Project Officer – Nutrition job at Catholic Relief Services ( CRS )

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 a Project Officer – Nutrition within the UCSATP project team, you will lead the implementation, monitoring, and reporting on all nutrition-related UCSATP project activities in support of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. This includes supporting smallholder households to improve dietary diversity and nutrition outcomes through the promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, household food production (including kitchen gardens), and behavior change interventions such as cooking demonstrations and nutrition education. You will strengthen farmer and community capacity in nutrition-sensitive practices, with a focus on women, children, and other vulnerable groups, while integrating complementary approaches across crop, livestock, and other value chains to enhance food security and nutrition. You will also support community group development, promote linkages with health and nutrition services, and contribute to improved household nutrition and resilience.

Your strong technical expertise and results-driven approach will ensure the consistent application of best practices, contributing to improved nutrition outcomes, food security, and livelihoods. 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 nutrition-related project activities (e.g., nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and household-level food production initiatives) 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 nutrition activities, ensure alignment with technical guidelines, and strengthen coordination and consistency in field implementation.
• Monitor and report on any nutrition-related challenges (e.g., low dietary diversity, limited adoption of nutrition practices, or barriers to behavior change) 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 nutrition outcomes data (e.g., dietary diversity, participation in nutrition sessions) 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 nutrition-sensitive programming (e.g., behavior change communication, infant and young child feeding, and integration of nutrition into agriculture activities), 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 nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches and community-based nutrition interventions

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics or Bachelor of Nutrition Sciences Degree.
• At least five (5) years’ experience in implementing gender-sensitive community-based nutrition programs, community mobilization, and integration of nutrition into agricultural programs preferably in agriculture, food security 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

• Proficient in using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with the ability to make sound judgements.
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members.
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
• Proactive, results-orientated and service-orientated.
• Required languages: English. Knowledge of local languages in the area of operation.
• 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.

• Support the coordination and implementation of all nutrition-related project activities (e.g., nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and household-level food production initiatives) 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 nutrition activities, ensure alignment with technical guidelines, and strengthen coordination and consistency in field implementation.
• Monitor and report on any nutrition-related challenges (e.g., low dietary diversity, limited adoption of nutrition practices, or barriers to behavior change) 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 nutrition outcomes data (e.g., dietary diversity, participation in nutrition sessions) 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 nutrition-sensitive programming (e.g., behavior change communication, infant and young child feeding, and integration of nutrition into agriculture activities), 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 nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches and community-based nutrition interventions

• Proficient in using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with the ability to make sound judgements.
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members.
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
• Proactive, results-orientated and service-orientated.
• Required languages: English. Knowledge of local languages in the area of operation.

• Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics or Bachelor of Nutrition Sciences Degree.
• At least five (5) years’ experience in implementing gender-sensitive community-based nutrition programs, community mobilization, and integration of nutrition into agricultural programs preferably in agriculture, food security in a refugee settlement.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred.
• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement.