NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The Youth Employment in the Agri-Food Sector (YEA) project, also known as “Agri-Jobs 4 Youth,” is a GIZ initiative implemented in Western Kenya across Bungoma, Kakamega, Kisumu, Siaya, and Vihiga Counties. Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project aims to create sustainable income and employment opportunities for young people and women in the agricultural and food sectors. Its primary target group includes young farmers, SME owners, and their employees, particularly individuals aged 18 to 35 years.

The initiative supports Kenya’s national policies on youth employment and contributes to broader sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as eradicating poverty and hunger, advancing gender equality, promoting decent work and economic growth, and addressing climate change. Through a multi-stakeholder approach, the project collaborates with government agencies, private sector associations, and civil society organizations to drive systemic and inclusive change.

YEA focuses on four main areas of intervention:

1. Strengthening Institutional Capacity:

   Enhancing the ability of public and private actors to design, implement, and coordinate strategies that promote youth employment within the agricultural sector.

2. Improving Access to Services and Markets:

   Supporting young farmers to access agricultural inputs, financing, extension services, and markets—particularly within high-potential value chains—while leveraging digital innovations to increase efficiency and market linkages.

3. Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development:

   Building the entrepreneurial and managerial competencies of youth-led enterprises and startups within the agri-food value chain, and providing targeted support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for growth and sustainability.

4. Promoting the Attractiveness of the Agri-Food Sector:

   Rebranding agriculture as a modern, inclusive, and profitable sector to inspire youth participation and long-term engagement in agri-business and related industries.

A. Responsibilities

The Advisor for Communication and Perception Change supports the Project Management and Technical Advisors in various components of Agri-Jobs 4 Youth in communication, awareness raising and visibility towards the political partners, donors, other stakeholders and the general public. In the work area 4 of the project, he/she is responsible for the overall coordination of the project measures towards perception change. He/She will report to the Project Manager of Agri-Jobs 4 Youth.

B. Tasks

Technical tasks and duties:

• Responsible for the strategic guidance of the future of Perception Change activities in Agri-Jobs 4 Youth
• Responsible for the implementation and steering of awareness-raising and image campaigns and activities to promote the attractiveness of the agricultural and food sector as an inclusive, modern and lucrative source of income and employment for young people (in close collaboration with the Junior Communication and Visibility Advisor),
• Development of communication and perception change materials,
• Strategically identifying and guiding the development of knowledge and communication
  products,
• Coordinate the update of the projects communication & perception change strategies that foster the climate-resilient transformation of agricultural and food system,
• Liaison with the Cluster and Country Office Communicators,
• Support to the M&E team on results-based monitoring of the above-mentioned initiatives,
• Initiate and manage procurement of services and goods in line with the above-mentioned initiatives according to GIZ rules and regulations.

Communication and knowledge management tasks

• Advising the project manager on strategic communication matters,
• Support project communication through development and quality control of information materials, and marketing of success stories and project updates through internal and external communication channels;
• Advise the technical teams on the development of knowledge products e.g. briefing papers and reports on learnings and good
  practices, and support their distribution within GIZ (Sector Networks etc) and
  among project partners and stakeholders,
• Support project management in the planning of and participation in events, including management of external contractors.
• Support the project management in the reporting towards BMZ, national public partners and potentially co-funding agencies.

Other tasks and duties

• Perform any other duty as required by the superior.

C. Required qualifications, experiences and competencies

Qualifications

University degree in communication, public relations, social sciences, marketing or any field related to the assignment.

Professional experience

• General professional Experience: 8 years of work experience in communication and/or marketing,
• Specific professional experience:
• 5 years of work experience in impact and/or Social and Behaviour
  Change communication,
• 3 years professional experience in the development sector, working
  experience in German Development Cooperation is an asset
• Professional experience in the agri-food system transformation is
  desirable.

Knowledge and additional competencies

• Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications (MS Office and MS Teams);
• Proficient in the use of Adobe Creative Cloud,
• High degree of digital affinity and skilled in working with modern media,
• Languages: Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Kiswahili;
• Ability to provide strategic guidance and do quality control
• Good interpersonal and negotiation skills and the ability to motivate individuals to participate to share information, knowledge and experience;
• Be a team player;
• Integrity regarding GIZ values and ethical standards.

Duty station

Kisumu with frequent visits to rural areas in Western Kenya; contract period:

Contract Duration:

01/2026 to 12/2026 (prospect of contract extension).

Submission of Application

Vacancy Reference Number: GIZ/ARD/01/10/2025

Equal Employment Opportunity

At GIZ Kenya, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We actively seek individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to build a stronger, more impactful global team.

We provide an environment of respect and psychological safety, ensuring equal employment opportunities for all. Discrimination based on race, colour, ancestry, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, disability, marital status, or any other protected status is not tolerated in any of our workplaces.

People With disability are encouraged to apply

Ethics

GIZ is committed to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals we interact with, including staff, partners, community members, and program participants. We uphold the highest standards in preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. Child abuse or any form of misconduct by or toward team members is strictly prohibited.

All staff are expected to behave professionally, respect local laws and customs, and complete mandatory ethics e-learning courses upon hire.

Data Confidentiality

In accordance with GIZ’s data protection policy, all candidate applications are stored in our database for six (6) months and deleted thereafter.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.