2 USAID / Uganda Food Security Monitor Job Placements – Jefferson Solutions

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Organization: Jefferson Solutions
Duty Station:  USAID/Uganda Economic Growth Office,
Vulnerable Populations Unit, Kampala, Uganda
About US:
Jefferson Solutions, the government consulting company of Jefferson
Consulting Group, a well-respected, small government consulting firm founded in the United States. Jefferson Solutions is a woman-owned small business that enables federal agencies to achieve success through strategic and operational acquisition, human capital, and program management services. They are
recruiting for the USAID/Uganda Mission.
Job Summary: The Food
Security Monitor will ensure effective management and targeting of Food for
Peace (FFP) resources in Uganda, particularly in the refugee settlements.  His/her primary responsibilities are to
monitor the food response in Uganda, the need for food assistance, and the
effectiveness and quality of implementation of various FFP programs, and to
prepare reports to inform the USAID/Uganda Mission, FFP/Washington and the
regional FFP Office in Nairobi. The Food Security Monitor will regularly assess
the needs of chronically vulnerable populations (specifically the refugees) and
will provide reports to USAID to inform decisions.  As needed, the Food Security Monitor will
also monitor the food security situation in other parts of Uganda as needed
including the Karamoja sub-region. These positions are indefinitely required.
2. Hiring Preference It
is expected that these positions will be filled by qualified Ugandans.  The positions are to be graded at low to
mid-level. 
3. Geographic Location:
The monitors will spend at least 50% of her/his time working in the field in
rural Uganda. The rest of his/her time will be spent in the USAID/Uganda Office
of Economic Growth.
4. Logistics Support:
During the time the monitor is working within USAID/Uganda, he/she will be
provided with an office space, computer, printer and necessary offices supplies
and equipment. If she/he works remotely, then this logistic support would be
provided by the contractor.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
The Food Security Monitors will support the Vulnerable Populations Unit (VPU)
in understanding the refugees’ food security situation in Uganda.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
a.      In
regular field monitoring visits, collects primary and secondary data about (50%)
                                                 
i.     
Food security and underlying factors, including
the role of food assistance in refugeehouseholds.
                                               
ii.     
The quality of implementation of USG supported
food assistance including food aid, vouchers and/or cash, especially the
effectiveness and accuracy of targeting, efficiency of distribution, and evidence
of actual or potential for diversion of food assistance.
                                             
iii.     
Nature, prevalence, and outcome of prominent
household livelihood pursuits and factors that enable or constrain their
success.
                                             
iv.     
Market prices, to monitor if cash-based transfer
(CBT) recipients are able to purchase a diverse food basket and ensure they are
food secure as well as understand the effects of the CBT on the market prices
and thus people accessing those market and not receiving a transfer. This
market monitoring should occur at the settlement markets as well as the bigger
markets near and feeding into the settlements.
This will be
achieved by spending on average, 10-15 working days per month in rural Uganda
interviewing men and women who engage in various livelihood pursuits: 
b.      These
interviews are conducted in homes, in community meetings, at sites of income
generating activities, and at sites of food assistance or other relief or
development activities. 
                                                 
i.     
Care is taken to include interviews with both
beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of food assistance, to include both
refugees and host community members, as appropriate. 
                                               
ii.     
Interviews cover points outlined by a general
interview guide, but the Monitor engages interviewees using an informal,
conversational style to gain the interviewees’ trust, and gather and
cross-check accurate information in a non-threatening manner.
                                             
iii.     
Monitors often join multi-agency assessments led
by the government or another agency, especially WFP and FAO.
                                             
iv.     
Monitors work closely with FEWS NET so that the
monitoring activities are complementary, and not redundant.
The monitor will
devise monthly or quarterly monitoring plans, selecting the sites or areas to
be visited, in collaboration with the team.
c.       Reports
findings of field monitoring visits and meetings with other experts to
USAID/Uganda including recommendations to resolve issues that need to be
addressed and other ways to improve programming (25%)
                                                 
i.     
The Monitor submits written reports at least
monthly to VPU about observations and interpretations from that month’s visits,
highlighting evidence showing improvement or deterioration in food security,
changes in needs for or targeting of food assistance, factors that constrain or
enable the effectiveness of food assistance programs, and evidence that
programming other than food assistance might be more appropriate.
                                               
ii.     
The Monitor triangulates the information they
observed and collected in the field with other existing reports including
market price monitoring.
d.      Meets
with relevant USAID, UN, NGO, and consultant experts to share, receive, and
discuss information related to household food security and the targeting and
use of food assistance. (15%) 
                                                 
i.     
Participate at monthly and extraordinary UN- or
GOU- led inter-agency meetings at Kampala and field level, coordinating relief
and development activities in: food assistance, food security and livelihoods,
nutrition, and agriculture.
                                               
ii.     
Seek out experts in these relevant fields and
engage with them for information exchange and in-depth discussion about needs
for appropriate intervention.
                                             
iii.     
Regularly meet with those involved in
implementing food assistance activities, including USAID’s direct partner, WFP
and their implementing partners.
                                             
iv.     
Participates, as needed, in multi-agency
assessments of food security, markets and food assistance, and other
humanitarian needs.
e.      Meets
with other USAID/Uganda staff and accesses other professional sources to
improve knowledge about the use of food assistance to improve food security and
conditions that boost or limit its effectiveness (7%)
                                                 
i.     
Approximately monthly or as needed, meet with
the full VPU team to exchange, discuss, and interpret information gathered from
the various locations by the Monitors.
                                               
ii.     
To expand his/her capacity, each Monitor
independently accesses academic and journalistic sources regarding food
security and the targeting and distribution of food assistance, in general and
in Uganda, including nutritional or food security reports prepared by
government, UN, NGO or FEWS NET teams.
f.       
Participates in USAID planning and strategy
sessions regarding food assistance and food security and advise about food
assistance needs.(3%)
6.    
Oversight:
The Food Security Monitor will report to the Senior FFP Officer
responsible for the refugee portfolio.
7.     
Post
Entry Training:  On-the-job
training will be provided relating to USG-specific and FFP procedures,
regulations, and methods. The Monitor shall attend mandatory annual Ethics
training conducted at USAID/Uganda by the Resident Legal Officer.
8.    
Available
Guidelines: USAID regulations (including the Automated Directives
System) provide broad guidelines as to the conduct of work related to the
duties described above. Since FFP provides the most significant amount of
resources to food security in Uganda, s/he is expected to become familiar with
regular and more specific guidance on FFP’s strategies, procedures, and
requirements.  The Monitor will also be
required to be familiar with and operate in accordance with USAID/Uganda’s
Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and the Mission’s
Collaborating, Learning and Adapting culture.
9.     Exercise of Judgment:  The Monitor must be able to work with a high
level of independence in keeping USAID informed of the food security situation
as well as making recommendations when the situation changes and a response is
needed.
10. Authority to Make Commitments and
Decisions:  The Food Security
Monitor has no authority to make commitments on behalf of USAID or the
USG.  The Monitor must communicate all
information back to Kampala and Washington including their recommendations, but
the decisions will be made by Activity Managers, Agreement Officer’s
Representative (AOR), or Agreement Officer (AO) as appropriate.
11.   Nature, Level and Purpose of Contacts:  Contacts will be maintained with Mission
personnel, USAID Implementing Partners, AID/Washington (as requested), and the
Government of Uganda under the guidance of the Senior FFP Officer.
12.  Supervision Exercised:  No supervision of USAID staff will be
exercised.
Qualifications,
Skills and Experience:  The Food Security Monitor will have:

  • Bachelor’s
    degree in a discipline pertinent to food security and food aid program
    management, such as international development, agriculture, nutrition, or
    agricultural economics.
  • At
    least five years of progressively responsible experience related to food
    security, including at least one (1) year of on-the-ground field
    experience in humanitarian needs assessment and/or assistance and one (1)
    year in implementation of food aid programs. This experience must show
    significant engagement with rural communities and the application of
    qualitative and/or participatory methods of inquiry. 
  • Experience
    with coordinating and liaising with stakeholders.
  • Ability
    to provide rapid, concise, and accurate reporting, both verbally and in
    written English.
  • Ability
    to grasp and theorize the complexities of food security, the wide variety
    of dynamic influencing factors and the potential influence of
    international food assistance.
  • Ability
    in basic computer skills, to include knowledge of Microsoft Word and
    Excel, e-mail, and internet, is required.
  • Experience
    working in a harsh environment with limited supervision and guidance.
  • Willingness
    to regularly undertake extensive field work assignments for weeks at a
    time. Monitor should anticipate spending approximately 50% of the time in
    the field and outside of Kampala.
  • Strong
    analytical, communication, and leadership/engagement skills.  More specifically, the position
    requires: (i) strong interpersonal skills; (ii) experience implementing,
    monitoring and reporting on     emergencies and markets; (iii) strong writing and oral
    communication skills; (iv) the ability to engage with host country
    counterparts, donor partners, and USAID staff constructively and
    productively; and (v) the ability to work in team setting.
How to Apply:
All candidates who wish to join the USAID project should send an
updated CV and cover letter to ugandafsm2018@gmail.com
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