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Job Title:  Project Assistant (4 Job Vacancies)

Organisation: Grassroots Alliance for Rural Development (GARD)

Duty Station: Kotido, Uganda

Reports to: Project Officer

About US:

Grassroots Alliance for Rural Development (GARD) is an independent not-for profit organization established and registered with the Uganda NGO Bureau in April 2019. Our vision is empowered and resilient communities, with the mission statement of a platform for building resilience and sustainable wellbeing. GARD works in a non-discriminatory and non-partisan way, with its head office in Kotido Municipality and two field offices in Amudat and Napak districts, Karamoja Uganda.

About Project:

GARD recently signed an MoU to implement a UNDP/KOICA Building Resilience in Conflict affected and Fragile Communities of Karamoja (BRICK) project in Kotido district. The BRICK Project is jointly funded by UNDP and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the period 2024 to 2026. The project is a joint (consortium) initiative between UNDP/KOICA, GARD WSF, Riamriam, VEDCO and Better World with the aim of addressing main conflict drivers, which include but not limited to; competition over natural resources; the mass influx of refugees; inadequate transitional justice processes; and flawed electoral processes, leading to a more peaceful, secure, and resilient communities in Karamoja. The project is being implemented in 3 District and 6 Sub-counties of Kaabong: (Loyoro, Timu); Kotido (Nakapelimoru, Rengen); Moroto (Nadunget, Rupa). The overall project goal is to enhance the socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable households and the peaceful co-existence of communities through resilient and gender responsive livelihoods in three districts of the Karamoja sub-region.

Job Summary:  Based at GARD Head offices in Kotido, the Project Assistant position is a primary level field-based in the two sub counties of Rengen and Nakapelimoru under the direct supervision of Project Officers. The Project Assistant will play a crucial role and will be responsible for community sensitization, mobilization, formation of Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and facilitation in implementation of food security, livelihoods, Cash for Work interventions and peacebuilding activities with target community.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Community engagement including sensitization, mobilization, formation of community committees and identification of beneficiaries through local Community leaders in accordance with project guidelines and GARD’s standards. Work with local community leaders for local buy-in to ensure project is well understood and owned by the target communities.
• Support in carrying out transparent beneficiary selection as per criteria in close coordination with other team members, local authorities, and target communities.
• Support in the facilitation of the training sessions of groups on kitchen gardening techniques, organic farming practices, sustainable food production and peace building.
• Develop training materials, presentations, and resources to support the training sessions.
• Facilitate hands-on practical activities to enhance participants’ skills in garden preparation, planting, watering, pest control, and harvesting.
• Coordinate Cash for Work interventions (hand farming tools, seeds/seedlings) according to project guidelines.
• Maintain accurate records of groups, beneficiaries, asset distributed and financial accountabilities for transparency and accountability.
• Support the monitoring and evaluation of planned workplan.
• Collect and analyse data on implementation, attendance, beneficiary feedback, and project performance.
• Contribute to progress reports and post-distribution monitoring.
• Liaise with community members, local authorities, and stakeholders for project involvement and support.
• Collaborate with project team members to integrate and synergize with other activities.
• Participate in coordination meetings, workshops, and trainings for knowledge sharing and networking.
• Additional job responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Hold a National Diploma from a reputable institution in the following fields: Social Science, Development Studies, Animal Husbandry, or agriculture related fields, Adult and Community Education, or any other related fields. Possession of a degree in any of the above will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of at least two years of proven experience of implementing food security or livelihoods, governance, or peacebuilding project or community engagement ideally with humanitarian organizations or development NGOs.
• Must be knowledgeable in standard computer application especially MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), including Web Conferencing Applications.
• Must be knowledgeable in riding motorcycles in rough terrain. Possession of valid driving permit is an added advantage.
• Required Languages – fluent in spoken and written English and Ngakarimojong; with strong knowledge of Karamoja context is considered an asset.
• Ability to adapt quickly, learn new responsibilities independently, and manage competing priorities within a defined framework and collaboratively with teams.
• Excellent organizational skills and promotes teamwork, strong community outreach skills, detail oriented, flexible, and able to handle pressure well.
• Has strong work ethic and soft skills, creative and solutions-oriented person.
• Good understanding of community engagement and humanitarian principles and do no harm.
• Excellent communication skills – written and oral.
• Good report-writing skills with excellent written and spoken English.
• Skills in participatory approaches to programming, and community engagement.
• Demonstrable interpersonal and team working skills; and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and use of internet for research.
• Ability to relate sensitively to diverse groups.
• Self-driven and able to deliver results with minimum supervision.
• Commitment to own continuing personal and professional development.
• Flexibility in traveling and working in challenging situations with unpredictable working hours.
• Commitment to and compliance with GARD’s safeguarding principles, vision, mission, and values.
• Transparency and Accountability: Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently and transparently, achieving and role modelling GARD’s values.
• Integrity: Strong sense of integrity, Honesty, openness, builds trust and confidence
• Ambition: Sets ambitious and challenging goals for himself and team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Collaboration: Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues and external partners and stake holders
• Creativity and innovation: Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Self-driven and able to deliver results with minimum supervision.
• Commitment to respect and value equality and diversity and understanding of how this applies to own area of work.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested applicants should send their application to info@gardug.org with a cover letter and an updated CV detailing your experience and qualifications, as well as copies of your academic qualifications in relation to the role with the subject line ‘Application: Project Assistant’ Including contacts of three professional referees (two must be 2 professional references and 1 being your supervisor from the most recent/previous employer).

Deadline: 14th May 2024 at MID-DAY.

NOTE that this position will be recruited as soon as possible, CANDIDATES are encouraged to submit as early as possible.

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