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From Mercy Corps
Closing date: 29 Mar 2013
Job ID: #553219
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;
·
credit to Mercy Conduct
himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring
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:
