Description
Program / Department Summary
The $41 million USAID Food for Peace Activity (Apolou) and the $5 million USAID Resilience Challenge Fund (RCF) Activity support agriculturalists, agro-pastoralists, and pastoralist households living across the districts of Amudat, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, and Moroto in Karamoja.
Apolou is implemented by a consortium of actors led by Mercy Corps, including Save the Children, Whave Solutions, four local partners (KAPDA, NARWOA and Riam Riam), TUNADO, FIDA Uganda, Strong Minds and Tufts University’s Feinstein International Centre (FIC). Apolou’s goal is to “improve the overall food and nutrition security of vulnerable households in Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Amudat districts within the Karamoja region,” and has major 4 objectives as follows:
- Inclusive and effective governance contributes to food and nutrition security
- Adolescent girls, Pregnant and Lactating Women, and Children under 5 are nutritionally secure
- Reduced incidences of WASH related diseases
- Improved livelihoods and income support household food security
The RCF program works in the districts of Kaabong and Amudat, with the goal to “Improve the veterinary governance and increase public and private investment in disease prevention, surveillance, control and response systems to strengthen productive assets for improved resilience in Karamoja.” RCF has the following objectives:
- Increased domestic resource allocation into animal health services in Karamoja
- Central and local government develop animal health services capacity-strengthening plan for the Karamoja region
- Disease control plan for economically prioritized diseases (PPR and FMD) developed and implemented
- Private sector animal health development strategy developed and rolled out
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General Position Summary
This position will lead and be accountable to ensure full compliance to USAID environmental regulations and associated deliverables under the Apolou Activity and the RCF, as well as GoU environmental regulations. This includes being comfortable with these regulations and deliverables and understanding their operationalization within the Karamoja context. The position will also be expected to generate and regularly update Apolou’s/RCF environmental deliverables as required. As environmental compliance is not the sole responsibility of one person, staff capacity building and orientation is essential across a large and diverse team. On site monitoring of activities and tracking of associated indicators in Apolou Districts must be implemented in close partnership with the broader monitoring, evaluation and learning team. When necessary, the team member will coordinate with external stakeholders. The position holder will be responsible for activities environmental screening, updating the IEE report where necessary, and preparing the environmental status reports. S/he will also take lead in the implementation of Pest Management Plan (PMP), Water Quality Assurance Plan (WQAP), Safe User Action Plan (SUAP), and Environment Management and Mitigation Plan (EMMP) among others.
Roles and Responsibilities
Program Management
- Conduct regular monitoring of Apolou consortium/RCF activities to ensure full compliance with USAID environmental compliance regulations. Share the results of this monitoring in a timely manner and follow-up on recommendations given.
- Conduct climate risk screening on program activities.
- Lead on the development, updating and review of all environmental compliance deliverables for the Apolou Activity.
- Work closely with team members, partners and local government to build their capacity on environmental compliance, environmental safeguarding and climate adaptation.
- Work in close collaboration with the MEL team to track indicators as part of the Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plan.
- Conduct assessments/environmental screeening and advise teams on the environmental implications of planned activities, and where necessary update the IEE report.
- Coordinate with external stakeholders and contractors.
- Participate in relevant technical working groups or meetings, as required.
Gender and Youth Integration
- Ensure that program activities apply gender equity and youth empowerment principles, and meet the varying needs of men and boys; women and girls; and other vulnerable groups
Coordination with District Implementation Team
- Build the capacity of the members of the implementation team on their particular sector through orientations, one on one discussions and demonstrating in the field.
- The district implementation team after conducting a needs assessment will decide an intervention to be layered. The district implementation team will require support in developing a sector specific plan for a particular community. The member of the technical team will support the district team to plan the intervention that is related to the particular sector and purpose.
- The district implementation team member will mobilize the extension service agents which will go on to mobilize the community groups to provide the services to conduct the activity in the field. The member of the technical team will coordinate with the district implementation team to conduct the activities in the field.
- The technical team member will monitor the activities conducted in the field and provide feedback to the technical extension service agents to improve the quality of implementation of activities.
- The technical team member will meet quarterly with the district implementation team to review the activities conducted in the field and reflect with the team to understand how the quality of implementation of activities would be improved.
- Collaborate with the MEL team on the design and implementation of the Apolou CLA/Learning Agenda
Ethics and Integrity
- All Mercy Corps staff are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate highest integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero tolerance to any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action or may lead to termination
Security
- Ensure data protection policies are adhered to, establishing security controls for software, hardware and archive beneficiary databases.
Organizational Learning
- As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries
- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Other:
- Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission
- Other duties assigned
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: NRM Manager
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Other Sector Leads, District Implementation Team, Technical Team, Gender and Youth Team, MEL and other Mercy Corps program, finance and operations staff
Knowledge and Experience
- 3-5 years of experience working in Uganda on environmental compliance related issues
- Demonstrated experience and knowledge of GoU environmental regulations, USAID environmental compliance experience is a big advantage
- Demonstrated experience working in some or all of the following: environmental safeguarding, climate screening, conservation, biodiversity management, capacity building.
- Knowledge of and experience working with complex MEL systems, tool development and indicator tracking
- Experience working on technical sectors covered under the Apolou Activity
- Experience working with USAID as a donor preferred
- Experience working in Karamoja sub-region a plus
- Good self-management and interpersonal skills
- Excellent written and oral communications skills in the English language
Success Factors:
- Good organizational skills,
- Ability to analyze complex situations and to make recommendations for improvement of and contribute to overall program strategy.
- Experience in conducting training and workshops.
- Experience with monitoring and evaluation.
- Willingness and ability to perform fieldwork and travel to the most remote areas
- Hard-working, honest, dedicated, ability to communicate clearly and effectively at all levels – with colleagues, government and military officials, community leaders and community members.
Closes: 30th April 2021