MEL Officer job at Mercy Corps Uganda

JOB DETAILS:

The Program
Present in Uganda since 2006, Mercy Corps Uganda’s aim is to catalyze change through the Ugandan private sector, civil society, and government to create resilient, economically inclusive, healthy, and secure communities.
REVIVE is the Climate Smart Land Management and Services component of the FCDO-funded Climate Smart Jobs (CSJ) programme implemented in Northern Uganda by Mercy Corps and its partners: Mandulis Energy, Viamo, Uganda Landcare Network and Uganda Cooperative Alliance.

The four-year programme will be realized through three outputs:
Viable and climate impactful sustainable land management products and services are identified and prepared for investment (stimulate supply);
Smallholder farmers, (including women and refugees within host communities) have increased information access and skills needed to adapt to, and increased resilience against climate shocks and stresses through sustained uptake of effective sustainable land management practices (stimulate demand);
Key barriers which confront the enabling environment and therefore the success of this programme are overcome (for both SMEs and smallholder farmers) with a focus on improving advocacy capacity at community level (improve the enabling environment).
The outputs will ensure that regenerated and improved ecosystem services at landscape/ watershed level are able to support smallholder farmers’, refugee communities' and women’s resilience and climate adaptive capacity.

The position
The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer will be responsible to implement REVIVE MEL strategy through adaptive management informed by learnings and evidence. The MEL officer will closely work with REVIVE partner organizations to oversee and ensure the collection of timely and quality M&E data for the project. The MEL Officer will be responsible for supporting the MEL Lead to oversee the monitoring, evaluation and learning data collection of the project, lead regular and annual field-based quantitative and qualitative data collection processes and procedures, analyze data to guide project implementation, and contribute to report writing. S/he will ensure that performance monitoring and results reporting tools and processes across the entire program are in place, effectively implemented, well synchronized between the activity sites and among the partners. The MEL Officer will supervise the project’s enumerators. The MEL officer will be an integral member of the project team learning and reflection processes, leading discussion on beneficiary feedback. S/he will also ensure project data is timely and periodically uploaded and updated into Mercy Corps Tola data system.

Essential Responsibilities
Monitoring and Evaluation
• Work closely with the project team and partners, to ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting of program activities and results.
• Coordinate reporting with local partners, specifically tracking deadlines, ensuring adherence to formats and requirements, ensuring reporting quality and accuracy, and periodic report writing, editing, and submission.
• Compile progress against indicators and report back to the team according to the monitoring plan.
• Support the roll-out of Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanisms (CARM) for the project staff as well as local partners on the same.
• Perform spot checks on data collected across project activities including partners and report each month.
• Actively engage to ensure project participants are well captured in the ONA system.
• Support the MEL Lead in coordinating the baseline, mid-term evaluation and final evaluation, along with other key research activities.
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members including partner organizations to implement Project monitoring tools, accurately enter project data into relevant databases, and enable them to develop excellent reports, visualization, and other documents.
• Document lessons learned and success stories on the project.
• Ensure adherence to program management minimum standards and advising and supporting other staff in the same as required.
• Disseminate research learnings and recommendations to team members, beneficiaries and other relevant audiences.
• Actively support in conducting After -Action -Reviews.
• Other duties as assigned.

Learning and Adaptive Management
• Organize and facilitate learning sessions with project team and external stakeholders to reflect on evidence and drive planning and implementation of programme inputs and activities.
• In coordination with partners, help develop Knowledge management, Learning and Communication activities that reflect industry standards in climate resilience, knowledge transfer and application.
• Organize and facilitate pause and reflect session to monitor performance of project activities and document to inform and adapt work plan taking into consideration the dynamic and complex contexts of climate change and project nature;
• Support REVIVE intentional learning and continuous improvement culture by contributing to strategies to monitor, evaluate and report on the effectiveness of programme efforts through activities such as after-action reviews, quarterly reviews, internal performance review.

Supervisory Responsibility
Data Enumerators

Accountability:
Reports Directly To: MEL Lead
Works Directly with: Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, Technical Leads and other Program team including officers and assistants as well as support departments including finance, operations and administration.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification and Transferable Skills
• A Bachelor’s degree in statistics, Quantitative economics, Economics, social sciences, or related field.
• At least 3-4 years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation of Humanitarian or development programs or in the fields of research.
• Good understanding and skills of data management.
• Experience with theoretical and practical background in MEL, knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methodologies and techniques used - required.
• Successful experience in the use of mobile data collection tools like Open Data Kit (ODK) and ability to use data visualization software (e.g. PowerBI) - preferred;
• Experience authoring xls forms for mobile data collection (This will be tested);
• Experience managing different aspects of assessments as a lead, right from tools design, data collection, processing, analysis and report writing (Writing samples will be requested);
• Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of MS Office applications and G-suite;
• Proficiency in at least one statistical software (Stata, R, SPSS) in handling large data sets (Stata will be preferred);
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members;
• Fluent in both spoken and written English. Knowledge of local language (Luo) is preferable.

Success Factors
The successful MEL Officer will combine exceptional data collection, analysis and management skills with experience in adaptive management across partner organizations. S/he will have an ability to think creatively about operationalizing and improving the M&E system of the project. S/he will have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail as well as strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. A good sense of humor and the ability to learn from mistakes also goes a long way!

Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Disclaimer: This job description is NOT an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.


JOB DETAILS:

The Program
Present in Uganda since 2006, Mercy Corps Uganda’s aim is to catalyze change through the Ugandan private sector, civil society, and government to create resilient, economically inclusive, healthy, and secure communities.
REVIVE is the Climate Smart Land Management and Services component of the FCDO-funded Climate Smart Jobs (CSJ) programme implemented in Northern Uganda by Mercy Corps and its partners: Mandulis Energy, Viamo, Uganda Landcare Network and Uganda Cooperative Alliance.

The four-year programme will be realized through three outputs:
Viable and climate impactful sustainable land management products and services are identified and prepared for investment (stimulate supply);
Smallholder farmers, (including women and refugees within host communities) have increased information access and skills needed to adapt to, and increased resilience against climate shocks and stresses through sustained uptake of effective sustainable land management practices (stimulate demand);
Key barriers which confront the enabling environment and therefore the success of this programme are overcome (for both SMEs and smallholder farmers) with a focus on improving advocacy capacity at community level (improve the enabling environment).
The outputs will ensure that regenerated and improved ecosystem services at landscape/ watershed level are able to support smallholder farmers’, refugee communities' and women’s resilience and climate adaptive capacity.

The Position
The Communications Officer will be responsible to implement the REVIVE project communication strategy and plan, facilitate the development and dissemination of internal and external communications products for the project among key audiences and events, and ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps branding and visibility requirements. S/he will work closely with project team members and utilize program data to develop a variety of communications materials including success stories, case studies, learning briefs, fact sheets, newsletters, brochures, social media posts, photos and videos. S/he will be responsible for documenting stories from the field and delivering these to target audiences through publications on our website, through social media and other channels of dissemination. The Communications Officer will further organize (public) events, such as donor visits, showcases and learning events

Essential Responsibilities
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
• Develops, adapts and follows project communication plan and strategy to gather and share learnings and stories.
• Specify appropriate communication channels, dissemination methods and media such as video, print, online media, traditional media, and social media, among others to effectively communicate key messages to specific audiences.
• Design standard publication layouts for the REVIVE project.
• Support communication activities through knowledge management, information exchange and building capacity of the project team in communication matters.
• Enable appropriate access to information, visibility materials and proper storage/management of such materials/equipment.
• Maintain professional relationships with local media.
• Stay up-to-date on all program activities to develop, review and coordinate communications plans.
• In coordination with Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, and Technical Leads, conceptualize, design and develop materials for the REVIVE project with appropriate and relevant messages tailored for key audiences using various formats as appropriate such as text, graphics, imageries, infographics, video, printed materials, etc.
• Participate and contribute to on-going learning, adaptive management sessions and support teams to identify learning and documentation.
• Plan and coordinate events for REVIVE partners and Mercy Corps staff.
• Conduct regular visits to project operational areas to collect stories both independently and in teams.
• Ensure all communications products adhere to donor and Mercy Corps branding and visibility requirements.
• Help prepare for external-facing events and meetings, including preparation of document packages, talking points, etc. Maintain close working relationships with the donor, other humanitarian and development organizations, and local partners, including representing Mercy Corps at local meetings as required.

Supervisory Responsibility
None

Accountability
Reports Directly To: Deputy Team Lead
Works Directly With: Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, Technical Leads and other REVIVE project team members, PaQ unit and support departments including People and Culture, Finance and Operations teams.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
• A bachelor's degree or equivalent in Mass Communication, Journalism, Development Communication, Organizational Communications, or another relevant fields
• At least 3-4 years of relevant experience in developing, designing, producing and publishing/disseminating communication products using various media
• Experience in organizing and coordinating public events
• Professional-level fluency of English. He/she should have written and oral communications skills, with good content editing and proofreading abilities to ensure materials are of high quality and accurate
• Comfortable working on a geographically dispersed team, including working independently at times
• Ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment
• Ability to be flexible, resourceful and innovative in a variety of situations.
• A can-do, team player attitude
• Great interpersonal skills
• Comfortable working with all levels of an organization including senior management

Success Factors
The successful Communications Officer is dynamic and proactive with a demonstrated ability to identify compelling stories and communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders and audiences, from community members to government and donor representatives. S/he will combine very good documentation, writing, planning and communication skills to develop and disseminate stories and learning. S/he has the proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results and deadlines. Willingness to travel frequently to remote locations. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail, as well as strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. A good sense of humor and the ability to learn from mistakes also goes a long way!

Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
Disclaimer: This job description is NOT an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

JOB DETAILS:

The Program
Present in Uganda since 2006, Mercy Corps Uganda’s aim is to catalyze change through the Ugandan private sector, civil society, and government to create resilient, economically inclusive, healthy, and secure communities.
REVIVE is the Climate Smart Land Management and Services component of the FCDO-funded Climate Smart Jobs (CSJ) programme implemented in Northern Uganda by Mercy Corps and its partners: Mandulis Energy, Viamo, Uganda Landcare Network and Uganda Cooperative Alliance.

The four-year programme will be realized through three outputs:
Viable and climate impactful sustainable land management products and services are identified and prepared for investment (stimulate supply);
Smallholder farmers, (including women and refugees within host communities) have increased information access and skills needed to adapt to, and increased resilience against climate shocks and stresses through sustained uptake of effective sustainable land management practices (stimulate demand);
Key barriers which confront the enabling environment and therefore the success of this programme are overcome (for both SMEs and smallholder farmers) with a focus on improving advocacy capacity at community level (improve the enabling environment).
The outputs will ensure that regenerated and improved ecosystem services at landscape/ watershed level are able to support smallholder farmers’, refugee communities' and women’s resilience and climate adaptive capacity.

The Position
The Program Officer will be responsible for facilitating the implementation of the REVIVE project activities at the community level. S/he will be in constant contact with partners, public and private stakeholders and targeted communities to ensure full participation, integration of activities, collaboration of partners and implementation. In coordination with Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, Technical Leads, MEL officers and CARM assistant, s/he will conduct regular field visits to ensure that all stakeholders fully understand and utilize REVIVE approaches and methodologies. S/he will be responsible for working and building the capacity of the partners, supporting in developing institutional development plans for the local partners, participating in coordination meetings, and preparing activity work plans and budgets for approval.

Essential Responsibilities
Project Implementation
• Provide technical support in the responsibility areas for Climate Smart and Sustainable Land Management, Economic Development, Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion to ensure that planned activities are implemented timely and with required deliverable quality.
• Work with the community structures across refugee and host communities to plan and implement effectively the deliverables of the program in line with work plans and targets.
• Facilitate implementation of the activities across REVIVE implementation districts.
• Represent the project, displaying courtesy and tact in all interactions with community members, sub-county and district level authorities and other stakeholders.
• Conduct regular field visits to ensure proper implementation of activities and that all stakeholders fully understand and utilize REVIVE approaches and methodologies.
• In coordination with the Technical Leads and Deputy Team Lead, prepare activity plans, implement and compile the activity reports.
• Take part in facilitating and monitoring the work of project partners and community facilitators and ensure value for money for the tasks given.
• Contribute to the development of field activities and report writing.
• Contribute to the identification of lessons learnt and propose recommendations for programmatic adaptations.
• Contribute to project research activities including data collection, as needed.
• Support in developing capacity building materials for partners as well as participate in capacity building sessions based on identified needs.
• Carry out any other duties as required for the good functioning of the project.

Learning and Adaptive Management
• In coordination with REVIVE and Mercy Corps Uganda MEL team, facilitate learning sessions with project team and external stakeholders to reflect on evidence and drive planning and implementation of program inputs and activities.
• Organize and facilitate pause and reflect sessions to monitor performance of project activities and document to inform and adapt work plans taking into consideration the dynamic and complex contexts of climate change and project nature.

Supervisory Responsibility
None

Accountability
Reports Directly To: Deputy Team Lead
Works Directly With: Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, Technical Leads and other Program team including officers and assistants as well as support departments including finance, operations and administration.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Development Studies or related field;
• Minimum of three years’ professional experience in implementing resilience building, economic development, climate adaptation and related projects. Experience in the context of refugee-host community is highly preferred;
• Ability and commitment to teamwork;
• Ability to interact effectively with the diverse project stakeholders;
• Knowledge of local languages spoken in the context is an added advantage;
• Possession of a valid motorcycle license preferred.

Success Factors
The successful Program Officer will combine adaptive planning and communication skills in the delivery of the project activities in the community. Ability to quickly learn and implement new information/concepts. Willingness to travel frequently to remote locations. Ability to work with various community structures including but not limited to farmer groups, cooperatives, unions, VSLAs, local governments, refugees, etc. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail as well as strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. A good sense of humor and the ability to learn from mistakes also goes a long way!

Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Disclaimer: This job description is NOT an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.