The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:  National Stakeholder Engagement Officer

Organisation: Target Malaria

Duty Station: UVRI Entebbe, Uganda

Reports to: Target Malaria Stakeholder Engagement Manager at UVRI

Length of Appointment: Until 31 January 2025 (renewable) with six months’ probation period

About US:

The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is a leading health research institution in Uganda, based in Entebbe. Amongst other projects, it is a member of the Target Malaria consortium. Target Malaria is a non-for-profit research consortium that wants to contribute to saving millions of lives from malaria. It includes African, European and North American scientists with a focus on the most malaria-affected countries – currently working in Burkina Faso, Mali and Uganda. The consortium includes a diversity of researchers – molecular biologists, medical entomologists, population geneticists, protein engineers, social sciences researchers as well as risk, regulatory and stakeholder engagement experts.

Job Summary:   Target Malaria Uganda is looking for a National Stakeholder Engagement Officer to join its team. Stakeholder engagement is one of the three pilars of this project, together with regulatory affairs and scientific research. This position will be responsible for delivering the strategic vision for national-level stakeholder engagement, leveraging the voices of stakeholders from villages to the national arena, and representing the project with external stakeholders and media. This position will also work in close collaboration with other members of Targe Malaria to engage stakeholders beyond Uganda as well as at the continental and global level when relevant. The person will follow closely the policy developments related to gene drive research and field evaluation, including policy areas on stakeholder engagement issues

This position requires the ability to work with some autonomy while being part of the stakeholder engagement team and reporting to its manager. As such, it requires high work ethics and self-motivation.

A deep commitment to the mission of developing and sharing new, cost-effective and sustainable genetic technologies to modify mosquitoes and reduce malaria transmission is required.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: The National SE Officer will be responsible and accountable for the overall engagement activities at the national level in the following aspects:

Engagement activities

• Ensure adequate information for national level stakeholders on project activities (whether current or future)
• Ensure appropriate consultation of national stakeholders before the implementation of activities and feedback concerns, suggestions to the project for them to be considered
• Ensure that the national level dialog is inclusive by mapping key stakeholders Support the regulatory process by advising on and managing potential stakeholder issues and coordinating stakeholder engagement activities with the regulatory
• Promote communication by supporting the development of culturally appropriate methods taking into account social and cultural contexts
• Represent the project as required to high- profile, regional and national stakeholders, building constructive relationships across governmental, non-profit and private sector organisations
• Participate in regional and Pan-African engagement activities according to the international stakeholder engagement plan and under the leadership of the stakeholder engagement manager
• Monitor political debates and programmatic trends in the field of gene drive technology and malaria vector control.
• After appropriate training, respond to media as one of the project spokespersons

Strategy activities

• Participate in the formulation and the implementation of a stakeholder engagement strategy at national level in Uganda,
• Participate in the formulation of tools, procedures and policies for stakeholder engagement and documentation of activities;
• Contribute to consortium activities related to stakeholder engagement
• Take part in risk management of this project on issues related to stakeholders acceptance of the project

Reporting activities

• Participate in the monitoring and evaluation
• of the engagement and stakeholders acceptance level for the project
• Provide activity report and updates of support tools to facilitate follow-up and reporting on National engagement activities,

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

To be successful in this role you must possess the following

• Postgraduate qualification in international Development, Policy, Social Sciences (or similar, or an equivalent combination of relevant knowledge, extensive training and or experience
• Extensive experience in policy engagement (at least 5-7 years)
• Experience with co-developing and executing successful policy engagement and communications campaigns (3-5 years) Strong existing network of stakeholders contacts in Uganda
• Experience mobilizing stakeholder networks from civil society
• Experience working in a field in development, where the policy framework is evolving
• Experience in a multi-disciplinary environment, ability to translate engagement perspective and technical aspects to non- practitioners/non-expert

Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities

How to Apply:

All applications must be in English and include a Curriculum Vitae, a cover letter explaining why this position is attractive and why your profile fits, and three references

Interested candidates should submit their applications marked: “National Stakeholder Engagement Officer-Target Malaria” to:

The Director,

Uganda Virus Research Institute,

P.O. Box 49 Entebbe. Uganda

Email to: : uvritargetmalaria@uvri.go.ug or jbigirwe@targetmalaria.org

NB: This Vacancy is Open to Nationals of Uganda.

Deadline: 26^th March 2024

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline

Related Jobs