Project Officer- MEAL

About Catholic Relief Services: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. 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. CRS has worked in Uganda since 1965, initially providing emergency assistance to Sudanese refugees living in the north. Over the years, CRS has expanded its programming to address needs across the country. CRS’ projects in Uganda currently include agriculture and value chain, landscape restoration and climate change adaption, health and health systems strengthening, microfinance, and DRR, humanitarian response and recovery. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with other organizations, including the Catholic Church, faith-based organizations, international and Ugandan NGOs, government ministries, private sector companies and academia, for maximum impact and sustainability. CRS Uganda employs around 180 staff and has its main office in Kampala, with sub-offices in Moroto, Yumbe, and Kikuube districts. With our more than 30 partners, we served over 1m Ugandans in 2021.

About Project: The Global Evergreening Alliance (GEA), of which CRS is a member, has secured a 5 year, $ 160m investment for Restore Africa Program which covers 6 Eastern and Southern Africa Countries. In Uganda, the program will be implemented by CRS (as the lead implementing organization), CARE, World Vision, ICRAF, ECOTRUST and Uganda Landcare Network with a goal of restoring 560,000ha of degraded landscapes in the West Afromontane, Mt. Elgon and part of Karamoja. The program will pursue a small holder farmer led approach to restoration supporting profitable agroforestry systems that support profitability and productivity of farms.

Job Summary: As a member of the Restore Africa project team, you will implement MEAL activities, provide MEAL technical support, monitor and report on all project monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning activities in support of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your MEAL knowledge and support will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive and innovative CRS Uganda’s programming is and 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.

Job Roles and Responsibilities:

• Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned Restore Africa project MEAL activities as outlined in the Detailed Implementation Plan in line with CRS program quality principles, standards and ensure compliance to the MEAL policies, procedures, and practices; donor MEAL requirements; and industry good practices.

• Provide input to and support project MEAL system design and data collection tools to measure program/project impact and progress.

• Monitor and report any MEAL-related challenges and gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.

• Lead the roll-out and implementation of the project’s feedback and response mechanism (FRM). Support actively seeking and responding to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other stakeholders as defined by the FRM.

• Support field-level project MEAL activities (including digital data collection) and assist partners in their efforts to collect and ensure timely analysis of project data per specified mechanisms and tools. Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare MEAL-related aspects of reports per established reporting schedule.

• Conduct data quality assessment from the Restore Africa project activity data collected.

• Collect information on staff MEAL capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and monitor MEAL capacity building and technical support activities to ensure effective impact.

• Complete project documentation for assigned MEAL activities. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices.

• Support program learning and decision making by posing thoughtful questions, engaging with project data, reflecting upon and sharing with project management the information gathered from community members and partners.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in International Development, International Relations or in the field of MEAL required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.

• Minimum of 2 years of work experience in project support. Experience in the field of MEAL and for an NGO is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement.

• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred.

• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Observation, active listening, and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment

• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members

• Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities

• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented

Required Languages – English fluency, including excellent oral and written skills, required

Travel Required: Must be willing and able to travel up to 40%.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Key Working Relationships: Internal: ICT4D Officer, Learning Technical Manager, Restore Africa project staff and other CRS MEAL staff External: Partner staff, MEAL staff from other peer agencies.

Agency-Wide Competencies (for all CRS staff)

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.

• Integrity

• Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Builds Relationships

• Develops Talent

• Strategic Mindset

• Accountability & Stewardship MEAL Competencies (for CRS MEAL Program Staff) Each staff member in this position is expected to have basic knowledge and ability and, with guidance, be able to apply the following competencies in common situations that present limited difficulties:

• Monitoring

• Evaluation

• Accountability

• Learning

• Analysis and Critical Thinking In addition, each staff member in this position is expected to have elementary understanding of and to demonstrate a willingness and potential to learn about:

• MEAL in Design

• ICT4MEAL

• Management in MEAL

DISCLAIMER CLAUSE:

This job description is not an exhaustive list of skills, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding related topics.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer