Project Coordinator NGO Jobs – Mental Health Uganda (MHU)

Job Title:  Project Coordinator  

Organisation: Mental Health Uganda (MHU)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About Organisation:

Mental Health Uganda (MHU) is a local Non-Governmental Organization established by people with a lived experience of mental health problems. It exists to create a unified voice that influences the provision of required services and opportunities, in favour of people with and survivors of mental health problems in Uganda.

About Project:

Since 2020, MHU has implemented Phase I of the project “Amplifying the Voices of Young People with Mental Health Issues in Uganda”. The project seeks to address the problem of accessibility to mental health care in Uganda, particularly for youth (15-35 years) by, among other things, facilitating a national helpline where people with, or caretakers of people with, mental health issues receive counselling and/or guidance on where to find appropriate help. Phase II of the project will commence in January 2025. The project is a national response but will focus on 7 districts i.e. Arua, Gulu, Lira, Soroti Kampala/Wakiso, Mbarara and Kanungu.

Job Summary:   The Project Coordinator will be responsible for providing general oversight of all actions of the project. S/he will be accountable for the management of the project within the structure of MHU. S/he will provide direction for the project; timely planning, implementation and reporting; and liaising with counterparts from other MHU projects, partners, other NGOs and donors. S/he will ensure the sublime quality of the telephone counselling service, that the service is based on standard protocols, adheres to ethical and legal standards and that the counsellors are in the best state to provide quality services.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Implementation and Management

• Oversee day-to-day implementation of all activities as laid out in the results framework, with particular attention to the broader context tracking the achievement of results, providing constructive supervision to the project team to implement, monitor, evaluate work plans
• Providing technical guidance to counselling staff on various approaches and protocols
• Ensure that the counselling service is adaptive but always adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, and based on best practices
• Conduct regular check-ups and briefs with counsellors to gather progressive feedback
• Timely quality implementation, overseeing the execution of the work plans and reporting ensuring that activities are in line with the project strategy, and reflect the commitments MHU made to the donor and the community
• Lead the review of budget against actual expenditure on a monthly basis with the team, ensuring timely and accurate feedback to the Finance department
• Ensure compliance with MHU and donor finance and logistics guidelines, including all aspects of procurement and asset management for the project
• Provide coordination support to in-country visits by local and international counterparts
• Contribute to assessments, project design, and budgeting
• Ensure the project is in compliance with MHU, donor and national requirements.

Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Ensure appropriate M&E activities are carried out regularly by the project actors (data collection & analysis, monitoring of project progress against established work plans, monitoring of established indicators and utilization of results to inform project (re-)design)
• Support in identifying gaps in M&E systems and processes, and make recommendations for improvements
• Support the evaluation of programme activities by providing advice on the tailoring of evaluation tools, participating in the evaluations themselves and encouraging the project team to participate
• Ensure timely submission of all project reports, quality of data and proper archival of project information
• Conduct regular meetings with project team and other key actors to assess progress toward objectives, discuss issues and assist in finding solutions to challenges identified.

Human Resource Management and Development

• Maintain open and professional relations with project team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable team to successfully perform in their positions
• Document and address breaches of policy and disciplinary issues in coordination with the Finance and Administration Manager (FAM) in a professional manner
• Ensure the Performance Management cycle is implemented and documented timely for all project staff
• Supervise and mentor direct-report team, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, establishing a supportive environment while emphasizing accountability, providing regular and timely constructive performance feedback, and leading documented performance reviews
• Provide direct supervision of the project team, staff orientation, leave management and exit management processes are carried out timely and in line with relevant policies and procedures
• Ensure the well-being of staff, with a view that staff are in a state of mind that can support others in need

Communication, Coordination and Representation

• Represent MHU with National and Local Government authorities (administrative and sectoral), and other NGOs at the field level
• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders at the national and local level including donors, government actors, beneficiary populations and their representatives, etc
• Support and coordinate with MHU operation structures/sectors, to cooperate, collaborate and consult with key partners to ensure consistency, harmonization and to avoid duplication of effort
• Ensure that all project data, including beneficiaries’ data, is guarded strictly in accordance with the existing international ethical standards and information sharing principles
• Prepare regular reports to keep partners and stakeholders informed of the project activities
• Ensure maximum visibility of MHU and partners as per project requirements/commitments
• Draft regular reports and verbal updates to top management and other key parties, about the project.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• A postgraduate qualification in counselling psychology, or another related field. Minimum of 5 years Project management experience in a reputable civil society organisation. A postgraduate qualification in Project Management.

Essential criteria

• Previous experience in providing mental health counselling
• Good understanding of the different counselling approaches, protocols and standards
• Previous or relevant experience in project management including delivering projects on time and budget
• Strong demonstrable, financial management skills, budget management experience including forecasting and monitoring expenditure
• Experience in reporting writing to donors and stakeholders
• Experience working with people who have experienced mental health problems
• Experience in workshop/training design, facilitation and delivery
• Experience in partnerships, with demonstrable skills in collaborative working, and relationship management and the ability to identify and rapidly resolve barriers, difficulties and conflicts
• Ability to create and maintain a supportive environment and have knowledge and experience in recognising and responding to personal wellbeing issues
• Good empathy, perception and listening skills
• Excellent problem identification and solving skills
• High level of integrity
• Experience in multi-tasking, prioritising competing work and working to deadlines.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge and understanding of mental health issues and mental health policy frameworks in Uganda
• Experience in communicating programme results
• Experience in programme monitoring, evaluation and learning
• Direct or indirect experience of mental health problems and openness to people with mental health issues
• Understanding of anti-corruption routines and practices
• Good level of English
• Good IT Skills with strong competencies in Internet, Ms Word, Ms Excel and Power Point.

How to Apply:

Interested individuals should send a motivation letter and CV as one PDF document/file (of maximum 8 pages for the Project Coordinator and 6 pages for all other positions) via email to infomentalhealthuganda.org – subject line is the job title e.g. “Project Coordinator”. Do not send academic documents – heavy files containing academic documents or submitted as images and or late applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The CV must also include the details of 2 suitable referees who can comment on the candidate’s ability. MHU is an equal opportunities employer. However, women and Persons with Disabilities are highly encouraged to apply especially those with a lived experience of mental health problems.

Deadline: 29th December 2024 by 11:00pm

Note

• MHU promotes zero tolerance for discrimination/harassment based on gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, religious beliefs etc. All staff and volunteers shall adhere to strict guidelines in order to facilitate “silent” inclusion. They will also adhere to MHU’s safeguarding provisions – a set of procedures and practices designed to ensure that no harm comes to project beneficiaries as a result of contact with MHU’s programs, operations or individuals.
• The number and profiles of these positions is subject to the availability of funding.

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