The United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK) is the umbrella organization of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in Kenya. Established in 1989, UDPK’s mandate is to promote full, effective, and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations (OPDs) in all spheres of life.
UDPK is seeking to recruit a qualified person for the following position.
Job Title: Program Officer.
The Program Officer will serve in the ‘Disability and Displacement Project’ running from 2025 to 2027. The project will strengthen services and opportunities for displaced persons with disabilities in Kenya, with a focus on strengthening access to pathways to safety and facilitating meaningful participation in refugee and disability-focused policy planning and implementation, decision-making and systems.
The project is supported by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. UDPK will implement this project in partnership with IRAP and RELON-Kenya. RELON is a national network of refugee-led organizations (RLOs) in Kenya and aims to advocate for the participation of refugees in decision-making tables and policy making dialogues.
Responsibilities
1. Implementation of program activities (90% of time)
▪ Manage and participate in key aspects of the project cycle including effective activity planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, reporting and documentation.
▪ Coordinate sharing of lessons learned from activities of the program.
▪ Work with project partners and other stakeholders on access to legal pathways to safety for forcibly displaced persons with disabilities in Kenya.
▪ Coordinate participation in advocacy workshops on meaningful participation of refugees with disabilities to advance their inclusion and participation in policy planning and implementation at national, regional, and international levels. ▪ Coordinate with project partners, the project Advisory committee and other stakeholders in developing and executing advocacy strategies aimed at raising awareness of challenges faced by refugees with disabilities.
▪ Liaise with project partners to plan and conduct training workshops on rights of persons with disabilities (as the UNCRPD).
▪ Work with project partners to Identify refugees with disabilities in the community who are project beneficiaries.
▪ Liaise and work with the Monitoring Evaluation Reporting and Learning (MERL) Officer and other internal expertise as required to develop and implement a robust M&E plan for tracking project performance.
▪ Work with other program officers at UDPK to ensure there is synergy and involvement of refugees with disabilities in other projects in the organization.
▪ Provide support to organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in support of the activities of the program.
▪ Be proactive in identifying and communicating challenges and possible solutions during the program activity cycle. ▪ Perform risk management for all program activities.
▪ Coordinate and participate in program reflection sessions.
▪ Perform other duties as assigned.
2. Financial & Resource Management (10% of time) Work closely with UDPK’s Senior Finance Officer:
▪ In preparation of program activity budgets and forecasts.
▪ Ensure all expenditure is accounted for and reports prepared in line with the organization’s finance policy and procedures.
▪ Other duties as assigned from time to time.
Qualifications
▪ Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Community Development, Public Policy, social work, development studies or related field.
▪ At least 2-3 years proven work experience as a Project Officer or a similar role managing a dynamic program with diverse stakeholders.
▪ Proven experience in Program cycle management including project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
▪ Demonstrable experience working with diverse communities and community-based organisations using participatory methodologies.
▪ Strong research and writing skills.
▪ Highly developed interpersonal, communication, decision-making and problem solving skills.
▪ Experience working with diverse teams in a dynamic work environment.
DESIRABLE
▪ Familiarity with national legislation and policies in the field of disability, human rights, refugee rights.
▪ Experience of advocacy work for disability inclusion.
▪ Understanding of trends and good practices in disability inclusion, refugee contexts and situations of risk.
▪ Knowledge of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The application deadline is 20th January 2025. Interested candidates that meet these requirements and are available to start immediately must send their applications to [email protected] copying [email protected]; with the subject titled Application for Program Officer, Disability and Displacement Project. Qualified persons with disabilities and people with lived experience of displacement are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation measures will be provided as needed throughout the recruitment process.
