Governance Manager Apolou USAID Project Careers – Mercy Corps
Job Title: Governance Manager Apolou
Organization: Mercy Corps
Duty Station: Uganda
Reports to: Animal health Manager – Apolou Activity
About US:
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Working in Uganda since 2006, Mercy Corps has applied market-driven solutions to communities across the country, equipping individuals and households with the knowledge, skills and confidence to generate improvements in their access to markets, livelihoods, health, nutrition, and security, in order to improve their overall resilience.
About USAID Project:
Mercy Corps is implementing a five year USAID funded food and nutrition security Activity called Apolou in Karenga, Kaabong, Kotido, Amudat and Moroto Districts. In addition to this funding, Mercy Corps was awarded funding for an Animal Health for Resilience Activity on Animal Health interventions and policy in the Karamoja sub-region through USAID’s Resilience Challenge Fund. Activities will be focused on Kaabong and Amudat Districts. The overall goal of the Animal Health for Resilience Activity is to increase 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.
Job Summary: The Governance Manager plays a key role in the implementation of a five-year, $46 million USAID funded Food for Peace Activity to support agriculturalists, agro-pastoralists, and pastoral households living across the districts of Amudat, Kotido, Kaabong and Moroto in the Karamoja sub-region of Uganda. The program has four strategic objectives, and the Governance Manager will oversee strategic objective one:
- Inclusive and effective governance contributes to improved food and nutrition security
- Improved health and nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women, children under five, and adolescent girls in targeted districts
- Improved WASH conditions among targeted households
- Adolescent girls, adolescent boys, women and men access diverse and secure livelihoods, through improved capacities and strengthened market systems.
The Governance Manager position focuses on providing capacity building, expert technical support, oversight and direction of the Governance thematic area of the Karamoja Food Security and Nutrition Activity. The Governance Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing the Governance Sector work plan and ensuring the Governance team in each of the four field offices are implementing their respective activities on-scope, on-time and on-budget. Activities will include developing and rolling-out a comprehensive program strategy to build the operational, technical and financial capacity of local civil society, engage government and increase coordination among formal and informal stakeholders, and mobilize communities to undertake collective action. The position will based in Moroto with operational oversight in Districts of Operation.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Program Implementation and Quality
- Work with local CSOs to develop inclusive capacity building strategies and plans focusing on technical and networking capacities
- Supervise the organizational development of local partner organizations using Mercy Corps Organizational Capacity Index and Capacity Development Planning process.
- Lead joint mapping of formal and informal governance structures for development and peace building in Karamoja in collaboration with key stakeholders.
- Ensuring coordination and integration of governance into other thematic sector activities and planning. The governance component of the program is foundational to many of the activities implemented in the other sectors.
- Develop curricula to strengthen the capacity of government and traditional leaders in community engagement skills, including facilitation, consultation, negotiation, and participatory planning and budgeting.
- Convene and facilitate meetings between governance structures at different levels and across geographies, as well as between parallel government and traditional non-state structures in order to promote communication and collaboration within government as well as between government and traditional non-state authorities.
- Build the capacity of Mercy Corps staff to implement governance activities.
- In collaboration with the M&E team, monitor and evaluate governance activities.
- Liaise with local and regional government officials, traditional leaders, local NGOs and civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps’ programs, coordination with actors working on related issues, and cross-learning.
- Gather/analyze data and complete assessments to determine community needs and priorities
- Work with programs, country/regional teams, and technical support units on development of strategies.
- Provide technical guidance and support the development of activities to increase women’s participation and youth civic engagement.
- Provide technical support and develop program activities to strengthen social accountability, grievance redress and feedback mechanisms.
Representation
- As required by the Technical Director, liaise with and represent the program’s Governance components to regional, district and local government officials, civil society/community leaders, political parties and other key stakeholders.
- Ensure close coordination and information sharing with consortium partners, sub-grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
- Establish and maintain professional and productive relationships with communities and local government.
- Serve as key focal point for Apolou problem solving at regional and district levels as required.
Team management
- Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
- Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
Finance, Compliance and Operations Management
- Oversee the smooth flow of routine program support functions (e.g., finance, administration, logistics) in the field office and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
- With the support of the Sn Operation Manager ensure adequate operational systems are in place to provide for program.
- Manage program budget(s) as Primary budget holder.
- Strictly follow Mercy Corps Fraud and Corruption Prevention guidelines.
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.
- Participate in the agency-wide governance practitioners cohort and engage in learning and sharing events facilitated by the Governance and Partnerships Technical Support Unit
- 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.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree required. M.A, M.S., M.Sc., or equivalent in a field related to Governance or International Development preferred.
- 10 years of experience providing increasingly proficient technical support in the Governance field of expertise that includes:
- Preparing writing and analysis on program development.
- Demonstrating strong theoretical and applied knowledge of the field of expertise.
- Using integrated approaches and applying systems thinking.
- Practical field experience, typically over the course of 2 years, that includes:
- Managing and implementing successful programs in the field.
- Delivering Capacity Building curriculum or other processes for field teams
- Managing staff and developing work-plans
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
- Familiarity with USAID.
- Fluency in English is required.
How to Apply:
All candidates who wish to join Mercy Corps in this capacity should apply online at the link below.
Deadline: 10th August 2020