Voucher Programming Specialist-Apolou

Job Details

Description

The Program / Department / Team

The Apolou Activity is a USAID BHA initiative with the goal to improve the food and nutrition security of vulnerable households in the Kaabong, Karenga, Kotido, Moroto, and Amudat districts of Karamoja. The activity is implemented by a consortium of Mercy Corps (as lead), Save the Children, Whave Solutions, Tufts University’s Feinstein International Center, and three local organizations: Karamoja Peace and Development Agency (KAPDA), Nakere Rural Women’s Activists (NARWOA) and RiamiRiam. The Activity works with households, community leaders, the Government of Uganda, private sector and other development actors to address underlying causes of chronic food and nutrition insecurity while building a foundation for community and household resilience.

The Position

Apolou Activity plans to deliver vouchers to care group participants including pregnant and lactating women and male change agents across its Districts of implementation. The voucher activity needs to be completed prior to the end of September 2021. The vouchers are designed to support households to adopt positive behaviors related to WASH, saving and perma garden use in addition to easing the burden of ongoing lockdown measures related to the Covid-19 pandemic through the provision of food. This position will be required to successfully plan, implement and close out the voucher activity in compliance with BHA guidelines and Mercy Corps internal policies while working collaboratively with the Apolou and Mercy Corps Uganda teams.

Essential Responsibilities

• Collaboratively finalise strategy documents for the planned vouchers.
• Design, finalise and roll out the SOP for the voucher activity in close coordination with technical leads, Operations and Finance.
• Develop and regularly monitor and update a detailed work plan and budget for the activity.
• As necessary, plan and implement any assessments related to the planned voucher activity, including scoping for other partners implementing vouchers in the region.
• Working closely with the MEL team, define participant selection criteria and verification processes, develop tools for registering and monitoring of participants including PDM which can generate higher level learnings for the Activity and BHA.
• Ensure compliance with MC voucher programming minimum standards and BHA guidelines for voucher assistance.
• Ensure gender and protection mainstreaming throughout planning and implementation of the voucher activity.
• Working with the CARM Officer, promote and ensure adequate CARM channels are available throughout the voucher activity, including the development of FAQs to address potential feedback or complaints from community members and/or leaders.
• Orient and train Apolou team members on the strategy, SOP and plan for implementation to ensure smooth and timely implementation.
• Quickly identify and engage vendors to participate in the fairs.
• Develop a clear plan for stakeholder engagement around the activity.
• Work with the Finance team to ensure clear processes for timely payment to the vendors.
• Conduct field monitoring visits during implementation of the voucher fairs for quality assurance.
• Document regular updates for sharing internally and with USAID/BHA.
• Compile two learning documents: one for internal use and the second for external audiences.
• Where feasible, provide capacity building opportunities to Apolou staff on voucher programming.
• File all relevant documents in the Apolou program file.
• Ensure all activities are implemented in compliance with relevant Covid-19 SOPs.
• Collaborating the implementation leads at districts update Apolou stakeholders at district and sub county level on the intervention progress.

 Supervisory Responsibility

N/A

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Partnerships and Compliance Advisor

Works Directly With: Apolou SMT, Apolou Technical and Implementation Leads, Apolou MEL Team, Finance and Operations teams

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

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in International Development, International Relations, or relevant field preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience as designer and implementer of Cash/Voucher Assistance programming.
• Knowledgeable about latest industry trends, including CVA programming, digital tools and new technologies.
• Experience in the design and implementation of humanitarian assistance programs.
• Familiarity with BHA guidelines an advantage
• Experience living and working in remote, agro-pastoralist settings an advantage
• English fluency required
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
• PMDPRo / PRINCE 2 certification or equivalent a bonus.

 Success Factors

The perfect candidate will be someone who is able to work collaboratively across multiple teams and departments. They must be able to multitask and complete required tasks efficiently and with a high attention to detail. Significant experience managing cash transfer programming in remote locations with a diverse team is essential. Sensitive interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills are required to quickly develop productive relationships. Must be comfortable working in a high pressure environment to meet tight deadlines and targets.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Karamoja, Uganda. It requires up to 40% travel to support field activities across different Districts.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Closes: 20th July 2021

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