Project Manager- Technical Assistance Department - Nairobi
Summary
COLEAD, a non-profit supporting sustainable horticulture in Sub-Saharan Africa, seeks a Nairobi-based Project Manager to manage a portfolio of partner-beneficiaries: assessing needs, designing and delivering technical assistance and capacity-building, and handling monitoring, evaluation and reporting. Office/collaboration tools and CRM/ERP familiarity are assets.
COLEAD is looking for a Project Manager
to strengthen its Technical Assistance department, as part of the
implementation of its projects and programmes supporting the Sub-Saharan
horticultural sector.
COLEAD is an inter-professional association
established under Law 1901 in France, dedicated to supporting the sustainable
transformation of agri-food systems in low-income and lower-middle-income
countries, with an historical anchorage and consolidated experience in the
horticultural sector across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Since its creation, COLEAD has implemented development programmes in more than
50 countries, financed by public and institutional partners. The organisation is
ISO 21001 certified and operates under a governance framework that reflects its
inter-professional nature and its commitment to the long-term transformation of
agri-food systems.
The project manager will be based at COLEAD’s
programme management unit in Nairobi and will actively contribute to the
development and implementation of projects supporting partner-beneficiaries
from the private horticultural sector (fruit and vegetable production, processing
and/or export-oriented companies, producer groups and organisations,
consultants/service providers, professional organisations, etc.) and the public
sector (SPS competent authorities, Public sector extension services,
Universities and training centres, etc.).
These different projects aim to achieve the objective
of the projects and programmes implemented by COLEAD i.e. the improvement of
the capacity of all stakeholders in the Sub-Saharan horticultural sector to
adapt to evolving SPS, commercial, social and environmental requirements on
local, regional and international markets.
Main
responsibilities
As Project Manager,
you will take operational responsibility for a portfolio of
partner-beneficiaries and technical assistance and capacity building
activities, from needs assessment and project design through implementation,
monitoring, evaluation and follow-up.
More specifically,
you will be responsible for:
Development of
support projects (‘development projects’) for partner-beneficiaries
- Analyse in-depth applications for support
received from potential partner-beneficiaries.
- Implement COLEAD's Sustainability
Self-Assessment System (SAS) with companies and other relevant
partners and prepare the corresponding assessment reports.
- Work with partner-beneficiaries to identify
needs, priorities and appropriate capacity-building solutions and
translate these into structured individual development projects.
- Guide partner-beneficiaries towards relevant
COLEAD resources, expertise and networks and build lasting working
relationships with them.
Implementation
of technical assistance and capacity building activities
- Manage and coordinate the implementation of
capacity building activities agreed with partner-beneficiaries, including
technical assistance, training and other targeted support.
- Prepare terms of reference and contribute to the
identification and selection of appropriate experts and service providers.
- Coordinate the contracting, mobilisation, and
evaluation of external service providers in accordance with COLEAD and
donor procedures.
- Coordinate with local partners and service
providers regarding the technical, administrative and logistical
arrangements required for activities.
- Organise and monitor calls for expressions of
interest and other processes used to select participants or
partner-beneficiaries for programme activities.
- Ensure that planned activities are implemented to
the expected quality, within agreed timelines and in accordance with
applicable procedures.
Monitoring,
evaluation, and reporting
- Plan, coordinate and monitor programmes technical
assistance and capacity building activities falling under your
responsibility.
- Ensure appropriate technical, administrative and
financial follow-up of activities under your responsibility.
- Maintain complete and accurate programme records,
including activity documentation, invoices, certificates and relevant
monitoring data.
- Ensure timely and reliable inputs to programme
monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the implementation, results and
follow-up of technical assistance activities.
- Identify implementation issues and propose
practical solutions and corrective actions where required.
Teamwork and
programme contribution
- Work closely with Programme Coordinators and
COLEAD colleagues responsible for Technical Assistance, Training, and
other programme components.
- Maintain regular contact with horticultural
companies, producer organisations, competent authorities, support
organisations, experts, training providers and other programme
stakeholders.
- Contribute to the organisation and assessment of
tenders and other procedures for selecting external service providers.
- Contribute to technical support workshops,
conferences, trade fairs and other events organised by or involving
COLEAD.
- Contribute, where relevant, to the development of
training resources.
- Contribute to other COLEAD activities where
required by programme implementation needs.
Profil
- Higher education degree (ideally Master’s degree)
in a relevant field such as agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, plant
protection, food science, environmental sciences, agribusiness, economics,
management or project management.
- At least seven (7) years of proven/relevant
professional experience,
including substantial experience in Sub-Saharan’s agricultural or
horticultural sector.
- At least five (5) years of demonstrated project
management experience,
including responsibility for planning, implementation, monitoring and
follow-up of activities.
- Practical experience working with horticultural
businesses, producer organisations, public institutions and/or
business-support organisations, with a sound understanding of
horticultural value chains and the challenges affecting their
competitiveness and sustainability.
- Practical experience in one or more of the
following areas is considered an asset: SPS inspections and compliance
issues; management or strengthening of training institutions; and
facilitation of access to finance.Demonstrated experience in designing,
managing, and monitoring technical assistance, capacity-building or
organisational development activities.
- Experience managing external experts, consultants
or service providers, including preparation of terms of reference,
monitoring of assignments and evaluation of deliverables.
- Experience with project monitoring, reporting and
administrative and financial follow-up.
- Good digital literacy and command of standard
office and collaboration tools. Experience with CRM/ERP systems, online
reporting tools, digital learning platforms or project management systems
is considered an asset, as is the ability to quickly learn and adopt new
digital tools.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another COLEAD working
language, particularly French, Spanish or Portuguese, is an asset.
Skills and
competencies
The successful
candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong project management, planning and
organisational skills, with the capacity to manage several activities
and partner files simultaneously.
- A high degree of autonomy, initiative and
accountability, while working effectively within agreed procedures and
reporting lines.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to
translate identified needs into practical and structured support
activities.
- A results-oriented and solution-focused
approach, with the ability to anticipate implementation challenges and
propose appropriate responses.
- Rigour and attention to detail, particularly
regarding project documentation, budgets, procedures and monitoring data.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish constructive
working relationships with private-sector operators, public institutions,
professional organisations, experts and colleagues.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly
with diverse stakeholders in both face-to-face and digital environments.
- Strong teamwork, coordination, and collaboration
skills in a
multicultural and geographically distributed organisation.
- Flexibility and the ability to work effectively
under pressure and manage competing priorities.
Informations contractuelles
This is a full-time
position based in Nairobi, Kenya. Regular travel within the region will be
required. The successful candidate should also be available for occasional
short-term assignments within the Eastern African region and, where relevant,
travel to Belgium or other countries linked to the implementation of the
programmes.
Initial contract
duration: one year, renewable
Expected
starting date: January 2027
COLEAD offers a
competitive remuneration package aligned with market conditions and taking into
account the selected candidate's experience and qualifications.
Joining COLEAD means
becoming part of a multicultural team working to strengthen the contribution of
sustainable agri-food systems to economic, social and environmental
development. COLEAD's values are commitment, difference, humanity,
performance and continuous improvement.
To apply, please
submit your CV, cover letter and professional references by 2nd of November 2026.