Jobs – Veterinary Officer at USAID Mercy Corps

Job Title:  Veterinary Officer

Mercy Corps is an International NGO that exists to alleviate poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps has been fully registered in Uganda as an operational NGO. Currently Mercy Corps has an office in Kampala and is implementing Food Security programs which comprises of Water and Sanitation, Livelihood and Agriculture and Conflict Mitigation Management Program in North and North Eastern Uganda. We implement programs in the northern districts of Pader, Kitgum, Agago, Lamwo, Kaabong, Abim and Kotido with funding from USAID, USDA, Walmart Foundation, SDC, DFID as well as other private donations.

About USAID Project:

Mercy Corps in currently implementing a market-development focused 5-year USAID/Food for Peace-funded program working in the northern half of Karamoja. The project, called Growth, Health and Governance (GHG), aims to support the immediate needs of program beneficiaries while promoting long-term development by spurring systemic improvements in key economic sectors of northern Karamoja.

Job Summary: The Veterinary Officer will work to improve the economic future and quality of life of their program beneficiaries. The ability of an Officer to push forward market-driven approaches in all stages of programming will be one of the position’s three success factors. The second will be the degree to which that person promotes and captures learning with her/his team, institutionalizing activity reviews, identifying and evaluating preconceptions and promoting a culture of inquisition. The third success factor will be the degree to which that person drives results, making critical decisions and producing scheduled outputs at deadline and to expected quality.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

1. Program:
2. Partnership Management:
3. Other: Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission;

• Work in liaison with the Mercy Corps livestock health services team, national drug companies, district veterinary officers and other key partners in planning and implementation of veterinary service extension activities of GHG program according to the approved work plans and budgets;
• Work closely with agrovet shops to identify capacity gaps of CAHWs and farmers’ challenges and provide technical support, design tools and activities for improvement and follow up the implementation;
• Work closely with district veterinary officers and agrovets shops, the veterinary officer will design and implement a supervisory plan for CAHWs to ensure quality service delivery to farmers;
• Maintain close coordination and co-operation with district veterinary department, ministry of agriculture, research institutions, sector working groups and development agencies to ensure synergy and improved coordination among programs/interventions;
• Work in consultation with NDA, oversee the work to control the illegal sale of animal drugs in the markets;
• Work with DVO on higher level in terms of planning and supporting vaccination campaigns – including poultry and Newcastle disease, foot and mouth etc;
• Offer technical support and working on general animal hygiene awareness – working with urban team on slaughter houses, meat inspection, dairy products health and safety;
• Monitor intervention activities and collect beneficiary qualitative and quantitative information, document success stories and maintain proper records and filling systems;
• Apply a gender lens to activities in the program cycle;

• Identify, assess and develop partnership strategies for potential private sector (agrovet) GHG partners;
• Establish and maintain productive working relationships with sub-county and district leaders and DVOs and soliciting their participation in all activities where appropriate;
• Make on-site field visits regularly to provide technical review and/or design suggestions;
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Take primary responsibility for sector-focused data gathering;
• Establish procedures and guidelines to monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of economic development support work including setting and measuring benchmarks along results chains;
• Analyze project implementation strategies to identify constraints to program success and provide timely recommendations;
• Offer timely data in support of team submission of timely weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports that will be indicative of program progress during implementation.
• Where needed support external evaluations by research partner Feinstein International Centre and other organizations;
• Work with the Chief Learning Officer to ensure accurate and timely flow of information from the field for entry in the database and for preparation of PR materials

Qualifications, Skills and Experience: 

• The applicant should preferably hold a good bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine or its equivalent
• At least three years of relevant experience
• Willingness to work in the field with agrovets shops, Community animal health workers, kraal leaders and communities;
• Possess the ability to interact effectively with a wide range of partners; private sector, government and civil society;
• Excellent reporting, communication and representation skills
• Skills in networking, team-working, and community consultations
• Good spoken and written English. Fluency in Ngakarimojong and Ethurr is an advantage

How to Apply for the job:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send their applications including a cover letter clearly stating your salary requirements, CV (with 3 referees), and copies of academic qualifications/certificates to the  Human Resource Manager, Kampala Head Office in Nsambya Estate Road, Kampala Head Office in Nsambya on Plot 1102 Nsambya Estate Road, Kampala or to Mercy Corps Offices in Kitgum. E-mailed applications with cover letter to: mcuganda@ug.mercycorps.org will also be accepted.

NB: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by Mercy Corps. Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.

Deadline: 23^rd September, 2014