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), DFID, Mastercard Foundation, WALMART Foundation, Coca Cola Africa Foundation, US Depart of State (DOS) /PEPFAR, and Nike Foundation.
About BRACED Project:
BRACED Mercy Corps is a consortium led by Mercy Corps that includes TANGO Intl, Makerere University, University of Nairobi and Wajir South Development Association (WASDA). BRACED Mercy Corps is being implemented in northern Uganda (Karamoja) as well as northern Kenya (Wajir County). The BRACED Mercy Corps programme is designed around three integrated thematic focus areas – Natural Resource Management and Lands, Market Systems Development and Governance and Gender Mainstreaming. We are in search of an inquisitive individual to support project staff in conducting research and gathering and analysing quantitative and qualitative data to help communicate the program’s impact to various audiences – stakeholders, donors and internal Mercy Corps team members.
Job Summary: The Program Officer-Agriculture will work directly with community based Field Agents and community members to help build sustainable food production and access, increase access to land and water resources for both human and livestock consumption; plus employ innovative methods for land restoration, watershed and water resource management, energy conservation and alternative energy solutions and climate-smart agriculture.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Engage with communities to establish priorities for community-led natural resources management, provide sustainable agricultural practices and implementation of identified pilot opportunities for agriculture resilience and design concepts, permagardens and demo plots
Regularly monitor Field Agent performance and ensure activities are being implemented at a high quality
Work alongside Natural Resource Management team to ensure that agriculture related activities outlined in Resilience Adaptation Committees (RAC) Action Plans are met
Support Agriculture and NRM Team Leaders in distribution of capital grants to community level RACS
Provide guidance and expertise on agriculture methods and best practices in semi-arid/arid lands
Work with the markets team to ensure market facilitation activities around agriculture inputs – seeds, tillage – are understood and accessed by community groups. Further, support markets in improving retailer capacity and linkages to suppliers
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 BRACED Program Officer-Agriculture job opportunity should possess a Bachelor’s degree in a related field of expertise (e.g. Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, 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;
Basic 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.
Working knowledge and experience in either livestock or rangeland management, irrigation, water harvesting or water saving methods in arid lands.
Previous exposure, 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 addressed to the Senior HR and Legal Manager, Mercy Corps Uganda to: ug-mcjobs@mercycorps.org
Deadline: 2nd February 2017