The Head of Knowledge and Learning supports the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) Programme Team, the Director of Programme and Policy, and the Executive Director in the development and implementation of the ICI programme, in pursuit of ICI’s strategy and objectives, as agreed by the ICI Board. Reporting to the Director of Programmes and Policy, the Head of Knowledge and Learning will be responsible for contributing to the development and review of ICI’s overarching programmatic strategy, and for managing ICI’s project portfolio and supporting ICI’s country teams, in his/her thematic area, towards the achievement of ICI’s defined objectives. S/he will also lead the development, collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of programmatic knowledge, in support of ICI’s learning and influencing objectives, including in relation to the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning from the ICI Innovation work stream which is focused on Forced Labour, Children’s Rights and Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Adaptations.

Monitoring and Evaluation
- Provide technical supervision in the monitoring and evaluation of ICI’s programmes in collaboration with ICI’s monitoring and evaluation field teams.
- Directly supervise the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Geneva, and indirectly, technically supervise the Monitoring and Evaluation representatives in Ivory Coast and Ghana, setting objectives and conducting regular performance reviews.
- Design monitoring and evaluation tools and approaches (including supporting the design of mobile data collection tools).
- Analyse and report on quantitative and qualitative survey and programmatic data for various programmatic, research, internal and external reporting and communication purposes (and to enhance decision-making and programming).
- Provide input to proposals in matching proposed objectives and activities with appropriate indicators, monitoring and evaluation activities and associated budgets.
- Oversee the design and development of the ICI database platforms, to ensure that high quality and complete data are readily available and accessible to ICI programme staff and facilitate the reporting to internal and external stakeholders, for the efficient functioning and continuous improvement of the ICI programme.
- Support the on-going upgrade of ICI’s monitoring and data collection tools, systems, and platforms in coordination with the Information Systems and Monitoring and Evaluation teams.
- Support and participate in the development and management of any formal evaluations (internal and external) of ICI’s programme and work with programme managers/teams to develop action plans based on recommendations from those evaluations.
- Analyse and report on other actors’ M&E work in the cocoa sustainability sector, and advise ICI’s members and partners on M&E and learning within their own independent operations, towards a more aligned sectoral approach to M&E, good-practice definition and reporting.

Research
- Identify issues that are critical to the elimination of child labour & promotion of child protection and appraise related research needs and gaps in the cocoa sector, making recommendations for research priorities to be met accordingly;
- Analyse, commission, coordinate, manage and disseminate research studies, reports and results.
- Ensure effective management of programme/research budgets, commitments and deadlines, including onward communication to donors and other partners.

Knowledge and Learning
- Further develop ICI’s knowledge database/repository system and website through the coordination, review and uploading of relevant research documents.
- Facilitate lesson learning and knowledge sharing internally and externally within and across programmes.
- Design and deliver internal, targeted and collective learning events (for example stakeholder meetings, technical subgroups etc).
- Support the country teams in ensuring that project processes and outcomes are properly documented to learn lessons and identify good practices. Ensure that these outcomes feed ICI’s evidence-based advocacy and prepare documentation for dissemination and sharing to relevant audiences (i.e. through knowledge briefs and good practice papers).

Policy and Strategy
- Foster and maintain institutional dialogue with relevant local, national and regional counterparts (including local and international researchers, research organisations, academics and think thanks, local and national authorities, industry partners, international organisations and civil society), on all issues relating to his/her thematic area, with a view to nurturing strategic partnerships.
- Support the development and implementation of ICI’s Influencing strategy.
- Ad-hoc support to the Programme and Policy Director in his/her policy and strategy-setting tasks.
- Under the direction of the Programme and Policy Director and/or the Executive Director, represent ICI at relevant forums specific to his/her thematic area.

Capacity building
- With the support of the programme and country teams, lead the development of appropriate tools and guidance for capacity-building and training, internally and across key corporate, NGO and government partners in the sector, for the diffusion and scale-up of good practice.
- Provide advice, build team capacity, or mobilise technical expertise and support to field-level teams, partners, programmes and projects, in his/her thematic area, as required.

Programme Development and Management
- Coordinate responses to donor calls for proposals as well as unsolicited proposals in his/her thematic area.
- Act as technical supervisor for all projects, issues and staff with a dedicated focus on his/her thematic area, and direct supervisor for any direct-reports under his/her supervision.
- In collaboration with the wider programme team, establish and implement relevant processes for field-level project and team management.
- For any project(s) for which s/he is given budget-holder responsibility, ensure the management of relevant contracts or activities, with the support of the finance team, and under the supervision of the Programmes and Policy Director, ensuring that project funds are adequately monitored, reported and liquidated.

Communications
- Support ICI’s broader communications and fundraising efforts, particularly by ensuring that operational and programmatic perspectives from the field (in his/her thematic area) are sufficiently and accurately represented in ICI’s communications and media outreach, and, as per above, by assisting in the preparation of relevant grant applications and reports, and the development of strategic thematic partnerships.

- Ensure adequate organization and presentation of accurate data and relevant research findings throughout ICI’s dissemination and communication efforts (newsletters, annual report, website, stakeholder meetings, etc.).

QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- A Master’s Degree, or equivalent, in International Development, Social Sciences, Economics, Statistics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Business and Human Rights or similar.
Professional Experience
- At least seven years’ relevant work experience in the field of sustainability or international development, with evolving levels of responsibility and team management experience.
- First hand field-work experience, preferably in Africa, and preferably linked to an agricultural value-chain, a commodity supply-chain, or sustainable livelihoods.
- Comprehensive knowledge and experience of development or humanitarian programs.
- Knowledge of learning activities and how to create a learning and sharing environment with a strong knowledge management philosophy, preferably through multi-stakeholder collective learning processes.
- Strong background in statistics, experience in a senior position on programmatic M&E (not just at a project level), with experience managing research projects also desirable.
- Public-speaking capacity, with some past experience in evidence-based advocacy / policy development also desirable.

Skills and Competencies
- Fluency in either English or French, with a strong working knowledge of the other.
- Advanced written and spoken communication skills.
- Influencing experience and ability to develop networks and build alliances
- Experience managing a complex influencing framework incorporating development programming, campaigning, advocacy, and other interventions

- Understanding of child labour, children’s rights and agricultural livelihoods in developing countries.
- Experience in preparing grant applications, managing grants, and ensuring M&E.
- Ability to work pro-actively, flexibly and independently.
- Excellent interpersonal and team-playing skills.
- Ability to instruct, inspire and influence.

Only candidates with the possibility of acquiring a work permit for Switzerland should apply

Only those candidates who match the above requirements and who have been selected for interview will be contacted.

ICI’s vision is of thriving cocoa-growing communities where children’s rights are respected and protected, and where child labour has been eliminated. To this end, ICI expects all children assisted or impacted by its operations to be protected from physical, emotional and psychological harm, and all forms of abuse and exploitation.
ICI has zero-tolerance for all forms of child neglect, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, and psychological) and exploitation (sexual and commercial).
ICI commits to put the best interest of the child first, and at the centre of its work, irrespective of a child’s ability, ethnicity, faith, gender, sexuality and culture.
ICI recognizes its responsibility to ensure and to promote a safe and secure environment for children. To effectively manage risks to children, ICI requires the commitment, support and cooperation of all staff, associates, partners, suppliers, service-providers and visitors. By applying at ICI, you automatically agree to the above term and uphold the principles described herein