About US:
Mercy Corps is an international non-profit organization which implements high-quality, analytical development programmes in very difficult places. Mercy Corps has been operating in Uganda since 2006. It has and continues to implement programs in Acholi and Karamoja sub regions. Mercy Corps is taking a community-led, market driven approach to address poverty and food insecurity needs through interventions that get to the root causes and contributing factors of economic vulnerability. Donors include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Commission (EC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC).
About BRACED Programme:
Mercy Corps works in collaboration with other consortium members in the implementation of the multi-year project as part of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters). The 36-month initiative is designed to build the absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities of more than 500,000 individual households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda (Karamoja).
Job Summary: The Program Officer, Agriculture and Natural Resources Management works under the supervision of the Natural Resources Management (NRM) Team Leader. The Program Officer, Agriculture and Natural Resources Management will mobilize the BRACED processes for engaging communities, governments and private sector actors in collective action planning that support household and community access to and management of natural, physical environment, improve livelihoods through agriculture extension and the socio-ecological systems supported by it. This can include increased and sustainable food production and access, access to land and water resources for both human and livestock consumption; plus employing innovative methods for land restoration, watershed and water resource management, energy conservation and alternative energy solutions and climate-smart agriculture.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Actively engage with remote communities to establish priorities for community-led natural resources management, provide sustainable agricultural practices and implementation of identified pilot opportunities for community NRM plan implementation and monitoring.
Identify opportunity areas and share them with the NRM team leader for alternative methods of climate-smart agriculture.
Work closely with Mercy Corps technical staff, Consortium members such as Makerere University, University of Nairobi and other local partners to establish locally appropriate pilots.
Work with private sector and line district departments and ministries to address environmentally harmful methods of extracting local natural resources.
Ensure support to policy formulation around sustainable methods, alternative energy mechanisms and water management and conservation.
Coordinate with counterpart agencies and organizations involved in conservation and climate change adaptation for information community NRM plans.
Identify community NRM needs and priorities, especially around land access and rangeland management for Karamoja and water resources for production as well as livestock watering.
Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
The ideal candidate for the Mercy Corps Program Officer, Agriculture and Natural Resources Management career vacancy should preferably hold a degree in a related field of expertise (e.g. Agriculture, NRM, pastoral livestock management, water resources, irrigation, agro-economy, conservation agriculture, environmental policy, etc).
A minimum of five years of technical and practical work experience in one of the required fields, with specific to agriculture extension;
Broad knowledge of various natural resource disciplines, including air quality, water quality, geomorphic and hydrologic processes, fire and vegetation management, fish and wildlife management, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, conservation biology and restoration ecology.
Knowledge and experience in either livestock or rangeland management, irrigation, water harvesting or water saving methods in arid lands.
Previous experience and proven track record in rural development and participatory appraisal.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send their E-mail applications including a cover letter clearly stating the salary requirements, updated CV (with three professional referees), and copies of academic qualifications/certificates to the Senior HR and Legal Manager, Kampala Head Office on 4th Floor Embassy Plaza, Plot 1188-1190 Ggaba Road. The E-mail applications with cover letter should be sent to: mcjobs@ug.mercycorps.org
Deadline: 18th July 2016