Counterpart International is seeking a Land Rights Technical Lead for the upcoming USAID-funded Burundi Itongo Ryanje, Itunga Ryanje Activity. The overall objective of the Activity is to improve the livelihoods of women growers and small holders in Ngozi province, Burundi, and subsequently improve their ability to influence their family and community due to increased social status. The Activity will support land titling and certification, improve agricultural productivity and climate resilience, and increase women growers’ access to resources and markets. The Land Rights Technical Lead will be responsible for the implementation and oversight of activities to promote women’s land rights and ownership, increase understanding and application of land right’s laws by local authorities and community influencers, and support land certification and documentation in Ngozi province. This is a full-time position based in Burundi and will serve the life of the project, which is expected to be 5 years.

Responsibilities

• Identify strategic needs, approaches, and priorities for designing and implementing activities related to women’s land tenure and rights, ensuring continuous adaptation to the local context, stakeholders and beneficiary needs. Activities may include (but not be limited to):
  • Work with local and national authorities to improve administration and documentation of land titling in Ngozi province and customer service in land titling transactions.
  • Conduct training and capacity-building for women growers, community leaders, and public officials to improve their knowledge of land titling rules and procedures as well as land dispute resolution laws and procedures.
  • Work with national and local authorities to disseminate and apply land tenure policies and practices.
  • Train and support public officials to conduct land surveys.
  • Spearhead awareness campaigns and social behavior change approaches to challenge social norms and address cultural barriers preventing women from owning or inheriting land.
• Collaborate with project technical staff to leverage internal expertise and recruit and manage external consultants (as needed) to design and implement training and technical assistance.
• Coordinate with MEL staff to design and implement a results monitoring framework and performance management plan for all activities related to land rights and certification.
• Document and communicate internally and externally successes, challenges, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Ensure gender and social inclusion is integrated into all capacity building tools, methodologies, and activities.
• Support the Chief of Party and other staff on the selection of grantees and technical management of grants, as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in law, agriculture, natural resource management, project management, international development or similar field; master’s degree preferred.
• Experience working on international development programs with donor organizations, USAID preferred.
• A minimum of five (5) years of demonstrated experience and expertise in land rights, land certification and titling, and/or land laws and regulations.
• Experience designing and conducting training and technical assistance activities.
• Demonstrated leadership, organizational, and high level interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with local and national government officials, community leaders and organizations, the private sector, and other stakeholders.
• Experience with gender integration and social cohesion.
• Prior work experience in Burundi or the region.
• Fluency in English and French required; Kirundi preferred.