Project Officer - Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning

Job Title: Project Officer - MEAL Department: Programming (Restore Africa) Report to: Project Manager II – Implementation (Project Management Unit) Duration: Full-time Job Location: Tororo, Uganda About CRS: Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion, or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS’ Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Portfolio Under the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation strategic priority area, CRS aims to ‘drive uptake and scaling of nature-based solutions and novel financing mechanisms to support national and community level efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change’. CRS currently has three projects which fall explicitly under this strategic priority area, and is in discussions with other donors to start additional and related programs: Restore Africa , which aims to restore 560,000 hectares of land with 352,500 smallholder farmers across 31 districts (Climate Asset Management funded) Accelerating and Scaling Climate Smart Jobs within Restore Africa - Market Linkages for Livelihoods and Land Restoration (M4R – FCDO funded) in 17 districts, focusing on 60,000 small-holder farmers and 40,000 hectares also engaged in Restore Africa. Mixed-Use Agroforestry in Refugee Hosting Districts (World Bank / MinWE funded), targeting 17,550 hectares and 87,782 smallholder farmers These projects aim to assist smallholder farmers, with an average landholding of 2 hectares (minimum 0.5 hectares, maximum 20 hectares) to diversify production within their agroforestry systems, including through payments for carbon sequestration through integration of trees into their plots. The projects also aim to incentivize smallholder farmers to be able to invest in activities which restore health to their soil and increase productivity over time, as well as meet their own food security and economic needs. Job Summary: As a member of the Restore Africa project team, you will be responsible for implementing MEAL activities, providing technical support, and overseeing the monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning processes. Your work will support Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) mission to serve the poor and vulnerable. Through your MEAL expertise, you will help assess the effectiveness, adaptability, and innovation of CRS Uganda’s programs. Your thoroughness and service-oriented approach will ensure the consistent application of best practices and continuous improvement in the project’s impact on the communities we serve. Roles and Key Responsibilities: Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned Restore Africa project MEAL activities as outlined in the Detailed Implementation Plan in line with CRS program quality principles, standards and ensure compliance with the MEAL policies, procedures, and practices; donor MEAL requirements; and good industry practices. Provide input to and support project MEAL system design and data collection tools to measure program/project impact and progress. Monitor and report any MEAL-related challenges and gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Lead the roll-out and implementation of the project’s feedback and response mechanism (FRM). Support actively seeking and responding to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other stakeholders as defined by the FRM. Support field-level project MEAL activities (including digital data collection) and assist partners in their efforts to collect and ensure timely analysis of project data per specified mechanisms and tools. Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare MEAL-related aspects of reports per established reporting schedule. Conduct data quality assessment from the Restore Africa project activity data collected. Collect information on staff MEAL capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and monitor MEAL capacity building and technical support activities to ensure effective impact. Complete project documentation for assigned MEAL activities. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices. Support program learning and decision making by posing thoughtful questions, engaging with project data, reflecting upon and sharing with project management the information gathered from community members and partners. Basic Qualifications and Experience Bachelor’s degree in international development, International Relations or in the field of MEAL required. Additional experience may substitute for some education. Minimum of 2 years of work experience in project support. Experience in the field of MEAL and for an NGO is preferred. Preferred Qualifications and Experience Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement. Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred. Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Observation, active listening, and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment. Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members. Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented. MEAL Competencies (for CRS MEAL Program Staff): Each staff member in this position is expected to have basic knowledge and ability and, with guidance, be able to apply the following competencies in common situations that present limited difficulties: Monitoring Evaluation Accountability Learning Analysis and Critical Thinking In addition, each staff member in this position is expected to have elementary understanding of and todemonstrate a willingness and potential to learn about: MEAL in Design ICT4MEAL Management in MEAL Required Languages : English fluency, including excellent oral and written skills, required. Travel : Must be willing and able to travel up to 40% in the CRS field location. Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff) Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results. Personal Accountability —consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions. Acts with Integrity —consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest. Builds and Maintains Trust —shows consistency between words and actions. Collaborates with Others —works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams. Open to Learn —seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things. Agency Leadership Competencies: Lead Change —continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation. Develops and Recognizes Others —builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance. Strategic Mindset —understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team principles. Key Working Relationships: Supervisory Responsibilities: None. Internal: ICT4D Officer, Learning Technical Manager, Restore Africa project staff and other CRS MEAL staff. External: Partner staff, MEAL staff from other peer agencies. “Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position”.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer: We encourage all qualified candidates to apply for this position, including individuals from marginalized backgrounds and people with disabilities. Please ensure you follow the instructions outlined below when applying. - This position is open to Ugandan nationals only. - Submit your application no later than 5:00 PM on November 4, 2025. - Applications will only be accepted electronically via the following link: ?[https://form.jotform.com/252932466858572](https://form.jotform.com/252932466858572) Please Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.