Project Management Consultant

Organizational Profile

Fondazione L’Albero della Vita – The Tree of Life Kenya is an organization registered in Kenya as a Trust with the aim of ensuring the wellbeing, protection and promotion of the rights of children and their families and encouraging community development.

The Tree of Life envisions a world without poverty where children can enjoy their rights; grow up in a safe environment, protected from all kinds of violence and abuse, with access to equal opportunities.

The organization has been working in Kenya since 2011, focusing on the sectors of Child Protection, Education and safeguarding of children.

The Tree of Life has been operating in the space of Juvenile Justice, Care Reform, Alternative Family Care, TVET and job inclusion for vulnerable youth, as well as improving education, Wash, nutrition and health services in the ASAL and in the informal settlements of Nairobi.

The RISE Project

The Tree of Life (FADV) has recently started a new program in Kenya in collaboration with several Kenyan Government Departments, and national and international partners. The project, entitled “RISE”, is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and aims at activating and strengthening formal, inclusive educational services, personal and professional development and sexual and reproductive health pathways for children and youth, both vulnerable and in conflict with the law in Kenya, focusing on the roles of Government institutions, educative communities and the private sector in providing these essential services to the children. The Project outputs are in tandem with the major reforms in Kenya for instance the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) in the education sector, the Child Care Reforms in Child Protection and Restorative Justice and Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR) in the Justice Sector.

This project therefore will be implemented in 11 Counties targeting learning institutions, correctional and rehabilitation facilities, Child Care facilities and vocational Training centres.

In order to effectively and efficiently roll out the project, FADV is placing a call for consultancy which will provide technical and professional pathway or action plan towards achieving the set project objectives and outcomes.

Job Title: Project Management Consultant –

The successful candidate will work closely with an Inter-Agency Technical Working Group(TWG) to Implement the RISE Project

Brief Description of the Consultancy:

The consultant with the support the(TWG), will provide the professional and technical expertise in the implementation of the RISE Project. This will include facilitating collaboration and coordination between the agencies, putting into practice a real inter-ministerial co-planning and facilitating the definition of roles for a better and effective management.

The consultant will guide the process of rethinking the allocation of resources and generation of innovative proposals that correspond to the emerging needs of the sector in line with new directives and legislation on children who are vulnerable and those in conflict with the law.

The consultancy will therefore include analysing the policy making framework focusing on this specific sector, analysing the situation of children and youth in conflict with the law in relation to child justice, mapping key stakeholders and resources, supporting the technical working group (TWG) with relevant materials, content and tools as well as facilitating the conceptualization of new and innovative initiatives to support the sustainable provision of education and Alternative care services for children in the justice system. This will culminate in the development of a draft policy document to address the identified gaps and issues in addition to the development of an aftercare framework. Therefore, the exploration of advocacy strategies and lobbying opportunities will be of paramount importance to ensure the realization and approval of the policy document within the project period.

Supervisor: Programme Coordinator.

Duty station: Nairobi with travels to the field

Tree of Life can provide an office space to support the work and perform the deliverables/ flexible

Starting date: as soon as possible in the year 2023.

Duration of the assignment: the consultancy should be provided over a period of 30 non-consecutive months (result-based), and will be planned and distributed in accordance with a joint work plan.

Budget: Kshs. 1,500,000 (for all the duration of assignment)

Type of Contract: Contract under consultancy

Specific Terms of Reference:

• • Collect, review analyse and make necessary recommendations on the legal frameworks, polices, guidelines and key reports context of reforms in the education, child protection and child justice sectors to guide the implementation of the RISE project. This relates to CBC review, Care Reforms and a Child-friendly justice system in Kenya. – Carry out stakeholder mapping and analysis on the Kenyan Public sector, the justice system and Private Sector, with the objective of identifying the roles and responsibilities of key actors, possibilities of harnessing resources and the implementation of the RISE Project – Work in strict synergy with the Tree of Life, DCS, NCAJ and partners engaged in the implementation of the RISE project within the child justice institutions. – Work together with TWG to build capacity of Children Rehabilitation schools and select Remand Homes to deliver Education, Counselling and Life skills. This will involve establishing mechanisms to equip the said institutions, increase the number of teachers and building their capacity to deliver CBC curriculum this is in reference to the recommendation 4 of the Status Report on Children in the Justice System in Kenya, 2019 – Facilitate the building of a common vision by the TWG to be achieved in the three years of work with clear terms of reference, roles and responsibilities and a timetable as a roadmap – Support the formulation of a strategy and themes to be worked on independently (by the agencies) throughout the year and jointly during the workshops – Work together with the TWG with the aim of comprehensively addressing recommendation 4 from the Status Report on Children in the Justice System in Kenya, prepared in 2019 by the NCAJ Special Task Force on Children Matters: “guarantee quality primary and secondary education and a new/expanded secondment of teachers to juvenile justice institutions by the MoE in coordination with the Directorate of Children’s Services” – Work together with the TWG with the aim of comprehensively addressing recommendation 6 of the Status Report on Children in the Justice System in Kenya, 2019 by the NCAJ Special Task Force on Children Matters: “strengthen children’s rights institutions through adequate budgetary resources and oversight mechanisms in order to improve conditions in children’s holding facilities and promote socio-family reintegration in accordance with the new Children Act 2022. – Facilitate the development of a policy document that proposes strategic and operational lines of action for future years, facilitating both a new structuring of roles and functions, and at the same time, explore new ways of allocation of resources to adequately support a child friendly justice system in Kenya. – Facilitate the development/review and implementation of the aftercare Guidelines for children leaving institutional care. – Participate in the presentation of findings/ results to stakeholders in diverse fora.

Key expected Deliverables and output:

• Inception Report- detailing the consultant’s understanding and expertise in project management and proposals towards achieving the objectives;
• A pre-project Assessment Report- on legal, policy, strategies and interventions and stakeholders to be involved in the RISE project
• Organize and facilitate at least 7 Technical Working Group workshops.
• A comprehensive well thought out and validated policy document to inform strategic planning and resource mobilization for support of Education and Alternative Family Care for children and youth in conflict with the law in Kenya .
• A guideline document on the aftercare framework for children and youth in conflict with the law
• Final Project Report.

Requirements

Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in Project Management Consultancy in policy making, child justice sector, partnership development, lobbying and advocacy, strategic analysis and development of innovative strategies
• Experience in working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Kenya; an understanding of the operations of the Special Task force on children matters of the NCAJ will be an added advantage
• Demonstrated experiences and skills in facilitating stakeholder/working group consultations.
• Demonstrated capacity of delivering as per schedule and working under pressure.
• Experience in working with diverse teams, and demonstrated ability to work with partners using effective interpersonal and communication skills.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• A post-graduate or equivalent qualification/ degree in Law, Leadership & Management, Social sciences, Development Study, Sciences or any other relevant discipline.
• An understanding of the context of Justice possibly with recent experience in Kenya and East Africa.
• Excellent research, conceptual, analytical, documentation and presentation skills.
• Excellent domain of oral and written English.
• Knowledge of AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) and other global donors is an asset.
• Ability to work independently, suggest practical solutions and follow-up effectively on decisions.
• Good planning skills, pro-activity, creativity, and ability to meet the established deadlines.
• Good organizational and facilitating skills.
• Computer skills (Microsoft office word, excel, etc.).
• Motivated by our vision of creating a world where everyone is an educator, and where Children are the key actors of human and social development, being a faithful reflection of the past, present and future of the growth process.

Other Skills Required

• Honesty and strong ethics are required in order to be successful in this position.
• Ability to work independently.
• Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, participatory approach and sustainable development.
• Planning and management skills.

Confidentiality

Employees/ Consultants must sign a child Safeguarding Policy and a confidentiality agreement, and may not share organizational materials without the express written permission from a supervisor.

Respect – the Tree of Life aims to always show respect and appreciation for team members, Partners and all.