About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In a 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. Our programs focus on:

• Strengthening market systems to enable inclusive economic growth and resilience

• Strengthening governance structures, to prioritize and advocate for community needs, making informed decisions, and allocating resources in a participatory, transparent and accountable manner
• Building institutional capacity to enable communities to attain better health, nutrition, and sexual reproductive health outcomes
• Meeting the immediate needs of refugees and hosting communities, while strengthening market systems and resilience capacities
Throughout our programs we ensure we focus on women and youth, building resilience to climate change, designing for impact and scale, and ensuring we take a conflict-sensitive approach to do no harm. In 2018, Mercy Corps had programmed in 26 districts across the northern agro-pastoral and pastoral regions bordering South Sudan and Kenya, and into central Uganda including major urban areas such as Kampala, and has improved the wellbeing of over 1 million Ugandans.

Program Summary

Mercy Corps Uganda has secured funding from BPRM in a consortium with the International Rescue Committee (IRC, as lead agency) and Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) to implement a 9-month program entitled “Provision of essential services to meet the basic needs of at-risk urban refugees in response to COVID-19”. The emergency program will focus on addressing the negative impacts of COVID-19 on urban refugees in Kampala.

The program will prioritize critical activities outlined in UNHCR’s Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for urban refugees and will build off IRC’s existing BPRM-funded three-year project, by scaling up essential protection and information services, expanding cash and in-kind interventions to meet the basic needs of refugee households and small businesses, and engaging with refugee community structures and associations to lead local response efforts.

Mercy Corps will lead on the livelihood component of this program, which includes activities such as basic need cash transfer grants for three months for 320 households, micro-enterprise development grants for 82 entrepreneurs and rapid recovery grants for 73 micro-entrepreneurs.

MC will work closely with the consortium partners and relevant authorities including refugee leaders to ensure the different components of the program work together effectively to reach the desired impact.

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps is looking for an experienced, qualified candidate to fill the position of Program Assistant to support the Program Officer in the implementation of livelihood activities on targeting Urban refugees and host communities in Kampala. The specific activities will include building positive relationships with local authorities, protection centers, ensure routine monitoring of activities, work planning and compiling activity reports and after-action-reviews to inform decision-making processes. S/he will be creative, action-oriented, with strong experience in partnership management. .

Essential Job Responsibilities

• In liaison with the program officer, organize and support inception and follow up meetings with key stakeholders in the program areas.
• Liaise with consortium partners and other stakeholders to ensure that the intended participants, are targeted by the program as per the pre-established vulnerability criteria for registration to cause impact.
• Support in the development of the beneficiary registration tool as per the agreed upon livelihood pathways for the participants.
• Clean datasets, ensuring that graduated participants to are removed from eligibility.
• Conduct participants’ and merchant verifications, as well as standardized post-distribution monitoring
• Under guidance of the Program Officer and Senior MEL Officer, participate in any market assessments and baseline/end line surveys.
• Participate in routine data collection to track progress of livelihood initiatives within the program areas.
• Prepare and submit timely weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports that will be indicative of program progress during implementation.
• Respond to queries if and when necessary by ensuring that the complaints mechanism is functional and individual complaints are addressed.
• Maintain proper filing system with activity reports, attendance lists and pictures.
Collaboration/Networking
• Establish and maintain good coordination and working relationships with division authorities, representing Mercy Corps and soliciting participation in activities where appropriate and as directed.
• Ensure close coordination and sharing of information with relevant stakeholders such as KCCA division authorities, local authorities and implementing partners including NGOs and CSOs as appropriate and advised by the Program Manager.
• Work closely with the consortium partners, share and request for relevant information on the program.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps Uganda and to not jeopardize its humanitarian and development mission.
Security
• Ensure participants’ protection policies are adhered to and implement post distribution monitoring and evaluation system to measure intended and unintended impacts, including monitoring of gender based violence
• Ensure data protection policies are adhered to, establishing security controls for software, hardware and archive participants’ databases.
Organizational Learning
As part of Mercy Corps Uganda’s 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 the program as well as themselves.
Supervisory Responsibility: None.

Accountability to Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.

Reports Directly to: Program officer

Works Directly with: Senior MEL Officer, Program Officer, support teams and consortium partners.
Ethics and Integrity
All Mercy Corps staff are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate highest integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero-tolerance to any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action or may lead to termination.

Knowledge and Experience
• Diploma in social sciences, development studies or related fields.
• Experience of at least one year working with communities to improve their livelihoods through savings and loan associations, micro enterprise grants, business linkages, social networking etc. is desirable.
• The candidate must possess good mobilization skills, Excellent teamwork abilities and interpersonal skills.
• The candidate must possess verbal and written communication skills with good command of the English language. Knowledge of other languages including Luganda, Kiswahili, French and Arabic is an added advantage.
• Computer literacy with a full knowledge of Microsoft office applications.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to complete tasks in a timely manner.
• Demonstrated flexibility, creativity and enthusiasm as well as a willingness to learn and to be continually adaptive within a dynamic and often self-directed working environment mandatory.
• Proactive, problem-solving action orientation is essential.

Job Education: Diploma in social sciences

Job application procedure
Success Factors
The ideal candidate will have the ability and curiosity to work comfortably and effectively with a diverse vulnerable group in Kampala consisting of Urban refugees and host communities. S/he will be an excellent communicator, have a strong sense of humor, multi-tasker, and able to work in difficult and often stressful environments. S/he will be committed to the work of Mercy Corps and the objectives of this program. He/she will demonstrate their dedication with a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and creative problem-solving.