Apply by 10th September 2026 at 5:00 PM (E.A.T)
About Restless Development
Restless Development Uganda is an agency for youth-led change; we support the collective power of young leaders to create a better world. We make sure that young people’s voices are heard and that they have the power to mobilise action in their communities to respond to long-standing challenges. Across Karamoja, West Nile, Eastern and Central Uganda, we support young people to influence the decisions that affect their lives while strengthening the systems and institutions that enable them to realise their full potential.
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.
About our Youth Employment Work:
Restless Development is implementing an inspiring youth employment portfolio designed to improve the economic resilience and livelihoods of young people by expanding their access to dignified and fulfilling work, entrepreneurship opportunities and inclusive financial services. Working across 13 Districts in Karamoja sub region, Eastern, West Nile, Western Uganda, and in central region. Our approach places young people at the center of programme design and delivery while strengthening the local systems that support dignified and fulfilling work. Our work equips young women and men with market relevant technical, entrepreneurial, and financial capabilities while connecting them to employers, markets, business development services and affordable financial products. We work through youth-led organisations to create coordinated pathways that support young people to transition successfully into employment, self-employment and enterprise growth.
Beyond supporting individual young people, we invest in strengthening the capacity of youth-led organisations and youth-led enterprises to deliver high quality employment pathways, promote youth leadership, and influence policies and systems that shape youth economic opportunities.Through this integrated approach, we are building stronger inclusive employment eco-systems that enable young people, particularly young women, refugees and young people with disabilities to access dignified and fulfilling work
About the Role
The Programme Coordinator – Organisational Development & Advocacy will lead the delivery of Restless Development Uganda’s youth employment and market systems portfolio by strengthening the capacity , sustainability and influence of youth-led organisations, and other civil society partners working to advance youth economic opportunities.
Working closely with the programme manager, consortium partners and other ecosystem actors, the role will coordinate organisational strengthening and advocacy initiatives that enable youth-led organisations to become stronger, more sustainable and effective contributors to youth employment pathways.
The role will support partner organisations to strengthen their governance, leadership, programme delivery systems, and sustainability approaches. It will also coordinate evidence-based advocacy initiatives that amplify youth priorities, influence decision making processes and contribute to creating an enabling environment for young people, particularly young women, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups to access dignified and fulfilling work. Reporting to the programme manager, the programme coordinator will oversee the day to day implementation of organisational development, and advocacy initiatives, including capacity strengthening, governance support, partnership engagement, and learning and reporting. The role will manage the programme officer, organisational development and advocacy to ensure high quality delivery and sustainable outcomes for youth led organisations and young people.
Job title: Programme Coordinator – Organizational Development & Advocacy
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Salary: UGX 73,299,474 Gross Per Annum
Preferred start date: October 2026
Length of contract: 2 years
Reports to: Programme Manager – Youth Employment and Market Systems.
Expected travel: Fairly regular international and domestic travel
Key responsibilities
1. Organisational Development and Capacity Strengthening.
- Lead the implementation of the organisational development and capacity strengthening approach for Youth-Led Organisations (YLOs), ensuring alignment with programme objectives, delivery requirements and sustainability goals.
- Support the development and implementation of a YLO strengthening strategy that defines priority areas of support, capacity strengthening approaches and pathways for enabling partner organisations to effectively contribute to youth employment and economic inclusion outcomes.
- Conduct and support organisational capacity assessments to identify institutional strengths, gaps and areas requiring targeted support.
- Develop and maintain a capacity strengthening menu that responds to identified partner needs and programme priorities, including areas such as governance, leadership, programme management, financial and operational systems, safeguarding, monitoring and learning, advocacy, partnership development and organisational sustainability.
- Coordinate the delivery of tailored capacity strengthening interventions through training, coaching, mentoring, peer learning and technical assistance to strengthen partner organisations’ effectiveness and resilience.
- Support YLOs and partners to strengthen their ability to design, manage and deliver quality youth employment, entrepreneurship and economic inclusion interventions.
- Facilitate continuous learning, collaboration and knowledge exchange among partner organisations to strengthen collective capacity, innovation and sustainability.
2. Advocacy and Enabling Environment
- Coordinate youth-led advocacy initiatives that contribute to improved systems, policies and practices supporting youth employment, entrepreneurship and economic inclusion.
- Support youth-led organisations to develop evidence based advocacy approaches and engage relevant stakeholders from government and the private sector.
- Support collaboration between youth organisations and wider ecosystem actors to identify opportunities for collective action and influence.
- Lead stakeholder dialogues, learning events, and engagement forums that strengthen collaboration and influence.
- Support partners to collect, document and use evidence, youth experiences and programme learning to influence decision making.
- Strengthen relationships with government departments, private sector actors and other stakeholders to advance programme objectives.
- Represent Restless Development in relevant national, district and community level forums.
3. Monitoring, Learning and Reporting
- Contribute to the design and implementation of monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks.
- Monitor implementation of organisational development and advocacy activities and track results achieved by partner organisations.
- Prepare quality technical reports, case studies, success stories, and lessons learned to support programme learning and donor reporting.
- Work closely with MERL to support quality data collection, analysis, documentation and learning.
- Lead the sharing of programme learning across Restless Development, the youth collective, and contribute to the agency’s learning and growth agenda.
- Coordinate and facilitate regular programme learning and adaptation platforms.
4. Team management and Safeguarding.
- Promote and uphold Restless Development’s safeguarding, diversity, equity and inclusion, and code of conduct commitments.
- Ensure compliance with organisational policies, donor requirements, financial procedures, and relevant legal frameworks.
- Line manage and provide coaching, technical guidance and performance to the programme officer.
- Support a collaborative, high performing and values-driven team culture.
- Coordinate effectively with technical, finance, operations, communications and MERL teams to ensure integrated programme delivery.
5.Cost-effective and transparent financial management
- Help prepare and manage annual programme budgets and work plans
- Adhere to Restless Development Uganda financial policies in all aspects of work
- Manage programme officers and young leaders to ensure appropriate use of funds
- Support the finance & admin unit in the development of financial reports
- Provide accurate narrative reports of funds spent to allow prompt reporting
- Ensure timely requisitioning and accountability for activity funds as required
- Ensure value for money in all finance transactions
6. Others responsibilities
- Other duties as required, including occasional work on weekends for which time off in lieu (TOIL) can be taken.
Skills and Experience
Essential
- Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Social Sciences, Organisational Development, Public Administration, Community Development, Political Science, or a related field.
- At least 3 years’ experience coordinating organisational development, capacity strengthening, governance, or advocacy programmes within the development sector in Uganda.
- Demonstrated experience working with Youth-Led Organisations (YLOs), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), civil society organisations, or grassroots institutions.
- Experience designing and facilitating organisational capacity strengthening initiatives, including training, mentoring, and coaching.
- Strong understanding of advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and partnership building at community and district levels.
- Experience in programme coordination, including planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and budget tracking.
- Strong facilitation, communication, relationship management, and networking skills.
- Good understanding of safeguarding, gender equality, diversity, equity, and inclusion in development programming.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and programme reporting tools.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
Desirable
- Experience working on donor-funded programmes, particularly those focused on youth development, livelihoods, entrepreneurship, or systems strengthening.
- Experience working within consortiums and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
- Knowledge of Uganda’s policy and institutional landscape relating to youth development, employment, and civil society.
- Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field.
Remuneration
We are proud to commit to a transparent global salary scale, ensuring a fair and comparable system of pay across all global locations.
Please note: This position is contingent upon the availability of funding.
To Apply
Please submit your CV and a cover letter that provides tangible examples of how your skills, knowledge and experience will support your ability to perform the key priorities outlined in the above job description (using no more than 750 words)