Uganda MEL Specialist (Fixed-Term)

One Acre Fund is a nonprofit organization that supplies smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with the farm inputs, financing, training, and market access they need to grow more food and earn more income. Operating across nine countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the organization works with millions of farming families who rely on small, rain-fed plots of land as their primary source of livelihood. By delivering quality seeds, fertilizer, and agricultural services directly to rural farmers, One Acre Fund reports helping clients achieve approximately 45% more farm income on the same land area. One Acre Fund's sustainability and climate mission is embedded throughout its programs. The organization focuses on climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, including agroforestry and tree-planting initiatives, financing and insurance products to help farmers weather climate-related shocks, and innovation in climate-resilient agricultural practices. These efforts are designed to strengthen the long-term resilience of smallholder farmers who are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, while also contributing to carbon sequestration and reduced agricultural emissions across the continent. What distinguishes One Acre Fund is its last-mile delivery model, which brings bundled services directly to farmers in remote rural areas, combined with a rigorous impact measurement methodology including social return on investment analysis. The organization also prioritizes gender-smart agriculture, with women comprising more than 50% of its client base, and maintains a strong commitment to evidence-based programming and transparent reporting on outcomes.

About One Acre Fund

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips 5.5 million smallholder farmers to make their farms more productive. Across nine countries that together are home to two-thirds of Africa's farmers, we provide high-quality farm supplies, tree seedlings, accessible credit, modern agronomic training, and a wide range of other agricultural services. On average, this model enables any farmer to increase their income and assets on supported land by more than 35 percent, while permanently improving their resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions. To learn more, please see our Why Work Here blog post.

Our Uganda program, founded in 2016, serves approximately 27,000 farmers. We offer bespoke training to coffee farmers to help them improve their yields, and distribute a range of different tree species through local nurseries situated close to farmers. Our team in Uganda is headquartered in Jinja, close to the districts we serve, and supported by a small presence in Kampala. To learn more about our work, look at our Uganda program blog

About the Role

As the MEL Project Specialist, you will report to the Global MEL Manager and collaboratively design and implement study designs. You will oversee data collection, cleaning, and analysis using tools such as CommCare, Google Sheets, STATA and R, ensuring accurate and actionable insights. Additionally, you will manage other department staff, track project progress, and oversee department expenditures. Your success is demonstrated through effective project execution, leadership in process improvements, and contributing to staff development within the MEL department.

Responsibilities

• Draft study designs, evaluation strategies, and implementation plans.
• Clean and analyze data using STATA or R, develop new and update existing analysis plans, and produce summary statistics and regressions with manager oversight.
• Select survey participants by calculating sample size and defining selection processes.
• Prepare survey respondent lists and revise questionnaires for field readiness, ensuring data collection quality.
• Manage project-specific dashboards, update dashboards, track task progress, and provide oversight to junior staff.
• Propose improvements, scope out solutions to complex challenges, and implement them.
• Produce survey reports, summarizing findings and proposing actionable recommendations.
• Represent the department within the Uganda program, participate in Global Impact discussions, and other relevant platforms.
• Manage direct reports (up to Job Level 7), create development and promotion plans, oversee performance evaluations, and facilitate ongoing training and capacity-building activities.

Career Growth and Development

We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications

Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

• 3+ years of experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), data analysis, or program evaluation.
• Experience managing medium to high complexity projects with increasing independence.
• Experience managing small to medium teams and overseeing junior staff, with skills in performance evaluations and capacity building.
• Proficiency in statistical analysis using Stata or R and Excel (can perform complex functions) for data cleaning, regressions, and summary statistics.
• Competence in designing study plans, questionnaires, and implementing surveys, including calculating sample sizes and data analysis.
• The ability to produce high-quality reports and manage project dashboards.
• Experience in budget tracking, expenditure reporting, and asset management.
• Represent the department in meetings and contribute to discussions on relevant platforms.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Jinja, Uganda

Benefits

Health insurance, paid time off 

Contract Duration

1 Year Renawable

Eligibility

This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Uganda.

Application Deadline

08 June 2026. Please note that we hire on a rolling basis which means that applications are reviewed and processed on a continuous basis until a hire is made.

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here ([email protected]), but do not send applications or application materials to this email address.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism are deeply connected to our organization’s mission and purpose. One Acre Fund aspires to build a culture where all staff feel consistently valued, represented, and connected – so that our team can thrive as professionals, and achieve exceptional impact for the farmers we serve.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.