Millennium Challenge Account
The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA-Lesotho II) is an entity established by the Government to act as the accountable entity to implement the Compact, with the authority to bind the Government with regard to all Program activities.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) awards eligible countries with fixed-amount, fixed-term (five year) grants (“compacts”) for a defined set of projects aimed at reducing poverty through economic growth. Country ownership of compacts is a core part of MCC’s model and influences a great deal of MCC’s work. MCC supports this through the assembly of a local team of professionals for each compact, typically called a “Millennium Challenge Account” or “MCA”, charged with compact implementation and overseen locally by a Board of Directors. MCC believes that the performance of MCA-Lesotho II staff has a significant impact on the efficiency, effectiveness, quality of compact implementation, and ultimately on the results that the compacts achieve.
Lesotho Compact
The Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact aims to benefit 2.5 million people by growing, strengthening, and organizing the private sector in Lesotho and improving the government’s coordination to deliver critical services necessary to support private sector development. It will achieve this goal through investments in Health System Strengthening and Market Driven Irrigated Horticulture, providing sustainable income for smallholders and increasing climate resilience by replacing rain-fed subsistence farming with irrigated commercial horticulture in select locations. The GOL committed to passing several key reforms that will help make this compact successful, including reforms that address gender equality, working conditions and worker safety, as well as land and water rights. Each of the compact’s four projects focus on overcoming barriers to the economic inclusion of women, youth, and the rural poor.
Position Objective
The Community Technician will engage with and assist community members who hold land within the community to secure their lands rights through obtaining a land allocation certificate or registered lease. More specifically, the Community Technician will perform the role of both a ‘para-surveyor’ and a land administrator at community level. The Community Technician will receive training in the specific technologies and methods that will be used in performing these duties.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Collect land parcel data that is required for registration and transaction of land rights in the Rural Land Registration System and the Lease Deed Registration System.
• Measure land boundaries and sketch land parcels by various methods, including the use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS a.k.a. GPS) gadgets such as tablet computers, measuring tapes, or image maps, to prepare land parcel diagrams and maps.
• Assist community members in their applications for land and land dealings, including for land allocation certificates, registered leases, land transfers, landholder updates upon inheritance, change of land use, among others.
• Transfer land parcel and land rights data, both digitally and in hardcopy, between community members, Land Allocation Committee, District Council, Land Administration Authority, and Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship.
• Advise and provide guidance and information for community members about land rights, and in cases involving the rights of women and vulnerable persons refer these to the Social Development Officer, and how to secure their land rights through registration of allocations and leases. Also, provide guidance on resolution of land disputes, advising persons on how to get a dispute resolved.
• For all land matters including applications for and registration of land allocation certificates and leases, help applicants and land occupiers to (a) identify and demarcate their parcel boundaries, and to measure parcel boundary lines, determining the coordinates of the parcel corners, and the area of land parcels, (b) record data on paper forms and/or digital gadgets about applicants and persons with rights and interest in the land for the purposes of land allocation and registration, including taking photos of involved persons and obtaining their signatures.
• Assist licensed land surveyors with cadastral surveying of land boundaries and preparing land diagrams and general plans, which will be submitted to the Land Administration Authority for the issuance of registered leasehold title.
• Assist the Community Council Secretary of the Land Allocation Committee to maintain land registers including but limited to a register of land allocations and update it with subsequent changes due to land transfers, inheritance, subdivisions, change of use, or other such land transactions.
• Contribute to raising awareness about land rights and registration among community members together and in coordination with Social Development Officers and others.
Requirements (Education, Experience, Technical Competencies)
• As a minimum, at least a Lesotho General Certificate of Secondary Education (LGCSE), but preferably also a tertiary qualification such as an AS Certificate, Technical Certificate, or Diploma, and evidence of training successfully completed in computer use.
• A LGCSE passing grade in mathematics
• A basic understanding of land tenure, land rights, and land registration in Lesotho.
• Proficiency in the use of computers, as evidence by certificates of training courses successfully completed.
• At least five (5) years of post-qualification work experience with at least one (1) year in a customer- or community-facing role and preferably some experience in land rights related work and working with computers.
• Proficiency in the use of digital gadgets such as tablet computers, handheld GNSS/GPS receivers, smartphones and measuring devices.
• Ability to strictly adhere to detailed written guidelines in carrying out the following tasks: (a) take measurements and prepare plans of land to required standards of numerical accuracy, and (b) enumerate or record details about people and their land rights
• Competency in spoken and written Sesotho and English and an effective communicator with rural people.
• Code B driving license.
This Position Description is subject to revisions/updates as necessary to ensure alignment to the organization’s strategic direction and structure. Revisions to the description are subject to applicable Human Resources policies and procedures, and Human Resources maintain official versions of each Position Description.
How to apply
Complete applications must be submitted on-line, on or before 3rd January 2025
Follow the following steps to apply:
