Furniture designer

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Furniture designer in Kenya for 24 months

What's the context and purpose of the role?

It is estimated that 1.3 million children in Kenya between the ages of 0-15 years have disabilities. VSO has been working in Kenya for many years and has developed credibility in disability work having gained considerable experience in this area and is seen by government and NGOs as a strong partner in Disability. This has included working on the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People as part of the Kenyan delegation.
This placement will be based in the Mombasa office of the national Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya. The Association has branches all across Kenya and aims to "To enable persons with disabilities to overcome their physical limitations and empower them physically, economically, and socially to become self-reliant and fully integrated members of their communities". The placement is based in the Coast Branch which provides vocational training, production and distribution of orthopaedic mobility aids at Likoni Quality Furniture.

What does the role involve?
You will work closely with the Project Manager at Likoni Quality Furniture and to:
* Be responsible for costing, designing as well and marketing for all furniture.
* Develop the designs of a new range of furniture which is simple and elegant and responds to market demands.
* Supervise and monitor on-going work in the production facility to see that compliance and quality in your designs is maintained.
* Offer advice on improving the production process.
* Respond to client inquiries and sales, including costings and designs.
* Supervise staff on site.
* Develop the organisations IT facilities and web based marketing systems.
* Train staff in using the Internet and technology-based marketing
* Act as a catalyst for change and inject new ideas and perspectives into the organization

What skills, experience and personal qualities are needed for the roleYou will have a degree in design and a qualification in business administration. You'll need experience of technical drawing, quality control systems and procedures in craft production. You will have specific experience in the furniture industry, including knowledge of unit costing, pricing skills, stock control, marketing and financial management. You'll need to be computer literate including using accounting software. Experience of training adults and website design would be an advantage. Ideally you will have experience of running your own business, operating in national and international markets. As a person you will be flexible, patient and able to adapt to the Likoni local context and a willingness to learn from local people.

And the rest.
You'll be based in Likoni, Mombasa. Likoni is located just at the tip of Mombasa Island. Mombasa is Kenya's second major city and the largest coastal port in East Africa. Mombasa is a fascinating town, there's a depth of history here, and a sense of community that the capital, Nairobi lacks. Mombasa is the hub of the coast, a steamy, hot faded charming city that still feels like a small town that was once great. Public transport consists of small minibuses and the rest of Kenya is easily accessible from Mombasa by long distance buses, taxis and by air.

We'll ask you to commit to 12 - 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we'll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local salary, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. When you return to your home country, we'll support you to resettle.

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