Job Title: Project Officer - Agriculture

Department: Programming

Report to: Program Manager II - UCSATP

Duration: Full time

Job Location: Kyangwali/Uganda

Vacancies: One (1)

Application Deadline: June 26, 2026, no later than 5:00 PM.

Note: This position is contingent upon funding

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 has been working in Uganda since 1965 and has a vibrant portfolio of projects. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with local organizations, including international and local NGOs, Ugandan government departments and ministries, the Catholic Church, and community-based organizations for maximum impact and sustainability.

Background:

The Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project (UCSATP) aims to increase productivity, market access, and resilience of selected value chains in 69 districts, including refugee-hosting areas, while strengthening capacity to respond to crises. Aligned with Uganda’s inclusive refugee policy and the CRRF, the program supports refugees and host communities through climate-smart agriculture, market development, and enhanced food and nutrition security. Interventions focus on improving yields, expanding sustainable land management, strengthening value chains, and creating livelihood opportunities across priority sectors such as crops, livestock, and apiculture. 

Job Summary:

As an Agricultural Project Officer within the UCSATP project team, you will lead the implementation, monitoring, and reporting on all agriculture-related UCSATP project activities in support of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. This includes overseeing farmer training and extension services through Farmer Field Schools and demonstration plots, supporting the distribution and effective use of agricultural inputs, promoting climate-smart crop and livestock production, and advancing sustainable land management practices such as agroforestry and soil conservation.

You will also strengthen farmer groups, facilitate market linkages and agribusiness development, and integrate nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches. Your strong technical expertise and results-driven approach will ensure the consistent application of best practices, enhancing productivity, resilience, and market access. Through proactive coordination, community engagement, and quality oversight, you will ensure that the project consistently applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Support the coordination and implementation of all crop and agriculture-related project activities (e.g., priority crop value chains such as maize, beans, and vegetables) as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.

• Work closely with partner staff and community-based facilitators to support delivery of agriculture activities, ensure alignment with technical guidelines, and strengthen coordination and consistency in field implementation.

• Monitor and report on any crop production challenges (e.g., pest and disease outbreaks, soil fertility constraints, or input gaps) and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.

• Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and assisting partners in their efforts to collect and analyze crop production and adoption data per specified mechanisms and tools. Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare reports per established reporting schedule.

• Collect information on staff capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations, particularly in climate-smart agriculture practices (e.g., soil fertility management, pest and disease control, and drought-tolerant production techniques), and monitor capacity building and technical support activities to ensure effective impact.

• Complete project documentation for assigned activities. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices, including climate-smart crop approaches and farmer field school demonstrations.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agriculture.

• At least 5 years experience in climate smart agriculture in a refugee settlement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred.

• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement..

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• MEAL skills and experience required.

• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.

• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), web conferencing applications, and information management systems.

• Good experience in project grants management, including project design, preferably for grants from multiple public donors.

• Demonstrated ability to write high-quality technical proposals.

• Experience engaging with partner organizations.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgements and decisions and offer innovative solutions

• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.

• Good presentation and facilitation skills.

• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-orientated and results-orientated.

Required languages: Strong written and spoken English is required.

Travel requirement: Must be willing and able to travel up to 30%.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, these practices create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and assist CRS in achieving agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfil his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal accountability: consistently taking 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 Learning: Seek 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 the role of translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

Key Working Relationships

• Supervisory: To be determined.
• Internal: Head of Programming, Program Managers, MEAL Manager, Partnership Capacity Strengthening Program Manager, Operations colleagues.
• External: Donors, Government representatives, Church representatives, Private sector actors, local partners, peer agencies, and others.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.