Programme Coordinator

Job Description

About Restless Development

We have operated in Uganda since 1997. Our work is guided by four goals set out by young people; (1) Voice and Democracy: We support young people to lead as active citizens and create change in their communities by influencing social and political structures, and those in power, with evidence-based solutions.

(2) Education and Livelihood: We want all young people to have the skills, knowledge, resilience and opportunities that enable them to thrive. We take a youth-led approach to ensuring that every young person has a quality education, and access to training and opportunities that set them up for life. We want all young people, especially women and girls, to be able to stay in school, and be able to make a sustainable fulfilling living when they leave. (3) Gender and Sexual Health: We know that bodies, identities, gender and sexualities are subject to discrimination and violation. We empower young people to change attitudes and behaviours, as well as services and policies, to advance and uphold sexual and reproductive health and rights, and gender equality and (4) Climate Justice: Young people risk losing the most from climate change, yet they are systematically excluded from conversations to address it. We support young people to be leaders in transitioning to a just and sustainable world by strengthening youth civil society and an intergenerational response.

We are currently present in 26 districts in Northern, North-Eastern, Central, and Eastern regions of the country. We have staff members across our 4 offices (Kampala, Jinja, Moroto and West Nile). Currently we have 200 active young leaders (peer educators, advocates, and researchers) implementing our work on the ground and an alumni network of more than 1,200).

Our programmes are genuinely life-changing, but can’t do any of this without talented, creative individuals at every level of our organization! For more information, please visit:  www.restlessdevelopment.org.

Our approach to safeguarding

Restless Development considers the welfare and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults to be an organisational imperative with primacy over the success of programmes or strategic objectives. We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we expect all of our staff, volunteers and partners to ensure we protect the communities in which we operate from harm and abide by our Safeguarding Policy.

About the role

Restless Development Uganda is seeking to recruit One (1) talented individual as a Programme Coordinator for the SHESOARs Programme. Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment (SHE) Supporting Out-of school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills (SOARS) is a seven year programme launched in 2022 funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).Restless Development in partnership with CARE International in Uganda is implementing the SHE SOARS project in three countries; Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. The project aims to increase the enjoyment of health-related rights on the part of extremely vulnerable and marginalized women and girls, particularly out-of-school adolescent girls between 10 and 19 years of age.

The implementing partners of SHE SOARS are committed to meaningfully engaging young people in the initiatives targeting them. Therefore, a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) was constituted in 2022. This  youth-led body allows young people to lead as experts of their own realities. The YAB act as a watchdog to oversee how principles of Meaningful Youth Engagement(MYE) are adhered to throughout the implementation of the SHE SOARS Project and provide advice to partners on Youth engagement and leadership, build their skills on how to engage young people in decision-making spaces, and provide feasible solutions to gaps in meaningful youth engagement. Restless Development is seeking to recruit a programme coordinator to provide strategic leadership and operational support to the Youth Advisory Board.

Location : Kampala Uganda

Salary : UGX 6,067,165.22

Preferred start date : 1st January 2025

Length of contract : 1 year renewal depending on funding

Reports to : Head of Global Projects.

Direct Reports : 6 Youth Advisory Board members spread across Zambia,Uganda and Kenya.

Expected travel : National (including to rural areas ) and International travel will be required.

Key responsibilities:

Programme delivery and reporting

• Lead the mobilization, coordination and performance of the SHE SOARs Youth Advisory Board members from Kenya,Uganda and Zambia.
• Lead the participatory planning process for developing annual and quarterly  YAB  costed workplans.
• Provide technical  assistance in the execution of YAB partner engagement tasks.
• Co-developing and updating YAB policies, guidelines and tools.
• Provide tools for YAB reporting and facilitate review meetings to ensure tools are youth responsive.
• Provide technical support in the  development of quarterly and  annual reports.
• Support YAB members to attend project meetings, such as in-country and partner coordination meetings, Technical Working Group meetings, and PMU check-ins.
• Facilitate exit meetings for members transitioning. This could include coordinating meetings between members and the rest of the YAB, as well as scheduling partners specific meetings.
• Provide strategic leadership to the onboarding process of the second cohort of the YAB  in collaboration with current cohort and programme partners.

Team and relationship management

• Lead the performance management of six (6) Youth Advisory Board members across Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.
• Ensure that all YAB members have defined performance objectives and development plans.
• Facilitate internal discussions by holding YAB meetings to gain collective feedback on project requests.
• Facilitate internal YAB review activity meetings to discuss concerns and challenges.
• Liaison with project partners to address emerging YAB issues.
• Build an enabling environment and safe spaces according to the needs of YAB members.
• Lead the development of the capacity building and mentorship model for the YAB members.

Financial planning and management

• Ensure that YAB members are aware of all compliance standards, such as accountability, and that they are successfully implemented.
• Coordinate budget review meetings with the finance manager to discuss YAB matters.
• Ensure YAB members have a comprehensive understanding of the approved budgets and related finance tools.
• Coordinate with the finance manager to ensure timely disbursement of funds to the YAB members.
• Collaborate with the finance manager to track monthly and quarterly budget expenditure.

Other duties as required

• Other duties as required. Occasionally working on weekends, late night in case of emerging incidents and holidays for which time off in lieu can be taken.

About you

We are looking for people with the right competencies and skills for the role, and who demonstrate the personal qualities consistent with our Values and behaviours.

Head: Supports managers to embed a values led culture within their team. Uses values to guide decision making and group actions. Is driven to generate ideas which continually improve ways of working, involving others in problem solving. Adapts style to cope with and support others through change.

Heart: Strives for continual improvement against individual goals, seeking opportunities to maximize their contribution to team priorities. Supports others to deliver quality and improve their work. Takes ownership for ensuring value-for-money in the areas for which they take partial ownership. With guidance, takes ownership for programme elements and/or internal processes.  Considers underlying issues and Restless Values when making operational decisions.

Hands: Confidently adapts their communication style to suit their audience. Is able to influence others to build shared understanding. Seeks opportunities to collaboratively deliver quality against team goals by building strong relationships with colleagues from across the organisation. Works with external partners to maximise mutual benefits.

Voice: Confidently leads programme elements and/or internal processes. Will typically manage one or more junior staff members and is seen as a leader amongst their peers. Regularly seeks feedback and evaluates own performance, creating opportunities for personal development. Develops others through proactive sharing of knowledge, skills and opportunities.

Skills and experience

Essential

• Graduate-level Degree in relevant field of study (Environment, Climate, Advocacy, Social work, social sciences, development studies) or equivalent work experience.
• Post graduate in Project Planning is an added advantage.
• Past work experience in youth leadership and meaningful youth engagement.
• Experience managing and reporting against programme budgets.
• Past experience in performance management of distance youth  teams.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, develop, and manage local/national/regional partnerships.
• Ability to analyze problems and make sound operational decisions.
• Excellent organizational skills with a methodological approach to program management

Desirable

• Planning, coordination and Communication Skills
• Experience in partnership management, and working with a diverse range of partners.
• Experience working in a youthful, multicultural environment, including welfare provision
• A clear understanding of youth leadership in governance spaces.
• Excellent IT skills

Restless Development is an Equal Opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community. Restless Development will ensure that no applicant or staff member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, social status, caste, race, ethnic origin, religious belief, age, HIV status, disability, or any other factor that cannot be shown to be relevant to performance.

What we do for you

Remuneration

We are proud to commit to a transparent global salary scale, ensuring a fair and comparable system of pay across all global locations. In addition to salary, we offer pension contributions and other benefits in accordance with the local Hub.

Values and Culture

At Restless Development, we’re proud that the strength and integrity of our Values has been recognised by staff, young people, donors and others who we work with.  Beyond this, we have a culture of recognising and celebrating both our Values and our global achievements with monthly Values Champions and an annual Values Day.

Work-life Balance

It goes without saying that we work hard at Restless Development. We also recognise the importance of helping staff to maintain a positive work-life balance by offering:

• 24 days annual leave (in addition to public holidays and with an extra day of annual leave given for each full year of service, up to a maximum of 28 days).
• Birthday Leave
• Access to flexible working.
• Generous study leave, maternity, paternity or adoption leave, and other leave allowances.

Professional Development

Restless Development is proud to be an employer who recognises potential and invests in the development of its staff.  We are committed to the professional development of our staff through:

• Empowering opportunities to work on significant projects which stretch and inspire staff – allowing them to develop on-the-job.
• Regular performance management.
• Training and development opportunities, including supporting our staff to identify mentors both within and outside of the agency.
• Quarterly Staff Workshops for all staff to give and receive agency updates, receive training, and socialise.

Travel and Medical Insurance

When travelling abroad with work, all staff will be covered by Restless Development’s travel and medical insurance.

To Apply

Please submit your CV and a covering letter that explains why you are excited by this role, and provides examples of how your skills and experience respond to the essential and desirable criteria in the Job Description (using no more than 500 words).

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