MEL Officer
Job ID 1570
Description
BACKGROUND
Since 1944, Heifer International has supported more than 36 million Small Holder Farmer (SHF) families globally lift themselves out of hunger and poverty while caring for the earth in partnership with the communities we serve including Youth & Women. Heifer International is now accelerating its strategic approaches to closing the Sustainable Living Income (SLI) gap for 10 million additional SHF households globally by 2030; In Uganda, our aim is to reach 400,000 smallholder farmers, including women and youth against Heifer Africa's target of 6.745 million. Heifer does this through the Sustainable Locally Led Development approach.
The Green Dairy Investment program in Uganda is a three-year initiative by aBi Development and Heifer International that aims to transform existing dairy hubs into resilient, inclusive, and economically viable platforms by promoting green agribusiness investments and technologies while supporting the development of a ten-year dairy sustainability roadmap to guide green investment. The project targets to reach 37,000 smallholder farmers across 15 districts in the central and south-western Uganda. The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer will therefore lead the implementation, and management of the MEL plan and framework for the Green Dairy Investment program and Tractor for Africa project initiative in Uganda.
KEY PURPOSE OF JOB
Under the technical guidance of the PMEL Manager and the Project Manager, the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer will provide comprehensive MEL support to the Green Dairy Investment Program, the Tractor for Africa project (T4A), and other future initiatives. The MEL Officer will play a critical role in ensuring evidence-based decision-making by working closely with project teams, implementing partners, and their respective M&E leads to design, implementing, and strengthen MEL systems and frameworks.
This role includes developing and operationalizing data collection, analysis, and reporting tools, ensuring alignment between project objectives and MEL strategies, and promoting the use of data to inform interventions. The MEL Officer will support the Project Manager/s by gathering and analyzing key data to attract investment from processors, service providers, and farmers across the value chains – dairy, beef, oil seeds, horticulture and swine, while also delivering technical assistance, training, and advisory support on MEL best practices.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
• Develop annual monitoring and result measurement (MRM) plans with private sector partners, ensuring alignment with program / project objectives and donor expectations.
• With support of the Project Manager/s, actively participate in planning, organizing and coordinating of the various project level activities.
• Provide MEL related operational leadership and guidance to the project front-line team.
• Prepare, consolidate, and submit reports according to donor requirements and the M&E plan, ensuring compliance with planned and reporting standards.
• Design and implement M&E tools (e.g., surveys, tracking sheets, indicator reference sheets, FGD guides) to facilitate data collection and evaluation, ensuring high-quality, actionable insights.
• Maintain and manage the project’s data management system, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and accessibility for effective decision-making.
• Actively engage with the Project Manager and teams to identify potential challenges in data collection, reporting, and project implementation
• Lead collaborative problem-solving sessions with project teams to address issues, ensuring efficient solutions and aligning with project goals and timelines.
• Develop knowledge management activities, identify lessons and other information that could be shared with partners and key stakeholders.
• Document the learning and best practices in the project area.
• Provides data deemed important for concept paper or proposal development
• Create and maintain an updated database for project participants i.e. smallholder farmers at project and FPO levels.
• Actively engage in trainings related to operations and project management.
• Contribute to organizational learning and knowledge-sharing platforms and communities of practice.
• Pursue ongoing professional development through continuous learning
• Maintain a project database as per the MEL framework(s).
• Conduct data quality assessments (DQAs) on a quarterly basis.
• Prepare and consolidate monthly, quarterly, mid-term and annual reports to the various project stakeholders.
• Closely review data and indicators progress to ensure that corrective recommendations are provided on a timely basis.
• Maintains accurate project data/information in both electronic and hard copy files.
• Continuously assess project delivery trends and risks and develop responsive strategies to address or mitigate such risks.
• Provide technical input and expertise in the development of project proposals, ensuring alignment with donor priorities, Heifer’s strategic goals, and the needs of the target communities
• Attend relevant government and partners’ meetings to further develop collaboration and to obtain new methods and ideas in responsibility.
• Prepare presentations to foster strong MEL practices
• Participate in the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned and best practice.
• Minimum of five (5) years of related working experience, of which three (3) years shall be of hands-on experience in Monitoring, Evaluations and Learning on projects or related work areas.
• Relevant experience in NGO’s or field-based projects will be an added advantage
• Good understanding of the different value chains within the agricultural sector.
• Knowledge of the DCED standards in measuring results.
• Excellent organizational skills including strong attention to detail.
• Proven experience in building the capacity of partner institutions to document and disseminate industry information, manage knowledge, measure progress and plan and advocate within the industry.
Application Deadline: 29th October 2025