Vacancy title:
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL) Officer

Jobs at:

Deadline of this Job:
Monday, July 08 2024 

Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, June 25 2024, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda is seeking to fill the position of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL) Officer - Rooted in Diversity (RiD): Partnership for food security and Livelihoods project at the Country Secretariat Office in Kampala – Uganda.

As part of a strong Regional Network of over 220 civil Society organizations spread out in 12 countries in East, Central and Southern Africa PELUM Uganda works to improve the livelihoods of small holder farmers and the sustainability of farming communities by fostering ecological land use management. Since 1995, PELUM Uganda has been sharing skills and knowledge about ecological Land use practices and techniques working with a broad network of likeminded organizations; undertaking research and demonstration projects and advocating for policies that better support small holder farmers with a vision of empowering communities in Uganda to sustainably utilize their natural resources.

About the RiD Project.
RiD is a 5-year project formed by a consortium of farmer associations, Civil Society Organisations and Agricultural Research Organizations across 3 Country Implementing partners of Uganda, Malawi and Niger with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), Department of Climate Change and Environment; Section for food.

The project is intended to enhance local knowledge, skills and capacities of small-scale food producers to improve food production and consumption in highly variable and poorly predictable agroecologies premised on the understanding that agrobiodiversity is the best way to promote food and nutrition security and adapt to the unpredictable weather conditions. The project will also work towards positively impacting systemic change towards appreciation of the roles of small-scale food producers and their organisations in combating food insecurity in the context of climate change by challenging power structures and relationships that underlie policies and practices around seed and food systems through sharing proven methodologies, previous experiences and linkages, documentation of learning processes and successful approaches for policy advice towards agrobiodiversity, seed and farmer’s rights.

The project focus and impact areas include; Local biodiversity management intended to build research agendas and capacities on participatory plant breeding while improving food storage and stimulating demand for marketing, Local value chains of agrobiodiverse products through dissemination of high quality seed of locally adapted varieties and support local value chains for agrobiodiverse products for stronger market linkages and access for farmer organisations; Innovative Farmer-researcher partnerships to build new ways of farmer-researcher collaboration for increased seed and food systems research and Collaborative environment for policy change to influence policy reforms through evidence based advocacy.

The project will be implemented in arid and semi-arid zones across Niger (Maradi, Dosso and Tillaberi regions), Malawi (Dowa and Nkhotakota districts) and Uganda (Pader, Gulu, Serere, Katakwi, Lamwo and Amuria districts) due the similar agroecosystems and crops, vulnerability to climate shocks largely increased by reliance on subsistence agriculture.

Suitable Candidates who possess the credentials below are therefore encouraged to apply.

Reports to: Project Manager - RiD
Responsible for: None

Other key relationships:
Support:
• Head of Programmes – PELUM Uganda, Project Thematic working groups (TWGs), Country implementing Teams (CITs), Regional Project Advisory Group (RPAG), Project partners, Government Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs), Project beneficiaries and other stakeholders, All Programme Managers, Officers & Colleagues within PELUM Uganda

External relations:
• Members, Civil Society/ Private Sector, Development Partners and Government

Job Purpose
To ensure effective planning, implementation, learning and tracking of project activities, monitoring progress, and developing reports in line with project costed work plans and log frame.

Job Summary
The job holder will be responsible for monitoring and ensuring that project activities and results are achieved in a cost effective and timely manner. S/he will be responsible for designing and implementing the M&E framework and activities of the project, assist the Programme staff in preparing reports on a regular basis.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities
• Providing Technical Leadership on project monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting.
• Oversee the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework for the project to ensure the project has strong MEL parameters and can measure progress against the project Theory of Change and set targets in line with the project log frame.
• Liaise with Project Manager and other internal stakeholders to actively seek their input and ownership of all MEL tools and processes.
• Establish and maintain a comprehensive MEL system for effective functioning of the project including planning, monitoring, evaluation, learning, reporting and managing communications between all project implementing partners, consortium and associate members;
• Support and capacity build Country Implementing Teams and thematic working groups on workplan development, log-frames, data management, reporting, quality assurance and stakeholder engagements among others.
• Ensure that crosscutting issues (gender, safeguarding, governance) are prioritized and monitored throughout the project period.
• Ensure that country implementing Teams remain within the confines of the project workplan and budget, and that fiscal and operational compliance is adhered to.

Project Monitoring and reporting
• Gather, consolidate, and submit required project data to the Project Manager on a regular basis and promote project-wide knowledge management, learning and data utilization.
• Be the focal point for data quality control and assurance by reviewing Country Implementing Teams reports and ensuring their compliance with contract requirements and submitting the final reports to the Consortium Steering Group (SG) and Regional Project Advisory Group (RPAG).
• Work in coordination with Country Implementing Teams and Thematic Working Groups to capture best practice and learning experiences. Ensure that learning is documented, shared, and utilized on a quarterly basis and as per donor reporting requirements.
• Manage the quarterly reporting process, providing analysis of data submitted and constructive feedback to Country Implementing Teams and partners; Facilitate the development of high-quality narrative reports.
• Track project changes and generate evidence to demonstrate shifts in project implementation; support the use of this evidence to improve the project strategies and showcase impact internally and externally.

Support to the Project Manager.
• Participate in regular planning and progress review meetings with the Project Manager, and with the project team and coordinate operational monitoring of project activities including organizing and convening monthly progress meetings of the Project Management Unit (PMU);
• Organise and facilitate project events and activities as per project workplan. These may include active involvement in planning and facilitating or cofacilitating at meetings, learning events, workshops, training courses, and other related project platforms.
• Ensuring that the Consortium Members, Steering Group and other stakeholders are kept informed of progress and key issues and support the Project Manager as required.
• Ensure all monitoring, evaluation and research activities are conducted in line with agreed ethical principles, and consistently promote women’s rights and downwards accountability to beneficiaries.
• Support the Project Manager to conduct, commission and manage research and evaluation processes such as the midterm and end of project evaluation and represent the Consortium Project Manager or project team as required in external meetings.
• Perform any other duties that are within the scope of the project.

General Duties
• Attend regular departmental meetings and provide feedback especially from other meetings and other key PELUMs issues and events that impact on the work of the departmental staff.
• Actively participate in planning, budgeting, M&E and reporting on PELUM Uganda activities.
• Provide support supervision, set performance targets, regularly appraise and give feedback to the Finance Assistant.
• Advising staff, board, PELUM members on any financial related issues.
• Support fundraising activities (preparation of project budgets & monitoring).

In addition to individual respective tasks, all PELUM employees are expected:
• To adhere to our organizational values and to actively promote their application amongst colleagues.
• To undertake tasks in a creative, self-driven and innovative fashion.
• Participate in relevant organisational, meetings and fora.
• Participate in raising resources for building PELUM's reserves.
• Ensure that all activities are implemented in a gender sensitive manner.
• Adhere to PEL UM's policies, procedures, and performance expectations in all functions.
• To identify and implement additional tasks/ ideas of benefit to the organization (whether directly linked to one's job or not).
• Any other duty as may be assigned by the supervisor.

The attainment of the above will be reflected in the employee's appraisal, as well as the achievement of outputs, as described in above key responsibilities.

Person specifications Education
• Bachelors in Statistics, Development Studies, Management Information System or any other relevant degree. A post graduate training in Project Management including M&E is a Must.

Industry experience
• At least 3 years of experience in the designing and implementation of M&E systems.
• Technical skills
• Skills in project Monitoring and Evaluation and knowledge in data analysis tools. Project development and proposal writing, and implementation of development-type projects.

Personal qualities
• Multi-tasking, attention to detail, critical reasoning and problem solving, ability to work under pressure in a complex organization, proactive.
• Communication and interpersonal relationship
• Capacity to understand and analyse national, regional, and local politics, ability to understand new issues.


Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 36

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure

If you believe you have the requisite qualifications for the position, please tender in your application cover letter highlighting your suitability for the position, CV, Copies of relevant certificates, testimonials, National ID and contacts of 3 referees addressed to:
The Country Coordinator
PELUM Uganda,
Plot 37/37A Martyrs Way Ntinda P.O Box, 35804, Kampala.

Applications should also be sent via email to pelumuganda@pelumuganda.org and copied to christinekabagenyi@pelumuganda.org. The Deadline for submission is 8th July 2024 at 05:00pm EAT.

Please Note: Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

PELUM Uganda is an equal opportunities employer, all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply irrespective of gender, race, religious affiliation, ethnic background or physical abilities.


All Jobs

QUICK ALERT SUBSCRIPTION