Description
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps is an international, non-governmental humanitarian relief and development agency with headquarters in the UK and USA operating in over 44 countries. The agency exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps’ work emphasizes community-led, market-driven interventions through public, private and civic sector partnerships. After more than a decade of operation in Uganda, the Mercy Corps country team has differentiated itself as a forward-thinking, market-driven agency, having implemented or currently implementing nearly 40 programs, valued at over $141 million, changing the lives of over 2.5 million Ugandans and refugees.
Mercy Corps has secured funding to continue our work on strengthening agricultural and basic goods markets within RhinoCamp and Bidi Bidi Settlements. Strong and resilient markets within the settlements have become even more crucial as WFP reduces food rations and starts to switch from in kind to cash distribution. Mercy Corps Uganda has been strengthening the local market capacity to respond to need of the population, particularly in Bidi Bidi settlement (zones 3-4) where 100 small ‘last mile’ vendors have been engaged in an e-voucher program that aims to build their capacity to stock and sell quality goods at affordable prices, and 18 agro-agents across Rhino Camp have been linked to agro-dealers. To maximize on this initial support, Mercy Corps proposes an intervention to strengthen these markets further to support vulnerable households and improve their food security in these critical times. With the current funding, MC proposes to extend the agro-agent network and market linkages to further strengthen provision of inputs and extension advice in the settlements and continue to support market vendors to improve their services – to make sure local populations are able to access affordable, quality foods, hygiene and agricultural inputs which enable them to improve their food security. In addition, the program will support mother care groups, to improve nutrition practices with pregnant, lactating women and mothers of children under five. In response to the growing issues with deforestation in the settlements, this program will also provide technical assistance to Pesitho, a solar-cooker company, to adopt Pay as you Cook technology and scale this within the settlements.
General Position Summary
The Project Manager will provide leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of the project. The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring that the project meets targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. The Project Manager will supervise staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations. S/he will coordinate closely with the MEL Advisor at Mercy Corps to ensure appropriate MEL activities are planned, and supervise the management of MEL activities on the ground, ensuring that analysis of data coming from the ground feeds into the learning agenda for the programs, and ensures higher level impact for program beneficiaries. He/she will coordinate closely with other programs being implemented in West Nile. He/she will report to and work with the Deputy Country Director to engage in program representation to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and external stakeholders.
Essential Job Responsibilities
- Staff and Program Management
- Oversight of all staff members on the project, coordinate and implement activities in line with approved project proposals, budget and within the agreed time frames.
- Ensure compliance to all Mercy Corps, Donor and Government of Uganda policies, procedures and guidelines that relate to the implementation of the program with limited supervision.
- Ensure project deadlines, quality standards and targets are met, redesigning deadlines, quality standards and targets as needed.
- Make on-site field visits regularly to provide technical backstopping and/or design recommendations.
- Develop all reports, both internal and external to the donor, with a high level of quality with limited need for revision.
- Lead the coordination, management and motivation of program teams through ensuring that they have clear objectives/individual work plans as part of performance management and receive constructive feedback on their performance. Ensure work plans are designed collectively with staff and other key stakeholders.
- Monitor and lead district level staffing, capacity building and other needs.
- Partnership Management/ External Representation
- Independently establish, maintain and grow productive working relationships with Local Government officials and line departments, soliciting their participation in all activities where appropriate, in close coordination with other programs in the same operating areas.
- Ensure effective communication with implementing partners
- Responsible for engagement with other stakeholders including private sector actors, community-based organizations and other key partners.
- Contribute to new business development, identifying new potential partners, leading negotiations of partnerships and leading implementation of any work plans related to such partnerships, building off the pilot project learning and areas to develop further
- Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring positive recognition to Mercy Corps.
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
- Take a leadership role in development and revision of the MEL system linked to indicators, and information management, in close coordination with the MEL team.
- Coordinate data gathering and management with project staff and take overall responsibility for MEL.
- Oversee scheduling and production of formal and informal reports on all aspects of the program, with a high level of quality, requiring minimal revision.
- Ensure coordination and sharing of information with other district level stakeholders.
- As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities. Project Manager is responsible for ensuring that other staff are able to engage in this organizational learning and career development opportunities.
- Program Support Operations:
- Coordinate and support of finance, operations and administration staff to ensure operational systems are in place to support field activities including logistics (transport, warehousing and asset management), procurement, security, administration and human resources.
Accountability to Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.
Supervisory Responsibility: Senior Program Officers, Program Officers, Senior MEL Officer, Program Assistants
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Deputy Country Director
Works Directly With: Head of Office West Nile, Finance, Operations and HR teams, MEL Advisor
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.
Knowledge and Experience
- MA/S or equivalent in international development, agriculture, economics, nutrition or related field preferred.
- Minimum of 3 years’ senior-level experience with positions of progressively greater responsibilities;
- Demonstrated success in programs related to economic and market development programming, and success with programs in refugee settlements an advantage
- Proven skills in financial management and staff management with a focus of staff capacity building.
- Demonstrated ability with building, managing and leading a team of professionals and the ability to function as a team player among peers.
- A dynamic, “outside-the-box” attitude is required, with proven ability to think and act creatively in challenging environments.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills in English are required.
- Multi-tasking, organizational, prioritization skills are necessary.
- History of working effectively and respectfully with government, private sector, INGO and NGO partners in complex environments.
- Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
- A strong leader and team player, with good communication, negotiation and diplomatic skills.
- Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
- Excellent analytical and information management skills.
- Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
- Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
- Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
- Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
- A focus on building staff capacity.
Closes:30th Jan 2020