The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:    Senior Project Officer, Post-Harvest
and Food Safety (2 Job Vacancies)

Organization:  Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda

Reports to: Project Manager – Post Harvest and Food
Safety

About US:

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-profit
organization which implements the commitment of the Bishops of the United
States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at
the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and
as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values
and our commitment to serving those in need.

About Vines Project:

The Vines Project, implemented by CRS Uganda, is a five-year, $13 million
Food for Progress project that will make Uganda the world’s next leading
supplier of high-quality vanilla. Vines will leverage the expertise of CRS and
its partners to enhance the production of safe, pure vanilla and develop sustainable
market links with US vanilla companies, directly transforming the lives of
16,200 farmers, 836 supply chain actors and create 15,820 new jobs to reach
32,856 vanilla stakeholders. The Vines strategy reflects best practices in
sustainable development and will leave Uganda with a robust vanilla farming
community resilient to the boom/bust nature of the market and a cadre of
private sector agricultural extensionists to support more sophisticated
production, processing, and marketing needs

Job Summary:  As the
Post-Harvest and Food Safety Specialist you will take active part in ensuring
that the project’s efforts at understanding, improving and ensuring consistency
of postharvest quality of vanilla by minimizing premature harvest and improving
processors’ buying and processing methods are achieved.  You will establish procedures to ensure that
the testing and quality systems of Uganda vanilla comply with international
food safety standards.  You will also
participate in the program’s efforts to establish digital traceability systems
and oversee the design and delivery of training on all aspects of quality and
food safety.  In consultation with your
immediate Supervisor, you will support processors to implement recommendations
to improve food safety, product quality, handling and storage, inventory,
curing management, packaging, compliance with FSMS/HAACP, warehouse
organization, vanilla certifications and traceability.

Key Duties and
Responsibilities:  

• Under the guidance of the PM-PH/FS,
  ensure that program activities that facilitate a more rigorous food safety
  systems, improved packing, and post-harvest methods for Ugandan vanilla,
  ensuring efficient and effective project implementation including the
  timely completion of high-quality work plans, accurate reports, and other
  mandated deliverables are achieved.
• Work with the PM-PH/FS and M&E Team
  in preparing project work-plans with clear objectives and achievable
  benchmarks, reflecting strategic long-term and short-term priorities.
• Collaborate with capacity strengthening
  staff to develop capacity building training to support partners in the
  areas of vanilla processing, food safety and traceability.
• Ensure adequate linkages to local public
  and private sectors stakeholders.
• Provide technical input to program activities
  related to vanilla processing, quality and food safety, and traceability
  systems.
• Assist growers, traders and processors
  to adopt new technologies and techniques to enhance vanilla quality.
• Strengthen the linkages among actors in
  the vanilla value chain and foster cooperation on production and
  processing of premium vanilla.
• Identify and mitigate program risks.
• Ensure the quality and appropriateness
  of activities to achieve the target indicators in a cost-effective,
  timely, and sustainable manner.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by
  your supervisor.

Qualifications, Skills and
Experience:

• The ideal candidate for the Catholic
  Relief Services Senior Project Officer, Post Harvest and Food Safety job
  must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field including food science /
  safety / quality and technology, international development, agriculture,
  economics, Agribusiness, and/or food logistics.
• At least five years of demonstrated
  experience in quality control or food safety, preferably with private sector
  companies or US Government or other similar development projects focused
  on agribusiness and trade.
• A minimum of two years of experience
  working with smallholder farmers, farmer groups and/or processors,
  preferably in the vanilla sector.
• Proficient in project management,
  creating action plans, timelines and working with third parties to ensure
  actions are completed.
• Working knowledge on implementing
  quality standards with experience in HACCP management, preferably with a
  background in the creation of HACCP programs, GAPs, GMPs, GHPs.
• Practical experience in developing risk
  assessments, evaluating risks, prioritizing risks and offering solutions
  to reduce risk.
• Some knowledge / experience of auditing
  against a standard, preferably FDA, FSMS, GFSI standards.
• Capability of running trials of
  processing techniques, testing and presenting conclusions to all groups
  within the supply chain, recommending next steps and decision making from
  results.
• Demonstrated ability to work and
  coordinate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including
  national and local government, community-based organizations, and local
  private sector.
• Experience engaging partners and
  strengthening partnerships. Knowledge of CRS partnership strategy a plus.
• Experience in training various levels of
  supply chain personnel from farmers to collectors, operators to
  processors.
• Able to work under pressure, meeting
  deadlines and objectives, with shifting priorities.
• Independent, proactive,
  results-oriented, and service-oriented.
• Proficient in Microsoft office with
  strong knowledge of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to learn and utilize new
  technology or applications quickly and be able to train others on system.
  Familiarity with digital supply chain management systems preferred.
• Required Languages: English, total
  fluency with strong written capacity.
• Travel: 
  Must be willing and able to travel up to 50% within Uganda.

Agency-Wide Competencies (for all CRS staff): These are rooted in the mission, values, and
principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her
responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.

• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning

How to Apply:

All candidates should Email a cover letter and CV only to
ug_recruitment@crs.org. Large files and/or scans of documents will lead to
rejection of your application, in the subject

line of the email, copy and paste –SPOPOSTHARVESTANDFOODSAFETY only. All
applications that do not contain this exact subject line will be rejected and
not read.

NB: Only selected candidates will be
notified

Deadline: 8^th March
2021

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