TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT POLICY MANUAL

Reference Number:

Task: Policy Development

Reports to: Chief Programs Officer

Location of project: Nairobi County

Type of contract: Consultancy

Languages required: English and Swahili languages are essential.

Period of implementation: 30 days

Type of selection: Firm selection

1. Organization Background

Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (HiH EA) is a registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Kenya. HiH EA is part of the Hand in Hand global network with the shared goal of poverty alleviation, facilitating poorer communities to create and grow sustainable enterprises and jobs. The organization works with vulnerable women, youth and men using a self-help model enabling them to uplift themselves out of poverty through entrepreneurship.

HiH EA started operations in Kenya in October 2010 and is currently operating in 23 field offices within 33 out of 47 Counties in Kenya. HiH EA has so far mobilized, trained, and is training over 350,000 members (80% women, 40% youth) who have created over 334,000 enterprises and over 450,000 jobs. Starting the year 2020 at least 10% of the enterprises are being accelerated as individual enterprises or through Value Chain development.

To facilitate enterprise creation, Hand in Hand utilizes a 4-step enterprise model that entails set-up or mobilizing self-help groups that act as savings groups, delivering enterprise skills through training, enhancing financial management as well as financial access and providing linkage to broader markets. While foregrounding entrepreneurship, the effort is complemented with supporting thematic areas that include practices that increase resilience to climate change, promote advocacy and human rights, gender mainstreaming, regenerative agriculture and circular economy among others.

1. Scope of Work

The program policy is anticipated to provide guidance as to the overall conduct and delivery of services of the program department within and without the organization to ensure quality and sustainability of the various projects as well as harmony within the department and across other departments. It should also provide oversight onto the optimum utilization of resources.

The following are some of the key areas identified that the policy manual should address though it is expected that the consultant together with HIHEA team will refine the scope to ensure overall inclusivity.

The assignment will cover the following key aspects:

1. Core responsibilities of the Program Department and its functions
2. Roles and Responsibilities of the different positions/offices in the program department and how other offices in the organizations contribute the program and vice versa
3. Program implementation processes and procedures
4. Quality control and management

Specifically the policy will detail:

1. Program Department structure
2. Definition of key Program terms
3. Procedures of Program/Project Design
4. Guidelines on Project Inception
5. The procedures of Branch office/ Satellite set up
6. Outreach and promotions process
7. How Stakeholders mapping and management should be done
8. Initiation and management of Partnerships and collaboration
9. Identification of program members (beneficiaries)
10. Members training and Evaluation process
11. Financial Inclusion – components and guidelines of actualization
12. Enterprise quality and sustainability
13. Procedures of Data Capture process
14. Report writing process
15. Project activity process flow and reporting
16. Group Asset management
17. Project Hand over /Exit/ process
18. Internal and External communication guidelines
19. Knowledge management guidelines
20. Resource management
21. Program Department Work Ethics
22. Safeguarding at program level
23. Information/Records Management
24. Purpose of the Program department policy
25. To promote uniform understanding and application of the Organization´s program department procedures by all without any discrimination at any level or location
26. To identify areas of responsibility for administering and monitoring program Procedures.
27. To provide a reference tool for use during the day-to-day performance of duty.
28. Objectives of the assignment

The main objective of this assignment is to facilitate development of the program department policy manual. The policy manual will detail the programs team working along design, development, implementation and review of program plans and commitments. The policy will also outline mechanisms that ensure all programs and projects are designed and implemented to the highest standards in line with the organization’s values.

1. Approach and Methodology

The assignment will facilitate a participatory approach with key stakeholders; the following tasks will be expected to be conducted:

1. Literature review – Review the available reference documents
2. Key Informants Interviews – The consultant will meet with HIHEA program management team. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and clarify expectations on the expected outcome and deliverables of the assignment. The consultant will prepare a work plan at the beginning of the assignment, with clear timelines and milestones to ensure that the assignment will be completed on time.
3. Conduct a needs assessment/situational analysis
4. The consultant will facilitate a 3 day workshop with relevant staff from the programs department as shall be directed by HIHEA to validate the needs assessment and formulate the policy
5. The consultant will regularly, brief HIHEA management on the development of the assignment, including progress and challenges;
6. At the submission of the draft Policy Manual, there will be a debriefing meeting/workshop with HIHEA Team, to discuss the progress made and propose any revisions/amendments.
7. Feedback from the workshop will be provided to the consultant to revise and finalize the policy.
8. Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs:

1. Submit Inception report, prepared after an inception meeting; Including an elaborate work plan
2. Facilitate a situational analysis and submit the subsequent report thereof.
3. Facilitate key strategic workshops with HIHEA staff and document the relevant information for policy development
4. Prepare a draft policy for review and present to HiH EA program management, receive feedback and incorporate in the final draft.
5. Submit final policy to HiH EA team that will include inter alia;
   1. Clear program objectives
6. Clear theory of change (TOC)
7. Policy Implementation Plan
8. Policy M&E Framework
9. Ethical Considerations

The selected consultant will be responsible for safeguarding and ensuring ethics at all stages of the policy development process. The consultant will be responsible for managing any potential ethical risks and issues and must put in place processes and systems to identify, report and resolve any ethical issues that might arise during the development of the policy.

1. Consultants Requirements

An eligible firm should meet the following criteria:

1. Compliance with legal requirements of registration
2. At least 5 years of Strategy and policy formulation experience corporately
3. Present at least 3 references for similar tasks performed within the last three years
4. Provide Policy formulation methodology, proposed work-plan, and curriculum vitae for any key staff if any proposed to work directly on the assignment.
5. Not to have any conflict of interest or to highlight any potential conflict of interest in taking up this role.
6. Client Inputs

Hand in Hand shall provide the contacts and links it has to its key staff, management team, members, and any other related and needed contacts. HiH EA will also provide relevant internal documents and other requested documents necessary to provide an organizational overview.