About US:

Sense International Uganda (SIU) was established in 2005 and registered as a local NGO in

SIU is part of Sense International, a UK registered Non-Government global

organization that supports people with deafblindness and complex sensory impairments

across a range of, often resource poor, countries including; India, Bangladesh, Kenya,

Uganda, Tanzania, Peru, Nepal and Romania.

About Project:

Sense International Uganda’s Holistic Early Childhood Development (ECD) for children with complex disabilities is a 42 months action with funding from Comic Relief that will be

implemented in the Eastern and Central regions of Uganda. Specifically, the project aims at

supporting children with complex disabilities in Uganda to survive and achieve their

potential in the first eight years of their life with quality early childhood development, care

and pre-school services to prepare them for primary education in line with the Sustainable

Development Goals (primarily SDG 4) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities (CRPD) Article 24 on education.

Job Summary:

The Project Officer will ensure the successful coordination and implementation of Sense International Uganda projects through efficient management of project budgets and schedules, by managing relationships with stakeholders including government offices, partner organisations and local structures and ensuring project outputs are delivered to expected level of quality for effective attainment of outcomes and impact. S/he will be expected to have knowledge in ECD and disability inclusion/rehabilitation with technical abilities to; Conduct training and monitoring of professionals and family members working with children with complex disabilities, being able to advise on the development/review of curricula, assessment methods, quality assurance techniques, pedagogic techniques, customised assistive devices and sensory materials, and all other matters relating to the technical aspects of supporting children with complex disabilities.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Planning and Management

• Ensure a well-coordinated and planned support mechanisms for all the necessary structures involved in project delivery including; Uganda Parents with Deafblind Children Association (UPDBCA), Kyambogo University (KYU), National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES), Ministry of Health (MOH), DPOs, SNETWG, 30 selected primary schools and District Local Governments where the schools are located
• Develop periodical plans (annual and quarterly) informed by partner and beneficiary support needs
• Find innovative solutions to implementation challenges and works to continually improve the quality, efficiency, and impact of programmes.
• To coordinate Sense International Uganda’s Holistic Early Childhood Development (ECD) for children with complex disabilities project.
• To support the program manager in the efficient management of project budgets and schedules.
• To ensure that project outputs are delivered to the expected level of quality, through managing relationships with stakeholders including government offices, and through taking corrective action where necessary to ensure the project outcomes and impact are achieved.
• Develop a project risk matrix that is kept up to date and devise means for managing the anticipated project risks.
• Manage the relationships with key stakeholders such as government offices, education and health professionals, development agencies, and Disabled People’s Organizations in order to ensure successful achievement of programme outcomes.

Programme Development

• Contribute to the development of new projects plans, log frames and budgets.
• Contribute to the development of project concept notes and applications for funding under the direction of the Country Director and in conjunction with the Programme Funding Manager.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with those partners that Sense International Uganda has already established and beyond.

Budget development/management

• Assist the Finance and Administration Manager and the Program Manager to develop the annual country budget
• Coordinate and monitor the implementation of project budgets under the guidance of the Program Manager.
• Review monthly finance reports for the project under the guidance of the Program Manager, working closely with the Finance and Administration Manager and providing explanations for any variance

Monitoring and evaluation

• Develop Monitoring and Evaluation plans for tracking partners adoption of recommended approaches and strategies for serving service persons with deafblindness/MSI
• Implements agreed M&E plans, including contributing to the development of M&E tools and conducting monitoring activities.
• Ensure that the monitoring systems and tools are adhered to and updated regularly.
• Organise Annual Reviews periodic reviews and evaluation of programme implementation, effectiveness, impact and sustainability.

Reporting

• Report regularly on the progress of the projects to the Program Manager and in accordance with the Monitoring and Evaluation reporting plans
• Contribute to the process of preparing project progress reports for the donor per the deadlines agreed with the Program Manager.

Advocacy and awareness raising

• Contribute to the implementation of advocacy work of the project, participating in advocacy meetings and networks as required and influencing government officials and other key stakeholders in line with the organisation’s advocacy objectives.

Safeguarding

• Uphold high standards of safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults and raise awareness among communities and other stakeholders of the importance of safeguarding. This should be mainstreamed in the day to day work.
• Ensure implementation of the Sense International Safeguarding system.

Other

• Contribute to the implementation of SI Uganda’s strategy in line with the Sense International global strategy.
• To perform any other duties that may from time to time be assigned to him/her.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The ideal candidate must hold a degree in Social sciences, community rehabilitation, development studies or related field.
• Three years of experience coordinating projects/programmes for on either/or assessment, rehabilitation, learning, skilling and proportion of gainful employment for people with communication difficulties.
• Proven experience of working in an INGO setting.
• Proven experience working with people with disabilities in Uganda is highly desired
• Relevant Skills and knowledge in project management and leadership
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation practices, including the design of Log frames and monitoring, evaluation, and accountability frameworks
• Community mobilization skills.
• Advanced skills in the use of Microsoft Office applications including proficient use of Microsoft Excel.
• Strong project cycle management skills.
• Understanding of the rights of people with disability including skills in disability inclusion in development programmes
• Knowledge of the challenges facing people with disabilities and have a good understanding of deafblindness and complex disabilities.
• Sound knowledge of government structures, disability sector and the broad civil society movement.
• Ability to work effectively to tight deadlines with minimum supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills including tolerance and flexibility.
• Strong training and workshop facilitation skills.
• Good skills in interacting with the community across all structures as well as with government officials.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Experience of Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

Personal Characteristics

• Strong commitment to high standards of service delivery and customer care.
• A commitment to Sense International’s mission.
• Ability to work to deadlines and prioritise workloads.
• A positive and proactive approach to all areas of work with a ‘can do’ attitude, in line with the organisation’s values.
• High standards of personal integrity, honesty, and discretion.
• Willingness to travel regularly within Uganda
• Sense International Uganda is an equal opportunity employer.

All candidates should email a covering letter (maximum 2 pages) and updated CV to

the Finance and Administration Manager-Uganda:

[email protected]

Please include PROJECT OFFICER– UGANDA in the subject line of your email.

Your covering letter must include:

Why you are interested in this position

How you think your experience and skills match the job description

List your current and expected salary/benefits

Your daytime contact number

Available start date

Closing Date :30th June 2020