an added advantage)
• Extensive expertise in nutrition (including acute and persistent malnutrition), food security, food systems, poverty graduation, livelihood diversification, and/or adapted livelihoods, required;
• Sector experience or exposure to programming in nutrition, smart climate agriculture, climate crises, social protection, gender norms, health and targeting vulnerable populations (ultra-poor women, IDPs, refugees, youth, people living with disabilities);
• At least seven progressive years of experience in participatory program design, development, implementation, and budgeting of complex development programs required;
• Experience developing relationships with government partners and NGOs, providing technical assistance and oversight to external teams to deliver programming;
• Experience managing a consortium of partners including government (both at national and county level), NGOs, private sector, grassroot organizations and government;
• Demonstrate an understanding of relevant government policies on food, nutrition, natural resources management, agriculture, social protection, economic inclusion, gender, climate and the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda;
• A proven track record in new business development with experience supporting project design, proposal development and fundraising efforts;
• Experience in curricula development, training, and facilitation preferred;
• Willingness to travel and work (including outside of Kenya) up to 35%,

Preferred Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience within Africa and understanding of drylands context is highly preferred.
• Experience in change management in growing organizations.