The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:  Project Officer

Organisation: Farm Africa

Duty Station:  Kapedo Town Council, Karenga District, Uganda

Reports to: Project Coordinator

About US:

Farm Africa, founded in 1985, is an international non-governmental organization working in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. We drive agricultural and environmental change to improve lives. Our strategy has three pillars: agricultural expertise, management and preservation of ecosystems, and the power of business to drive prosperity. We believe Africa has the power to feed itself and are helping make this happen by establishing and spreading the best farming and forestry techniques so that poor farmers and herders have more food to feed their families and to sell. We help smallholders manage their natural resources sustainably so that they can withstand climate change challenges and shocks and ensure their families have enough food in the future as well as now. Farm Africa works in partnership with communities, government, local and international organizations, and the private sector to innovate, learn and share best practices for maximum impact of our projects.

Job Summary:  The Project Officer will be responsible for coordination and implementation of the project by Farm Africa and other implementing partners KAYESE and ATEI. Your role will involve conducting training sessions, and providing technical assistance to farmers in the community. You will work closely with farmers, community leaders, and project staff to deliver high-quality training programs and support the adoption of Innovations for the valley dam landscape.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The key responsibilities of the Project Officer will be:

Training and Capacity Building:

• Collaborate with the project team to design, develop, and update training curricula and materials tailored to the needs of farmers. Ensure that the training content is relevant, engaging, and aligned with project objectives.
• Conduct interactive training sessions for VBAs and farmers on various topics, including Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), post-harvest handling, Gender Action and Learning Systems (GALs), Nutrition, conflict mitigation and safeguarding. Utilize participatory training methods to promote active learning and farmer engagement, as well as Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC).
• Provide one-on-one technical assistance and advice VBAs, and farmers to address specific challenges or opportunities. Offer guidance on climate smart agricultural practices, GALs etc.
• Farmer Group Formation and Capacity Building: Facilitate the formation and strengthening of farmer groups. Support the development of group dynamics, leadership skills, and governance structures. Provide training on group management, decision-making, and conflict resolution.
• Demonstration Plots and Field Visits: Establish and maintain demonstration plots to showcase improved farming techniques and technologies. Organize field visits for farmers to observe successful farming models and learn from experienced practitioners.
• Supervise and capacity backstopping to 20 Village Based Agents (VBAs) in the respective districts of project implementation.
• Prepare training materials and resources.
• Provide logistical support during training events.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Engage with farmers, local communities, and other stakeholders to build positive relationships and promote project objectives.
• Assist in conducting community meetings, awareness campaigns, and outreach activities.
• Engage with the consortium partners, ensuring coordination, integration, layering and sequencing of activities
• Collaborate closely with the relevant line departments in Karenga district local government, ensuring visibility, resource optimization, impact and sustainability

Administrative Support:

• Assist in organizing and coordinating project meetings, inception workshop, other workshops, and trainings.
• Prepare agendas, take minutes, and maintain project documentation and records.
• Support with data entry, filing, and documentation management.

Communication and Coordination:

• Facilitate effective communication among project team members, VBAs, consortium teams, district officials, farmers, and stakeholders.
• Maintain regular contact with VBAs, farmers, provide updates on project activities, and address any concerns or queries.
• Coordinate with external partners, organizations, and vendors as necessary.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Support the monitoring and evaluation of project activities at the Valley Dam landscape.
• Assist in the development and implementation of monitoring tools, data collection activities including Community Feedback mechanisms, interviews, and focus group discussions. instruments, and evaluation frameworks.
• Contribute to the learning agenda, through documenting and disseminating best practices learnings to stakeholders, ensuring adaptive management; documenting, and disseminating reports, success stories, technical briefs to stakeholders.
• Contribute to regular progress reports and documentation of project achievements.

Financial and Budgetary Support:

• Assist in budget tracking, expense monitoring, and financial reporting.
• Process project-related financial transactions, including payments, reimbursements, and procurement of goods and services.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Prepare project reports, presentations, and other documentation as required.
• Ensure timely submission of reports to project stakeholders.

These essential functions are not to be interpreted as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job-related duties as required. All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Degree/Diploma or equivalent in Agriculture, Livestock, Rural/Community Development, Pastoral Development, Agribusiness, Rural Livelihoods or other relevant field
• At least two years community mobilization and engagement experience within agro-pastoral production systems in Karamoja
• Experience of implementing climate smart agriculture and resilience interventions in Karamojong
• Experience in gender transformative approaches such as VSLAs, GALs, SAA, etc.
• Demonstrable experience in facilitation of Adult Learners
• Ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders and communities based on trust and collaboration
• Ability to communicate and share knowledge with a broad range of stakeholders with differing backgrounds and abilities.
• Energetic and assertive with a positive mindset
• Good community mobilizer with strong organizational skills
• Knowledge and good understanding of agro-pastoral production systems in Karamoja
• Fluency in the local languages spoken in Karamoja, and particularly Karenga district

Desired:

• Field level experience in community mobilization to participate in project activities, sensitization, designing and conducting trainings and promoting behaviour change for pastoralist communities
• Field level experience in delivering CSA, nutrition, and diversified livelihoods, through engagement with community structures
• Experience promoting culture of savings among pastoralists, and enhancing gender transformation.
• Experience of designing and conducting trainings using gender-sensitive techniques and methodologies
• Problem identification, analysis and solving of complex issues

How to Apply:

To apply, please send a CV, salary history, and a two-page supporting statement detailing how you meet the person specification and your availability/notice period to ugandarecruitment@farmafrica.org including ‘Project Officer’ in the subject line.

NB: Please DO NOT send additional documents such as certificates and references with your application. Successful candidates ONLY will be required to provide these documents during the referencing process.

Due to the urgent requirement to fill this position, applications will be assessed and suitable candidates invited for interview on a rolling basis. This may mean that the position is filled before the closing date so qualified candidates are urged to submit their applications promptly.

Deadline: 21st May 2024 by 5:00pm

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