Deadline of this Job: 16 November 2022
JOB DETAILS:Description
Mercy Corps Uganda
Present in Uganda since 2006, Mercy Corps Uganda’s aim is to catalyze change through the Ugandan private sector, civil society, and government to create resilient, economically inclusive, healthy, and secure communities. Apolou (“Growth” in Nga’karimojong) Activity is a 6-year USAID funded RFSA operating in the five districts of Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga and Amudat. Apolou has four objectives grounded in social behaviour change and supports gender-transformative and resilience outcomes:
• Inclusive and effective governance contributes to food and nutrition security
• Adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and children under five are nutritionally secure
• Reduced incidences of WASH related diseases
• Improved livelihoods and income support household food security
The Communications Specialist will work primarily on the Apolou Activity but will also have the opportunity to support other Mercy Corps Uganda programmes, when required.
The Position
This is a new position for the programme that looks to boost the profile of Apolou’s work internally to the agency and with external stakeholders. The Communications Specialist will craft a communications strategy and plan in support of key messages telling Apolou Activity’s story in a creative and innovative way to a wide and diverse audience. They will guide team members and partners on storytelling, photo taking, and documenting learning. The Communications Specialist will play a critical role in the Activity’s final year ensuring clear, consistent and strategic messaging allows for a smooth exit from communities and with key stakeholders.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND PLANNING
• Lead on the development and implementation of a creative communications strategy and plan for the Apolou Activity during its final year of implementation.
• Craft key messages and identify critical components of Apolou’s story for sharing with a wide and diverse audience, including staff, partners, government, and donors.
• Represent Apolou Activity and Mercy Corps Uganda in strategic fora.
• Ensure adherence to USAID branding and communication guidelines.
TEAM ENGAGEMENT
• Work with the Apolou SMT and Mercy Corps Uganda SLT to develop internal communications messages and materials to support smooth programme close out.
• Build the capacity of staff and partner team members to identify and exploit storytelling opportunities.
• Sensitise staff and partner team members on Apolou’s story and communications strategy.
EVENT MANAGEMENT
• Design a series of learning events to effectively communicate Apolou’s story to diverse stakeholders.
• Liaise with the media before, during and after events.
RISK MANAGEMENT
• Working with senior management, quickly identify potential risks during programme close out and provide advice on communications strategies to address these.
Supervisory Responsibility
N/A
Accountability
Reports Directly To: TBD
Works Directly With: Apolou senior management, MC Uganda senior leadership, Programme Managers, Programme Staff, consortium partners, Regional Communications team
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
• 7 years experience in Communications and/or Media Engagement for INGOs.
• Masters in Communications, Media, Marketing, Public Relations or equivalent.
• Advanced computer skills and administrative experience (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, design applications)
• Strong facilitation skills to deliver training to diverse groups
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English
• Strong ability to efficiently prioritize competing demands with attention to detail
• Creative and influential leadership skills
• Ability to speak local languages of areas of operation an advantage
Deadline of this Job: 16 November 2022
JOB DETAILS:Description
Program/Department Summary
Mercy Corps Uganda is implementing a five-year USAID funded Activity named ‘Apolou’ in the Eastern Districts of the Karamoja sub-region of Uganda. The Activity is implemented in five Districts of Karamoja: Karenga, Kotido, Kaabong, Moroto and Amudat.
The Activity has four strategic objectives:
• Inclusive and effective governance contributes to food and nutrition security
• Adolescent girls, Pregnant and Lactating Women, and Children under 5 are nutritionally secure
• Reduced incidences of WASH related diseases
• Improved livelihoods and income support household food security
The RCF program works in the districts of Kaabong and Amudat, with the goal to “Improve the veterinary governance and increase public and private investment in disease prevention, surveillance, control and response systems to strengthen productive assets for improved resilience in Karamoja.” RCF has the following objectives:
• Increased domestic resource allocation into animal health services in Karamoja
• Central and local governments develop animal health services capacity-strengthening plan for the Karamoja region
• Disease control plan for economically prioritized diseases (PPR and FMD) developed and implemented
• Private sector animal health development strategy developed and rolled out
General Position Summary
The PM Officer will ensure dedicated support to ensure Apolou remains compliant with Mercy Corps’ global complex programme minimum standards. In addition to this the PM Officer will be the gatekeeper for critical grant management functions including shared filing, onboarding packages, support for programmatic meetings, among others. The PM Officer will be responsible for ensuring that these essential programme management tools and systems are rolled out and adopted across a broad team of staff and partners, including the provision of regular capacity building. In close collaboration with management and MEL teams, the PM Officer will ensure that quality assurance measures are integrated across the programme. The PM Officer will support coordinating external contractors, consultants, and auditors, as necessary.
Roles and Responsibilities
• Manages and regularly reviews Apolou filing in line with Mercy Corps Uganda and Mercy Corps Global filing structure, including updating Apolou's record retention schedule, conducting spot checks on filing in each office.
• Provides training and ongoing capacity building to staff on programme management skills and tools - PM@MC training and ensuring Apolou staff obtain PMD Pro certification.
• Gatekeeper for the Apolou stakeholder register - managing and regularly updating with support of District leads.
• Develops and monitors Apolou's risk register.
• Works with the implementation lead and technical lead to manage workplanning tools (MS Project or other).
• Generates and updates the Apolou end of program transition plan (Mercy Corps minimum standard).
• Updates the Apolou organogram regularly and shares with the consortium.
• Maintains contact list for Apolou staff and partners; updating listservs etc.
• Acts as secretary for all Apolou programmatic meetings (monthly/quarterly) - helps to plan, organise and document.
• Develops and monitors the Apolou stakeholder communication plan with the District Leads.
• Conducts initial reviews of Budget vs Actual reports and documents review meeting notes.
• Develops an Apolou onboarding process and package for new team members.
• Tracks ongoing procurements for Apolou and follows up regularly.
• Develops and regularly updates a contracts and MoU tracker.
• Ensures full adherence to Mercy Corps PM minimum standards for complex programmes.
• Manages the procurement planning process for Apolou (develop templates, ensure regularly updated by programme team).
• Develop Quality Assurance Plan for Apolou, including quality benchmarks, SOPs for QA, verification tools, guidance documents for the team. Implements and monitors the plan with support from other departments.
• As necessary, partner monitoring - monthly and quarterly for nine partners
• Following up on action points from audits (internal or other)
• Reviews materials for branding compliance
Organizational Learning
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: PaC Advisor – Apolou Activity
Works Directly With: Program Team, Finance, HR and Operations Teams
Supervises: N/A
Accountability to Beneficiaries
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Knowledge and Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in development studies, project management or equivalent
• 3-5 years of experience working in Uganda on grant/programme management systems
• Highly proficient in Microsoft, G Suite packages and project management packages, including MS Project or equivalent
• Experience facilitating trainings and working with broad, diverse teams
• Experience working with USAID as a donor preferred
• Experience working in Karamoja sub-region a plus
• Excellent self-management and interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in the English language
Deadline of this Job: 19 November 2022
JOB DETAILS:Job Summary:
The CATALYST study (CATALYzing access to new prevention products to STop HIV) is a five-year, multi-country study sponsored by FHI360 and funded by PEPFAR as part of the MOSAIC project. The study aims to evaluate the implementation of an enhanced service delivery package of new HIV prevention options among women. The study entails a prospective cohort study, mixed methods process evaluation, and multiple nested studies to understand implementation challenges and facilitators in existing health facilities.
The CATALYST Data Manager will be responsible for ensuring the quality of data in Uganda. The data manger’s responsibilities include developing data collection tools and database systems for organizing data to store, analyze, identify, and report data and trends. Using their programming skills, the data manager will create data queries and scripts that will be used to generate periodic and ad hoc reports for the study team. They will identify and document data discrepancies in collaboration with site study coordinators and data collectors. Working closely with both national and international staff – including site staff, data managers in other countries, and the headquarters Lead Data Manager – this position requires excellent communication skills and commitment to detailed documentation.
Tasks/Accountabilities
• Develops the country-specific data management plan and provides feedback on multi-national data management plan.
• Develops a secure database hosted on a local server for tracking participants, manages. Permissions, and develops, follows, and monitors adherence to strict access procedures.
• Reviews all electronic data collection forms to ensure correct logic and that translated versions match English versions, meticulously documents, and communicates to Lead Data Manager any discrepancies or requested changes, and revises programming of forms upon instruction from Lead Data Manager.
• Develops logic checks or error specifications, tests data and performs user acceptability testing (pilot tests) to verify that error checks programming are correct.
• Collaborates with field staff and data management team to resolve data discrepancies during data verification and validation.
• Runs scripts (daily, weekly, monthly) on the study database to generate reports on study progress, adverse events, provides data collectors contact lists for the week, and facilitates selection of sub-samples.
• Along with entire study team, responsible for adhering to all procedures outlined in the study protocol and study procedures manual, as well as reporting any deviations.
• Develop and implement data collection guidelines.
• Leads and assists in training data collection teams on data collection procedures.
• Manages study data collection equipment, including the loading, updating, testing, and troubleshooting of electronic data collection forms, as well as the assignment of equipment to data collection staff.
• Ensures that data management plans and equipment comply with all local and contractual regulations (e.g., national data privacy regulations and data sharing agreements)
• Liaises with field teams (Site Study Coordinators and data collectors), Country Study Coordinator and Lead Data Manager.
• Ensures adherence to policies that ensure the security and confidentiality of sensitive data, including FHI 360, sponsor, national, and international standards, and assists in providing data and documentation for Open Data submissions.
Requirements
• Typically requires a minimum of 5+ years of data management and systems experience.
• Prior work experience in a non- governmental organization (NGO) preferred.
• Strong understanding of relational database design and development
• Strong knowledge of data management concepts, procedures, and processes
• Ability to program electronic data collection forms in ODK, REDCap or similar
• Sound knowledge of Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Experience with a statistical programming language (R, SPSS, STATA, SAS) is preferred
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Able to communicate in a clear, positive manner with clients and staff
• Excellent teamwork skills
• Experience managing data for clinical and non-clinical studies is preferred
• Fluency in English, fluency in at least one of the following local languages: Luganda, Acholi, Ateso, Japadhola, Lugishu, Runyankore.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in data management in a busy health institution in Uganda.
Education requirements
• Bachelor’s degree or international equivalent in Health Data Informatics, Data Science, Computer Science, Life Science, Health Science, Information Management, Biostatistics or Related Field
Experience:
• Typically requires a minimum of 5+ years of data management and systems experience.
• Prior work experience in a non- governmental organization (NGO) preferred.
• Experience in Clinical Data Management systems (i.e. Oracle Clinical One, OpenClinica, RedCap, Oracle InForm, Clintrial etc.) preferred.
• Experience in analysis software tools such as SAS, R, Python preferred.
• Experience in reporting tools using SQL preferred.
Typical Physical Demands:
• Typical office environment.
• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift/move up to 5 lbs.
Technology to be Used:
• Personal Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.
Travel Requirements:
• Less than 10%