Posts
Closing date: 29
Mar 2013
Country: Uganda
City: Kitgum
Organisation: Mercy Corps
Job years of
experience: 5-10 years
PROGRAM SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps drives high quality, analytical work in tough
places. We have been operating in Uganda since 2006 and currently
manage a breadth of programs in Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions with funding
from a basket of donors. We partner with a range of private, public and civil
society actors to systemically broaden opportunity for people across northern Uganda.
Much of our work focuses on crowding-in private sector actors to deliver highly
demanded but poorly supplied products and services that enhance the growth and
competitiveness of the agricultural sector and improve the overall quality of
life for the poor. Our work is market-oriented and consistently innovative,
dynamic and unique. We seek team members who fit this profile and who can think
creatively and critically to drive our work forward.
GENERAL POSITION
SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps aims to create a culture of learning. We
consistently adapt our program thinking to best support new and innovative
approaches to development that are best-fit for the fragile, post-conflict
settings where we work. Quick feedback loops and associated project adaptation
improve the quality of our interventions and the overall effectiveness of our
strategies.
Our capacity to capture and to incorporate our learning is
essential to our success, as is our ability to communicate our challenges and
achievements to a broader audience. Accordingly, Mercy Corps Uganda is working
to integrate monitoring and evaluation in a different way.
We hold all team
members responsible for capturing learning frequently and for adapting overall
project strategy and day-to-day intervention tactics quickly.
It will be the primary responsibility of the Monitoring,
Evaluation, Learning and Communications (MELC) Manager to facilitate this
process.
The MELC Manager will oversee monitoring, evaluation,
learning and communications for all Mercy Corps Uganda programs. In the first
year this position will provide critical support to two programs in the Acholi
sub-region, the USDA-funded Revitalizing Agricultural Incomes and New Markets
(RAIN) and the USAID/FFP-funded Healthy Practices, Strong Communities (HPSC)
programs, facilitating and articulating improved learning within and across the
programs, our country office and externally.
The MELC Manager will work with staff to capture learning
from the field, to guide tool development and to support strategy and tactic
adjustment as needed.
The MELC Manager will frequently write and edit reports,
assessments, analyses, stories and other learning to articulate our work, and
will hold primary responsibility for the quality of all program evaluations.
ESSENTIAL JOB
FUNCTIONS:
Lead the
institutionalization of learning in program structures by supporting program
teams to develop feedback loops and systems for frequent and regular learning
sessions and periodic activity redesigns;
Support the design
and ensure the quality of all program evaluations, whether conducted in-house
or outsourced, including tool development, field logistics, data analysis, and
report writing, in partnership with program teams;
Prepare, write and
edit reports, assessments, analyses and stories that capture learning and drive
project decision-making;
Prepare accurate
and timely project documentation and communication that contribute to a
learning organization;
Work with Team
Leaders to support the creation of strategy and activity reports;
Capture and write
up ‘stories from the field’ to articulate market facilitation in action and the
‘how’ and ‘why’ of project interactions with market actors that can be shared
internally and externally;
Introduce the
program to relevant stakeholders and foster ongoing positive cooperation with
these stakeholders;
Work closely
with Mercy Corps Uganda Newsletter editorial team and participate in submission
of articles pertinent to all programs;
Build staff
capacity in the areas of quality report writing, learning and documentation and
presentation skills;
Conduct
himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring
credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its mission;
Other duties
as assigned.
SUPERVISORY
RESPONSIBILITY: MEIM Coordinator
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: RAIN/HPSC COP,Acholi Program Manager,
SUSTAIN COP, LINKAGE Program Manager, EMD Program Manager, Chief Learning
Officers and other M&E staff, DCD, all program teams
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
towards accountability, specifically to our program participants and to
international standards guiding international relief and development work,
while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring
and evaluation of our field projects.
KNOWLEDGE AND
EXPERIENCE:
A BA/S or
equivalent in journalism, international relations, development studies or
related field;
At least four
years of experience, preferably with experience in developing countries;
Superb English
verbal and written communication and presentation skills required;
Strong
understanding of data analysis and statistics;
Strong familiarity
with program evaluation techniques ranging from randomized control trials to
quasi-experimental participatory assessment methods;
Ability to
communicate with donors, private sector and civil society partners and host
government representatives;
Highly analytical with
a willingness to acquire expertise in different communication, learning and
development approaches;
Demonstrated
flexibility, creativity and enthusiasm as well as a willingness to learn and to
be continually adaptive within a dynamic and often self-directed working
environment mandatory;
Self-starter, with
strong capacity for critical thinking and problem solving;
Ability to focus
on day-to-day tasks at hand while also working towards longer-term objectives
with an understanding that these will change continuously;
Demonstrated
capacity to generate and to translate innovative ideas into practical
development approaches as well as marketable investment proposals and concepts;
Strong
multi-tasking and prioritization skills as well as a demonstrated attention to
detail are necessary;
Demonstrated
ability to follow procedures, to meet deadlines, to work independently and to
work cooperatively with team members is required;
Willing to travel
frequently and extensively in remote areas with basic services;
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The successful candidate will be an excellent and persuasive
writer; be able to work with teams and individuals across a breadth of
geographic areas concurrently; have a demonstrated ability to multi-task, meet
deadlines and process information in support of changing program environments;
be focused on team-building and capacity-building of national staff; and have
excellent information management skills. The individual will be strategic
thinker able to bring ideas to implementation. S/he will have an outstanding
ability to design innovative evaluations that respond to current needs and
reinforce the future program structure of Mercy Corps in the country.
As we use a facilitative approach to development in almost all
programming in the fragile environments in which we work, we face the typical
challenges of attributive evaluation accompanying market development programs
while facing an even stronger burden of proof to show that our approach is
valid (even more effective) in the Acholi and Karamoja contexts. Another
success factor for this position will thus be the selection, adaptation and
application of appropriate evaluative techniques that help the country office
plausibly demonstrate and document the impact of our programming.
LIVING
CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
This position is based in Kitgum Town,
determination will be made after one year if there is a more suitable site to
be based. Kitgum Town Council is the capital of Kitgum District in Acholi sub-region,
with a stable security situation and basic amenities following reconstruction
and resettlement after years of disruption due to conflict between the Ugandan
government and the Lord’s Resistance Army. Kitgum has basic health services and
no international schools. The town is small but there is an INGO presence with
some expatriate staff. Restaurants and diversions are available. Water and
electricity are generally available with occasional outages. The position
requires frequent travel to field sites across Acholi and Karamoja where one
will encounter more basic living conditions, as well as to the country office
in Kampala.
Mercy Corps has a large, well equipped field office in Kitgum.
Kitgum is an “accompanied, spouse/partner only” post.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during
and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to
a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a
professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies,
procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Mercy Corps is an AA/EOE.
How to apply:
APPLY VIA URL:
http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjo...
