Mentors at Boma Projects Jobs in Kenya

Role description

BOMA is seeking qualified and experienced Mentors to deliver day-to-day implementation of the SOIL Program in Marsabit County. This is a field-based role whereby the mentor is responsible for program delivery by providing participants with monthly coaching, mentorship, facilitation, training, linkages to markets and follow-up activities to ensure the effective and quality implementation of the SOIL program towards the achievement of nutrition, livelihoods, entrepreneurship, savings, resilience, and child well-being outcomes. The mentor must be a member of the community/villages where the project is being implemented with clear understanding of the community culture, language and geographical coverage. The will serve as a frontline link between BOMA and participating households and community structures.
Reporting to the Field Officer, the Mentor will take lead in participant mobilization, targeting and enrolment, VSLA group formation and strengthening, capacity building, business coaching, monitoring progress of interventions and data collection. He/she will ensure smooth collaboration with key stakeholder in the community including the government structures relevant for the program deliver outcomes. The mentor delivery the expected roles with adherence to BOMA’s program quality, policies, safeguarding, and accountability standards.

Responsibilities

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Delivery and Participant Mentorship

Develop a strong understanding of BOMA’s nutrition-sensitive poverty graduation approach, the SOIL Program design, and the Mentor’s role in delivering the program in accordance to the approved program design, workplans, implementation guidelines, quality standards, and timelines.
Build trusted relationships with participants and provide practical, participant-centered coaching and mentorship based on individual and household needs.
Conduct monthly mentorship sessions with assigned participants, Business Groups (BGs), Savings Groups/VSLAs, and households, ensuring that agreed actions are followed up
Track participant progress, identify households or groups that are falling behind, and provide targeted support or escalate issues to the Field Officer.
Facilitate household visioning and action planning to help participants set realistic livelihood, nutrition, savings, and well-being goals and monitor progress towards them.
Ensure that program activities are delivered efficiently and contribute to agreed participant and program-level results and targets.
Use BOMA’s digital systems, tablets, monitoring platforms, and program tools to plan, document, track, and report implementation.
Identify implementation challenges and recommend practical adaptations to improve participant engagement, program quality, and results.

Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development

Deliver trainings to the participants on lifeskills, entrepreneurship, agri-nutrition, market linkages and financial literacy in accordance with the training manuals and standards
Guide participants to identify viable, context-specific and market-driven livelihood and enterprise opportunities based on local resources, skills, demand, risks, and household circumstances.
Support participants to start and strengthen viable enterprises across appropriate livelihood opportunities, including livestock trading, food production and trading, value addition, regenerative agriculture, service businesses, and nature-based enterprises.
Coach participants in developing and implementing simple business plans, including business objectives, start-up requirements, costing, pricing, sales, cash-flow management, and profitability.
Strengthen participants’ practical business management skills, including record keeping, stock management, customer management, cash management, and business performance tracking.
Coach participants on profit management, savings, reinvestment, and responsible use of business income to support enterprise growth and household well-being.
Conduct monthly enterprise follow-up to assess business performance, identify challenges, and support participants to develop practical solutions.
Facilitate linkages between participants and relevant markets, buyers, suppliers, aggregators, financial service providers, business development services, and other market actors.
Identify opportunities for participants to diversify income sources and promote enterprises that can contribute to improved household access to nutritious foods and strengthen the local food system.

Savings and Financial Inclusion

Support the formation, strengthening, and effective functioning of Savings Groups/VSLAs, in line with BOMA’s approved approach and standards.
Facilitate group sessions on savings, responsible borrowing, household budgeting, financial planning, and appropriate use of loans.
Coach participants to set savings goals and use savings strategically for productive investments, enterprise development, household needs, and resilience-building.
Monitor Savings Group performance and identify governance, participation, record-keeping, or financial management challenges requiring additional support.
Support viable Savings Groups and participants to establish linkages with appropriate formal financial institutions and other financial service providers.
Promote responsible financial decision-making and discourage borrowing that may increase household vulnerability.

Food Security, Nutrition and Child Well-being

Deliver the SOIL nutrition resilience package through regular household and group-level training, coaching, follow-up, and practical demonstrations.
Facilitate monthly agri-nutrition sessions covering food production, food utilization, dietary diversity, nutrition-sensitive livelihoods, and household resilience.
Provide practical nutrition education and counselling within the Mentor’s scope, with appropriate referrals to qualified health and nutrition service providers where required.
Support households to understand the link between income, food production, food access, dietary diversity, nutrition practices, and child well-being.
Promote consumption of diverse, locally available, affordable, and nutritious foods, including indigenous and traditional foods.
Support households to establish and maintain kitchen gardens, poultry, and other appropriate nutrition-sensitive activities, taking into account water availability, climate, land access, household capacity, and local conditions.
Conduct household follow-up to assess adoption of recommended food security and nutrition practices and provide practical support to address barriers.
Facilitate household dialogues on nutrition, food security, livelihoods, budgeting, caregiving practices, and child well-being, including household action planning.
Support nutrition screening and identification of children or household members requiring referral, in collaboration with Community Health Promoters (CHPs) and qualified health and nutrition actors.
Ensure identified cases requiring health, nutrition, protection, or other specialized services are appropriately referred and followed up in accordance with program protocols.
Support households to translate improved livelihood and income opportunities into improved food consumption, dietary diversity, and child well-being outcomes.

Household Resilience, Regenerative Practices and Community Engagement

Support households to identify key livelihood, food security, nutrition, climate, and economic risks affecting their well-being.
Coach households to develop practical actions to prepare for, manage, and recover from shocks.
Promote appropriate regenerative agriculture, sustainable natural resource management, and climate-resilient livelihood practices at household and community level.
Support participants to adopt practical approaches that improve household productivity while protecting and restoring natural resources.
Mobilize and engage community members in relevant SOIL activities and promote ownership of program interventions.
Build effective working relationships with community leaders, Location Committees, CHPs, government extension officers, schools, health facilities, and other relevant stakeholders.
Promote appropriate participation of men, youth, and other household members in livelihood, nutrition, food security, and child well-being activities.
Identify and nurture community champions who can demonstrate good practices and encourage peer learning and adoption among other households.

Monitoring, Data Management and Reporting

Collect and submit accurate, complete, timely, and verifiable program data using approved BOMA digital and reporting tools.
Maintain accurate records of participant, household, Business Group, and Savings Group activities and progress.
Update participant records and digital systems promptly following mentorship, training, household visits, and group sessions.
Monitor individual and household progress against agreed goals, milestones, and program graduation or outcome indicators.
Use available participant data to identify households requiring additional coaching, follow-up, referral, or escalation.
Report implementation progress, emerging risks, participant concerns, and significant challenges to the Field Officer in a timely manner.
Document success stories, innovations, adaptations, lessons learned, and good practices for program learning.
Participate in program reviews, data quality checks, learning sessions, and reflection meetings as required.
Ensure that all data collected is accurate and that participant information is handled confidentially and in accordance with BOMA’s data protection requirements.

Program Quality, Accountability and Safeguarding

Implement all activities in accordance with BOMA’s program standards, policies, safeguarding requirements, accountability commitments, and ethical standards.
Treat all participants with dignity, respect, and fairness and ensure inclusive participation in program activities.
Explain BOMA’s feedback, complaints, and safeguarding mechanisms to participants and ensure they know how and where to raise concerns.
Promptly report safeguarding, protection, fraud, exploitation, abuse, or other serious concerns through established reporting channels.
Maintain strict confidentiality of participant information and only collect, use, or share information for authorized program purposes.
Identify and escalate implementation risks that may affect participant safety, program quality, or achievement of results.
Support BOMA’s commitment to Do No Harm, inclusion, gender equality, and protection of vulnerable participants.

Field Operations and Resource Management

Plan and organize daily field activities and maintain accurate movement plans, fuel, mileage, and activity records in accordance with BOMA procedures and policies
Ensure effective use of assigned program resources, including tablets, phones, training materials, motorcycles, and other equipment.
Maintain assigned equipment in good working condition and report loss, damage, faults, or maintenance requirements promptly.
Submit required activity, fuel, movement, airtime, data bundles and other operational documentation within agreed timelines.
Use program resources responsibly and ensure activities are delivered in a cost-effective manner without compromising quality.
Comply with BOMA’s field security, health and safety, travel, and operational procedures.

Teamwork and Coordination

Work closely with the Field Officer, Program Manager, Community Health Promoters, technical teams, and other departmental staff to ensure coordinated delivery of the SOIL program package.
Participate actively in team meetings, supervision sessions, trainings, coaching sessions, and program review meetings.
Share field-level insights, participant feedback, emerging risks, and implementation lessons with the program team.
Support other team members during major program activities, participant mobilization, assessments, trainings, and community events as required.
Contribute to a positive team culture based on accountability, collaboration, respect, learning, and continuous improvement.

Other Responsibilities

Perform any other duties reasonably assigned by the Field Officer or Program Manager that contribute to the effective implementation and achievement of SOIL Program objectives.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

At least a Diploma in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Community Development, Nutrition, Community Health, Public Health, Social Work, Development Studies, Project Management or another relevant field.
At least 2 years of relevant experience in community-based programme implementation, livelihoods, entrepreneurship, nutrition, agriculture, economic inclusion, financial inclusion or resilience programming.
Demonstrated experience in community mobilization, participant mentorship, business coaching or savings group facilitation.
Experience working with women, pastoralist communities or other vulnerable and rural populations is highly desirable.
Experience using digital data collection tools and Microsoft Office is desirable.
Good interpersonal and communication skills.
Good coaching and facilitation skills.
Ability to work independently with minimum supervision.
Motivated, self-driven and accountable.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Must be a resident of the respective SOIL program implementation location/village.
Fluency in English and Kiswahili.
Fluency in the relevant local language spoken in the assigned location.
Strong basic computer and digital literacy.
Ability to work in remote and challenging environments.
Must have a Valid motorcycle riding license Class A1/A2. This is mandatory because the mentor is required to ride a motorcycle daily as he/she delivers the program activities in the field.