Remote Internship Opportunity: MEL Officer – Intern at IIRR
About the role
IIRR is one of the world’s leading rural development NGOs.
Founded in 1960, IIRR’s programs have impacted more than 68 million rural lives
across five continents. The organization’s programs address the health,
education, and environmental conditions of rural communities and prioritizes
the delivery of sustainable and scalable solutions that empower people to
improve their lives and livelihoods. IIRR currently maintains offices in
Africa, Asia, and North America.
IIRR is looking for intelligent, strategic, and resourceful
thinkers to join the organization in the role of Monitoring, Evaluation
& Learning (MEL) Officer intern. Interns in this role will help
support the development of knowledge management materials, including impact
reports and learning products, working directly with raw databases of both
quantitative and qualitative information. MEL Officer interns will work under
the direction of the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning.
This is an unpaid internship but available for class
credits. We have two internship models:
(i) full-time – requires a 5 days (40 hours) a week
commitment of 3 months
(ii) part-time – required 3 to 4 days (20 hours) a week commitment of 6 months.
Please note that internship hours must be scheduled during
regular New York/East Coast business hours.
Responsibilities
- Support
in the production and presentation of the 2025 annual report & impact
and lessons learned publication
- Support
in training delivery of the global MEL framework.
- Support
following up the data collection for the 2025 report.
- Assist
with new initiatives in areas of health, education, and the environment in
IIRR country offices
- Support
in the identification/recording of key analytic tools for measuring the
impacts of IIRR rural development programs
- Support
in grant proposals through research and/or writing.
- Assist
in creating new short-term initiatives on health, climate change
adaptation and/or nutrition
- Provide
research and authorship assistance for publications
Requirements
- Bachelor’s
degree in any discipline, preferably development studies, social sciences,
economics or statistics (completed prior to internship start date)
- Well-organized,
reliable, and self-motivated
- Helpful
and responsive (e.g., when dealing with ad-hoc requests for providing
support)
- Resourceful,
creative, who enjoys problem-solving
- Impeccable
writing skills with meticulous attention to detail and organizational
skills
- Curiosity,
creativity, and fearlessness in contributing new and bold ideas
- Exceptional
interpersonal skills
- Ability
to meet deadlines and effectively multi-task
- A
willingness to fail fast and forward while respecting and valuing input
from a global and diverse team
- Ability
and willingness to work in a startup culture that may require fluidity in
roles from week to week
- Intermediate
experience with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Applications
- Responsive
to manager’s feedback, ability to take direction and execute work
independently with minimal oversight in a remote working environment
- Passionate
about making a positive difference
Senior Consultant: Africa Food Systems at IIRR
IIRR is one of the world’s leading rural development
non-governmental organizations. Founded in 1960, IIRR has impacted more than 62
million rural lives across five continents. Its programs strengthen the health,
education, and environmental conditions of rural communities and prioritize
sustainable, community-led solutions that empower people to improve their lives
and livelihoods. IIRR maintains offices in Africa, Asia, and North
America.
About the Role
IIRR is seeking a senior leader to drive the design and
advancement of a large-scale, Africa-focused initiative aimed at strengthening
farmer-led food systems.
This is a strategic role focused on architecture, alignment,
and institutional partnerships.
The Consultant will lead structured engagement with senior technical, policy,
and investment stakeholders to translate ambitious concepts into credible,
implementable models.
Purpose of the Role
To lead the strategic design, partner alignment, and
institutional positioning of a large food systems initiative. The role requires
strong judgment and the ability to navigate complex institutional environments
with credibility and diplomacy.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Architecture & Alignment
- Lead
the structured co-design and alignment process with institutional
partners.
- Integrate
multiple workstreams (eg. farmer organization, SME development, market
systems) into a coherent strategic model.
- Ensure
alignment with existing sector frameworks and avoid duplication.
- Translate
technical feedback into clear, decision-ready revisions.
Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement
- Serve
as the primary senior counterpart to development finance institutions,
impact investors, and technical partners.
- Coordinate
inputs from external advisors, fund managers, and sector specialists.
- Maintain
disciplined, unified messaging on behalf of IIRR.
- Prepare
concise leadership-ready briefs and strategic notes.
Market Interface
- Engage
with potential financing partners to test market realism and instrument
design.
- Ensure
proposed models reflect SME realities, structural constraints, and risk
considerations.
- Support
sequencing from concept to pilot design.
Required Experience & Qualifications
- 12–18+
years of progressive leadership experience.
- Deep
background in African agriculture, agribusiness, food systems, and/or
rural market development.
- Demonstrated
experience working with development finance institutions (e.g., AfDB,
World Bank, IFAD, or similar).
- Proven
ability to navigate multi-stakeholder environments involving policy
actors, private sector firms, and financing institutions.
- Experience
in SME development, value chain programming, or anchor firm models.
- Strong
systems-thinking capability; able to integrate institutional, market, and
financial dimensions.
- Exceptional
written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated
credibility in senior-level institutional settings.
Highly Desirable
- Exposure
to blended finance or agricultural investment structures.
- Experience
designing or advising on market-linked agriculture programs.
- Familiarity
with warehouse/collateral systems, SME finance constraints, or risk
mitigation mechanisms.
- Background
in large-scale partnership design
- Experience
within a respected agricultural NGO, DFI, or agribusiness investment
organization.
Personal Attributes
- Strategic
thinker with disciplined execution mindset.
- Politically
astute and institutionally sensitive.
- Able
to manage ambiguity and drive clarity.
- Calm
under scrutiny.
- High
integrity and discretion.
Location & Travel
- Nairobi
strongly preferred.
- Frequent
travel within Africa required.
Compensation
Competitive and commensurate with experience.
Community Facilitators (Several posts) at IIRR
Purpose of the Position
The Community Facilitator will serve as the primary link
between the EASETRADE project and local MSME communities. They will lead the
mobilization of participants and the delivery of grassroots-level
capacity-building activities. To ensure deep local context and ownership,
facilitators must be residents of the specific county to which
they are assigned (Kiambu, Nyeri, Meru, or Nakuru).
Key Responsibilities (Job Description)
- Community
Mobilization: Identify, sensitize, and recruit eligible MSMEs and
young women entrepreneurs into the EASETRADE project.
- Validation
& Verification: Conduct business validation and verification
for participating MSMEs.
- Capacity
Building: Facilitate training sessions on digital literacy,
business management, market access, competitiveness, and navigating the
regulatory business environment using the provided curriculum.
- Digital
Tools Onboarding: Support MSMEs in adopting and using digital
lending platforms and fintech tools to access trade finance.
- Financial
Inclusion: Assist eligible MSMEs in accessing credit facilities.
- Stakeholder
Liaison: Maintain strong working relationships with local county
government officials, community leaders, and relevant business
associations.
- Networking: Identify
networking and collaboration platforms for young entrepreneurs to receive
specialized training and further knowledge.
- Logistics: Liaise
with community leaders to identify suitable training venues.
- Monitoring
& Reporting: Collect data for project Monitoring, Evaluation,
Accountability, and Learning (MEAL), and prepare weekly and monthly field
reports on progress and challenges.
- Mentorship: Provide
ongoing support, mentorship, and coaching to young entrepreneurs as they
apply project learnings to their businesses.
- Impact
Documentation: Document success stories to communicate project
impact for donor reporting.
- General
Duties: Perform any other duties as allocated by the supervisor
Qualifications and Experience
- Education: A
minimum of a Diploma in Community Development, Agribusiness, Business
Management, or any other relevant field.
- Experience: At
least 2 years of proven experience in community mobilization, field
facilitation, or working with rural livelihoods/MSME projects.
- Language
Skills: Proficiency in English and Kiswahili. Fluency in the
local language of the respective county is essential for effective
community engagement.
- Technical
Skills: Basic computer proficiency (Microsoft Word and Excel) and
experience with mobile-based data collection tools.
- Local
Knowledge: A deep understanding of the economic landscape and
socio-cultural dynamics of the target county.
Personal Competencies
- Excellent
communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong
organizational skills and the ability to work independently with minimal
supervision in rural settings.
- A
passion for rural development and the economic empowerment of women and
youth.
Duration and Duty Station
- Duration: 12
months (Renewable based on performance and project funding).
- Duty
Station: The facilitator will be based within their respective
sub-counties in Kiambu, Meru, Nyeri, or Nakuru.
Enumerators (Multiple Posts) at International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR)
Enumerator
Background
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR)
is a leading international non-governmental organization dedicated to
empowering rural communities through innovative, participatory development
initiatives. IIRR’s main programme focus is on sustainable agriculture, rural
enterprise development, financial inclusion, and gender equity. Our holistic
approach to development is delivered through capacity building, research, and
partnerships. Established in 1960, IIRR has worked across Africa, Asia, and
Latin America, providing platforms for articulating local needs, sharing
expertise, and promoting best practices in rural innovation and inclusive
growth.IIRR’s mission is to enable rural communities to achieve sustainable
livelihoods and social justice, while our vision is “an equitable world in
which rural people achieve their full potential, living a life of dignity and
self-reliance in harmony with the environment. ” As an institution that adopts
capacity development as its core approach, one of the ways IIRR contributes to
strengthening local ecosystems is by nurturing skilled facilitators and
researchers for youth-led enterprises. It is against this background that IIRR
seeks to conduct a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) for the EASETRADE MSME
Digital Infrastructure Lending Project. The successful candidates will work
under the supervision of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer and
designated field supervisors.
The assignment will involve:
-
Identifying and engaging young entrepreneurs (aged 18-35) in rural and
peri-urban areas, particularly in horticulture and value chain sectors.
- Administering
surveys and conducting key informant interviews (KIIs) to assess
knowledge, skills, attitudes, barriers, and training preferences in
enterprise management, financial literacy, digital platforms, and market
access.
- Entering
data on mobile devices using digital tools (e.g., ODK) and transmitting to
IIRR servers for real-time aggregation.
- Transcribing
the KIIs and submitting clear KII transcripts using the specified
structure.
- Liaising
with supervisors to verify data accuracy, resolve ambiguities, and ensure
completeness and consistency.
Skills and qualifications
At least a diploma in any discipline or about to complete
their studies.
- Relevant
work experience in research, rural development, youth entrepreneurship, or
financial inclusion sectors.
- Good
understanding of training needs assessment methodologies and data
collection.
- Proficiency
with mobile data collection tools (e.g., kobocollect).
- Strong
analytical and report writing skills.
- Willingness
to travel and work extended periods in rural/peri-urban field sites,
collaborate with partners (e.g., fintechs, financial institutions), and
interact effectively with young entrepreneurs and stakeholders.
- Ability
to deliver against strict reporting deadlines in a fast-changing
environment.
- Demonstrated
ability to interact and engage with youth groups, women-led enterprises,
government actors, and private sector players.
- A
resident of either Kiambu, Meru, Nakuru, or Nyeri counties with sound
understanding of the county’s geography, culture, and business
environment.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
- Application
letter (1 page maximum)
- Curriculum
vitae with details of at least 2 referees who are familiar with the
candidate’s work
- Deadline:
15th October 2025
- Email:
admin@iirr.org
- Subject
Line: Application for Enumerator Position
IIRR is an equal opportunity employer.