Governance Officer - Tuungane Project

JOB TITLE: Governance Officer

LOCATION: Buhingu - Kigoma Rural district

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree or Advance Diploma in Business studies, sociology or anthropology, Legal or politics, government/public administration, planning and/or development or related field and a minimum of 2 years related experience or equivalent combination.
• Excellent and proven negotiation and lobbying and advocacy skills.
• Creativity and sensitivity to the demands of all key stakeholders including local and national governments.
• Proven experience in conducting "on-the -Job" training for local people.
• Good organizational and ability to deal with people from a variety of cultural background.
• Good listener and communicator in both written and spoken Swahili, local languages and English.
• Good understanding of the local, regional and national governance structures, policies and procedures.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

S/he will be responsible for implementing the Tuungane Project Governance strategy which has three main objectives.

1)      By 2015, improve local governance in 6 villages namely Buhingu, Nkonkwa, Katumbi, Sibwesa, Kalya and Kashagulu by clearly defining and implementing village government responsibilities.

2)      By 2014, improve local governance in 6 villages mentioned above to support Health and Natural resource (land use and environment) committees and integrate Beach Management Committees.

3)      By 2015, VLUPs approved by National government and Land commission and are being implemented and enforced by the village councils in the project area.

S/he will specifically develop and maintain strong local and regional government contacts and identify policy and legislations gaps for effective integration and implementation of PHE initiatives at local and regional levels. S/he will establish capacity building needs for local governance institutions and engage strongly and constructively with CBOs/NGOs, various committees and groups to ensure their constructive engagement with government at all levels. S/he will support/strengthen existing local governance groups such as such as a village councils, committees in health, development and natural resources management as well as  mentoring the village councils, health committees, Beach Management Unit (BMU), Village Land Use Planning team (VLUP) and any other legitimate community governance institutions.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Bachelor's degree or Advance Diploma in Business studies, sociology or anthropology, Legal or politics, government/public administration, planning and/or development or related field and a minimum of 2 years related experience or equivalent combination.
• Excellent and proven negotiation and lobbying and advocacy skills.
• Excellent skills in mentoring and counseling.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Kiswahili, English and other languages used in the project area.
• Excellent organizational and proofreading skills.
• Demonstrated experience in MS Office, Word, and Excel.
• Ability to manipulate, analyze and interpret data.
• Ability to organize time and manage diverse activities and meet deadlines.

COMPLEXITY/PROBLEM SOLVING:

• Understanding and ability to work across multiple projects' strategies with several variables, set realistic deadlines, and manage a timeline.
• Interpret guidelines and analyze factual information to adapt or modify processes in response to changing circumstances.
• Duties may require non-routine analysis, research and follow-through.

DISCRETION/LATITUDE/DECISION-MAKING:

• Work independently without requiring detailed management review of general work.
• Act in supervisor's stead when instructed.

RESPONSIBILITY/OVERSIGHT -FINANCIAL & SUPERVISORY:

• Financial responsibility may include working within a budget to complete project's planned activities, negotiating and contracting with vendors, assisting with budget development, and meeting fundraising targets.
• May supervise support staff and/or volunteers, interns, or temporary staff.

COMMUNICATIONS/INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:

• Communication and presentation skills; ability to persuasively convey advantage of integrated PHE projects and programs to diverse groups including policy and decision markers, donors, board members, the public and others.
• Solicit project support through clear written communications, including proposal writing and other written materials.
• Work and communicate with a wide range of people - community leaders and members, vendors, local and national government leadership, donors, and others.
• Formulate and clearly communicate ideas to others.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Willingness to travel and work flexible hours.
• Ability to work under stress during peak workload periods.
• Work requires only minor physical exertion and/or physical strain. Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements.

BENEFITS 

The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, excellent benefits, and flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond. 

HOW TO APPLY