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Job Title:   Project Officer: Agriculture & Livelihoods

Organisation: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Duty Station: Yumbe, Uganda

Reports to: Project Manager- Agroforestry

About US:

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an International non-profit organization whose commitment is to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas set out by the Bishops of the United States. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Job Summary:   As a member of the Uganda Regreening Communities – Yumbe project team, you will monitor and report on all project activities in support of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your thorough and service-oriented approach will ensure that the project consistently applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

As the Project Officer – Agriculture & Livelihoods, you will be the focal point for Agriculture & Livelihoods activities under Uganda Regreening Communities – Yumbe, reporting to the Project Manager – Agriculture, S/he will be responsible for project implementation of field level Agriculture & livelihood activities, mainly focusing on farmer groups capacity development in the settlement and host. S/he will build the capacity of the farmer groups through trainings/ demonstrations and field follow up. S/he will work closely with OPM and other actors especially the Uganda Regreening Communities Consortium partners in actively addressing farmer skills development, production, processing, and marketing issues. S/he will be directly involved in the implementation of project activities. The position requires working closely with World Vision Uganda, Care International as Consortium partners as well as Government (Local Government, OPM).

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Take lead in ensuring technical programming, quality assurance and implement field activities and/or facilitates in implementation of livelihood component. Ensure all the technical work is completed with the desired quality and according to schedule.
• Work with refugee and host community in ensuring Good Agricultural Practices (CSA) are deployed by project participants.
• Take lead in maintaining farmer groups consisting of vulnerable households including PWDs and youth from the settlement and host community to benefit from the project.
• Ensure integration of project with other ongoing Resilience and Livelihood activities including that of CRS and governments
• Ensure close monitoring of project interventions.
• Technical capacity-building of project participants and selected groups on agronomy using CSA Model, financial literacy and group savings, natural resource management, and business skills through training, mentoring, and coaching.
• Provide training and organize exposure visits on agronomy, improved farming practices, and post-harvest technologies.
• Organize periodic review meetings for partners and communities at the project sites to reflect on project approaches, tools, impact of interventions, best practices, exit and sustainability strategies as well as create spaces and opportunities for action-learning.
• Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.
• Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and assisting partners in their efforts to collect and analyze project data per specified mechanisms and tools. Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare reports per established reporting schedule.
• Complete project documentation for assigned activities. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices. Documentation, reporting and knowledge management.
• Lead recruitment and training of community-based structures (Lead Farmers, and Community Based Extension Workers) to be able to support, manage, and coach farmer groups and saving groups.
• Work closely with ANCP team and various community stakeholders and mobilize them to ensure full involvement of community leaders, community representatives, and local government representatives in the overall implementation and improvement of Business Skills training activities.
• Take lead in documentation and sharing of Impact/success stories and best practices to promote learning.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of Degree in Agriculture or Agribusiness or Forestry or any other relevant discipline is preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in livelihoods, food security and/or microfinance enterprise development programs; prior experience working in West Nile area and prior experience working with refugee community, farmer groups in humanitarian context are an added advantage.
• Prior experience handling activities supporting a large number (1,000+) of project participants through agriculture extension service delivery with focus on upscaling Climate Smart Agriculture practices.
• Knowledge and skills in report writing, communication, team management, community mobilization, training facilitation, and networking.
• Proficiency in MS Office packages (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and other MS tools (e.g. MS Teams and SharePoint) is required.
• Knowledge and skills in rural livelihood, food security, microfinance enterprise development programs, climate smart agriculture, entrepreneurship, micro-finance and agribusiness
• Prior experience designing and implementing rural livelihood programs – project participants selection, farmer group/savings group formation, enterprise selection, agricultural input support, training activities, marketing, data collection and analyses, stakeholder meetings, and etc.
• Track record demonstrating high integrity, innovativeness, creativity and dependable.
• Team player, self-motivator, able to work under pressure and with limited supervision.
• Demonstration of well-developed interpersonal skills, and the ability to interact effectively with diverse groups.
• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with other partners and community members.
• Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
• Required/Desired Language Proficiency: Excellent spoken and written command of English; Knowledge of Arabic and/or Lugbara/Aringa is an added advantage.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities

How to Apply:

All candidates who meet the requirements are encouraged to online at the link below.

Click Here

NB: This position is for Nationals only. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Deadline: 4^th June 2024 by 5:00pm        

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