Job Title: Program Assistant
Organisation: Mercy Corps
Duty Station: Yumbe, Uganda
Reports to: Program Officer
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.
Job Summary: The Program Assistant will respond to the needs of communities through the integrated set of activities under Pump-Up. The Program Assistant will focus on mobilizing the different groups / platforms within their community. The Program Assistant will also mobilize the surrounding government and private sector systemic structures and similarly identify capacity building needs of these structures. The Program Assistant will adopt an “adaptive” management approach to understand the needs of the groups within the community and the external support structures.. The Program Assistant will ensure that activities are sequenced, layered and integrated for comprehensive service delivery. The Program Assistant will closely work with staff from local partners in the Pump-Up Activity to strengthen integration. The Program Assistant will work closely with the MEL team to ensure that data capture takes place.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Program Implementation
- Assist with the design and implementation of weekly, monthly and quarterly workplans
- Conduct participant identification exercises for the different activities in the community.
- Mobilize participants for planned activities in respective locations.
- Organize and supervise community trainings in line with the approved work plan and budget based.
- Coordinate to ensure complementary approaches, monitor implementation of project activities and document learnings and success stories.
- Collaborate with fellow Program team members to ensure team success, including but not limited to logistics coordination, temporary support during leave, etc., as advised by Program Officer.
Gender and Youth Integration
- Ensure that program activities apply gender equity and empowerment principles
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Responsible for data gathering, data validation, quality control and timely data submission including gender and age disaggregated data.
- Troubleshoot monitoring and evaluation challenges for proactive problem solving with support of program manager and M&E team.
- Utilize qualitative and quantitative data to inform program implementation.
- Actively document best practices and lessons learned to share with team during routine monitoring, coordination meetings and other learning opportunities.
- Prepare and submit timely and quality weekly and monthly reports.
Influence and Representation
- Promote Pump-up Activity visibility at both Community and Sub County level.
- Ensure establishment and maintenance of relationships with communities, village councils and local government in the target areas.
- Coordination of field activities with partners and local government to avoid duplication of services.
- When needed, support visits from district and sub-county government, regional and HQ based staff and external visitors, such as donors and media, in collaboration with the Program Officer.
- Support Pump-up activities with key stakeholders, ensuring collaboration with counterparts in partner organization in relevant meetings, internal and external.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant must hold an advanced Training Certificate or Diploma
- One to two years of experience in conducting community mobilization, training, and networking
- Experience in capacity building with communities in Yumbe and/or Gulu
- Experience and skills in working with other NGOs, government partners, and local community-based organizations.
- Fluency in local languages prevalent within the operational district where assigned (essential)
- Computer literacy
- Ability to ride a motorcycle with a valid riding permit is desired
- The successful candidate will be energetic, and able to work long hours outside of the office.
- The successful candidate will also have strong attention to detail, the ability to communicate well with community representatives and be committed to maintaining a compliant workplace, free of fraud and corruption.
How to Apply:
All candidates should submit their applications online at the link below.
Deadline: 25th July 2023