Graduate Trainee responsibilities
During the program:
❏ The graduate trainee shall comply with relevant Mercy Corps Uganda policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and safety regulations, Code of Conduct, and child protection policies, and follow the instructions and guidelines received from the relevant Mercy Corps Uganda staff.
❏ All graduate trainees shall be required to read and sign:
❖ Graduate Trainee Program Waiver, Confidentiality Agreement and Information Request
❖ Scope of Work
❖ Graduate traineeship Policy
❖ Confidentiality Agreement
❖ Security Manual
❖ Code of Conduct
❏ The graduate trainee shall respect the “impartiality” and “independence” of Mercy Corps Uganda and will neither seek nor accept instructions from any authority external to Mercy Corps Uganda during the graduate trainee-ship. The graduate shall refrain from any conduct that would adversely affect Mercy Corps Uganda and shall not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the aims, objectives and interests of Mercy Corps Uganda.
❏ Expected to work for 40 hours a week exclusive of lunch break.
❏ Upon completion of the 12 months’ internship program, it is the graduate trainee to take up opportunities to develop her/his career.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Mercy Corps is an international non-profit organization which implements high-quality, analytical development programs in very difficult places. Mercy Corps has been operating in Uganda since 2006. It has and continues to implement programs in Acholi and Karamoja sub regions. Mercy Corps is taking a community-led, market driven approach to address poverty and food insecurity needs through interventions that get to the root causes and contributing factors of economic vulnerability. Donors include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), DFID, MasterCard Foundation, WALMART Foundation, Coca Cola Africa Foundation, US Depart of State (DOS) /PEPFAR, ECHO and Nike Foundation. Karamoja is in the midst of a social, political, ecological, and economic transition as it continues its recovery from decades of conflict and instability. Despite relative peace, food and nutrition insecurity persist. Karamoja is the most nutritionally vulnerable sub-region in Uganda Continued high levels of undernutrition is both a symptom and a cause of food and nutrition insecurity in Karamoja, and a significant barrier to development.
USAID’s APOLOU [Growth] activity implemented by Mercy Corps with Save the Children, Whave, Tufts University, Riam Riam, KAPDA, AIDI and NARWOA envisions a resilient, well-nourished, and empowered Karamoja, equipped to navigate the shifting dynamics within society, overcome gender and age related systemic inequalities, and withstand shocks and stresses. The overall objective of APOLOU is to improve food and nutrition security for vulnerable households in the four districts of Kotido, Moroto, Amudat and Kaabong. To accomplish this, activities are structured under four interwoven purposes: Governance: inclusive and effective governance contributes to improved nutrition and food security through Community Mobilization, Community Based Organization capacity building, conflict monitoring, and advocacy activities. Improved maternal and child health nutrition: improve nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women, children under 5, and adolescent girls in targeted Districts through Mother Care Groups, Male Change Agents, Adolescent Safe Spaces and strengthened Health Governance. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: improved WASH conditions through the Clean Household Approach, Private sector led borehole maintenance, and sustainable WASH Governance. Livelihoods: adolescent girls, boys, women and men access diverse and secure livelihoods through improved capacities and strengthened market systems through increased skills in off and on farm livelihoods and improved market systems for livestock, crops and non-ag sectors.
The APOLOU activity interventions will strengthen existing structures/systems and facilitate the creation of sustainable economic opportunities for youth, men and women. Through a market facilitation approach, the activity will increase the employability of youth by facilitating access to demand driven technical skills, knowledge and market information. The activity will link farmers and livestock producers through their enterprise groups to better market opportunities, improve on access and utilization of financial services to enhance growth and expansion of microenterprises for better returns [Livestock and Farming a business models]. The APOLOU activity will engage an array of public and private sector actors to increase access to goods, services, markets, information, productive & social assets to increase the productivity of on farm and off farm enterprises targeting vulnerable youth, men and women.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
❏ The trainees will have a unique opportunity to work with an energetic and entrepreneurial team to experience a market systems approach to development with high visibility in Uganda with different value chains.
❏ In the course of the internship program, the graduate trainee will gain practical knowledge and skill on a private service providers approach of the Saving and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) model.
❏ Graduate Trainee will gain new and practical skill on private sector engagement tools.
❏ The trainee will have the opportunity to engage deeply in the discussions and debates around innovation and technologies to improve livelihoods of vulnerable households through life skills, on farm and off farm opportunities focusing on livestock and crop agriculture value chains.
❏ In the internship programing, trainees will enhance her/his knowledge and skill on work plan development, report writing and primary data collection
GRADUATE TRAINEE RESPONSIBILITIES:
❏ The market systems trainee will take part in analyzing markets trends and suggesting activities towards access to new markets and business development opportunities for value chains in Karamoja region.
❏ The trainee will gain a strong understanding of the market systems approach and he/she is expected to use the knowledge to analyze the key growth and revenue drivers across the existing value chains.
❏ Provide daily support to the MSD officers and manager, including the preparation of background documents, research pieces, and presentations as needed.
❏ The trainee will be involved in field-level implementation, demonstrations on improved practices and technologies in collaboration with MSD Officers and other key stakeholders in the intervention areas. This will improve his/her ability to create and maintain functional partnerships based on mutual benefit and respect to achieve win – win outcomes.
❏ The trainee will work directly with the MSD officers to develop agent input/output and aggregator networks intended to increase local partners’ access to market information and financial services.
❏ The market systems trainee will gain hands on experience in strengthening private sector interventions in livestock and agriculture value chains, as well as scaling up financial inclusion and other products/services as relevant.
❏ The trainee will have a chance to experience how private sector led and project-support development is tailored to the unique needs, opportunities and constraints of women and youth in the intervention areas.
❏ Contribute to writing weekly and monthly program reports based on field inputs for review by the Market Systems Development officers.
DELIVERABLES: The trainee is expected to demonstrate the following competencies while at and after leaving Mercy Corps:
❏ Actively participate in Apolou private sector engagement tool development, implementation and lesson learning
❏ Mobilize and facilitate the engagements of stakeholders during planning and development meetings, workshops and other fora
❏ Write up accurate and timely reports pertaining to all planned activities in the required format and submit to the Market System Development Manager
❏ Document and maintain records pertaining to training, production activities forward issues to management for decisions and appropriate action in line with Mercy Corps policies
IDEAL CANDIDATE SHOULD POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:
❏ The applicants for the Market Systems Trainee jobs at Mercy Corps must hold a bachelor’s degree in Microfinance, Agribusiness, Economics, Statistics, Business Studies and any other related field
❏ Previous experience in relationship building, data collection and reporting techniques
❏ The candidate must be results oriented with the ability to think creatively and adapt to tense moments with minimal supervision.
❏ He/She must be willing to work in rural settings in Karamoja region and interact freely with the program clients.
❏ Excellent communication skills
❏ Self-starter and able to work under minimal supervision.
❏ Energetic and eager to tackle new projects and ideas.
❏ Flexibility and desirous to take on additional roles and responsibilities as opportunities and needs arise
❏ Knowledge of the local environment and fluency in languages like Pokot, Kiswahili and Ngarikaramajong will be an added advantage.
How to apply: Submit your application through email to [email protected] addressed to the Human Resource Director, Mercy Corps Uganda. Include a cover letter clearly stating your salary requirements, CV (with 3 referees), and copies of academic qualifications/certificates. Deadline for Submission: Close of business on Tuesday, 30th April, 2019. Subject of email should include the position you are applying for. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer; qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications can also be hand-delivered to any of our field offices located in Moroto, Amudat, Kaabong, Kotido, Gulu, Kitgum and Yumbe.
More Information
- Job City Kotido, Kaabong, Amudat
