Programs Assistant – Livelihood and Just Economies

About TISA

TISA (The Institute for Social Accountability) is a national civil society organization committed to the realization of sound policy and good governance in Kenya. TISA, registered as a trust, has been operational since March 2008 and continues to engage with various relevant state and non-state actors in its quest to promote effective local governance in Kenya. TISA has built up considerable expertise and networks in local governance, participatory governance, advocacy strategies, capacity building, and practice learning while growing in experience and capacity in the development of capacity building tools and curricula in these areas.

Job Summary

The Programs Assistant will support TISA’s overall mandate and, in particular, advance gender transformation in food and trade systems to promote dignity and economic justice. Based in Kitui County, the role will support the planning, implementation, and coordination of gender-transformative activities, including household dialogues, Gender Action Learning System (GALS) processes, male engagement, women’s leadership development, and safeguarding, while working directly with women producers, community structures, cooperatives, county government, and other relevant stakeholders.

The Programs Assistant will serve as TISA’s lead liaison in Kitui County, providing day-to-day coordination with communities, county government, partners, and other stakeholders. The role will lead the preparation of first-draft reports for all activities and coordination processes, ensure timely submission of accurate field documentation, and report directly to the Programs Officer. The Programs Assistant will also support community organizing, participatory accountability processes, data collection and learning, and efforts by social movements, women-led groups and duty bearers to influence policies, practices and resource allocation across food and trade systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

Program Implementation Support

• Support the planning and field-level implementation of gender transformative agrifood systems activities and work plans in Kitui County.
• Assist in applying gender-responsive and feminist approaches in day-to-day programme activities.
• Support timely delivery of field activities against agreed timelines, budgets and reporting.

Stakeholder Engagement and Community Coordination

• Support engagement with women's groups, cooperatives, producer groups, county government departments and community leaders.
• Coordinate logistics for community dialogues, trainings and stakeholder meetings
• Serve as TISA’s lead liaison in Kitui County and represent the organization at community- and county-level forums.
• Mobilizing community members and project stakeholders, particularly women, for participation in project activities and decision-making spaces.

Monitoring, Documentation and Learning

• Support data collection through maintaining accurate participant records with unique identifiers segregated by gender, sex, and other social inclusion parameters.
• Track activity progress against indicators and deliverables.
• Lead the preparation of first-draft reports for all activities and coordination processes, including session reports, attendance records, case studies and field learning documentation, for review by the Programs Officer.
• Contribute input to donor reporting and programme monitoring requirements.

Feminist Movement Building and Community Mobilization

• Support relationships with grassroots structures, women-led groups, producer groups and community organizations.
• Support the rollout and monitoring of safeguarding and grievance referral mechanisms at community level.
• Support facilitation of community organizing and participatory accountability processes.
• Assist in delivering capacity-building sessions and training materials to community members.

Administrative and Logistical Support

• Support the project team with field budget tracking, procurement planning and activity reports for Kitui-based activities.
• Report directly to the Programs Officer, maintain regular communication on implementation progress and emerging issues, and perform other duties assigned by the Programs Officer or Head of Programs.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Agriculture, Community Development, Social Sciences, or a related field
• 2 to 4 years' field or community-level experience in gender programming, agrifood systems, livelihoods, or accountability sectors
• Experience working in Kitui County is an added advantage
• Familiarity with GESI approaches, household dialogues or male engagement methodologies
• Experience working directly with smallholder farmers, women producer groups or cooperatives
• Experience working with County Governments to influence policy.
• A good understanding of agrifood systems and value chain approaches
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili; working knowledge of Kamba is an added advantage
• Proficiency in MS Office and data management tools

Personal attributes/Competencies

• Passionate about gender equality and women's empowerment
• Strong communication, interpersonal and community mobilization skills
• Able to work independently with minimal day-to-day oversight in the field
• Willingness to travel frequently to project sites within Kitui County and other areas
• High integrity, accountability and commitment to safeguarding principles
• Commitment to social justice, inclusion and transformative change
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with ability to manage multiple field activities concurrently
• Collaborative team player, comfortable working within a multi-partner consortium
• Adaptive, resilient and solutions-oriented under dynamic field conditions