Program Officer – Uganda

Application Deadline: February 10, 2024. (Resume and cover letter only) Interviews will be on a rolling basis.

Job Summary:

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect– We believe in trust, empathy, and empowering people. Teamwork– We believe in diversity, inclusion, and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability– We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Program Officer (PO) will technically support the development and implementation of IRI programs in Uganda, focusing on programming on Peacebuilding, Democracy and Governance work, political participation and electoral representation of women, youth, and people with disabilities. The Program Officer will work as part of IRI’s program team to develop program strategy, draft program proposals and activity reports, organize and implement program activities, assist program monitoring and evaluation, and oversee program initial report development. The Program Officer will report directly to the Resident Program Director (RPD).

Responsibilities:

• Monitor activity budgets and expenditures for assigned program areas, and negotiate and prepare contracts, sub-grants, and other financial and project implementation documents.
• Design, develop and manage program areas to ensure that reporting requirements are met, projects remain within budget allocations, and program objectives are completed on schedule.
• Implement program activities, perform various duties related to coordination, development and delivery of conferences and other events and ensure that activity implementation is compliant with donor and IRI guidelines
• Fulfill reporting requirements of assigned program areas, and manage the drafting and editing of team documents and field reports, and provide guidance for written work of subordinates;
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of IRI and partner organization activities, identifying successes and failures and recommending program adjustments accordingly;
• Develop short and long-term plans for specific programmatic objectives, and support in the design, drafting and editing of project proposals with the Program Manager;
• Monitor regional political developments, and provide political and programmatic analysis and recommendations as needed;
• Travel from time-to-time, independently and/or as part of a team, to various locations throughout Uganda to support IRI’s programmatic objectives; and
• Anticipate potential problems and trouble shoot project problems and offer solutions and actively take part to lead resolution of them with creative and immediate solutions.
• Establish, maintain, and develop strong working relationships with relevant stakeholders in DC and Uganda.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the RPD or his/her immediate supervisor.

Position Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations or related field;
• Three to Five years professional experience in international development programming in the areas of democratic governance and politics;
• Experience working directly with political parties, civil society organizations/NGOs and/or legislative bodies, and/or marginalized groups;
• Working knowledge of the politics, economics, history and culture of Uganda
• Strong written, oral communication and presentation skills;
• Demonstrated experience working with USG funded projects and familiarity with USG regulations and processes, especially USAID and U.S Department of State;
• Demonstrated experience leading business development and capture efforts, including collecting intelligence from potential donors and partners, and demonstrated success in securing funding in challenging/competitive environments;
• Demonstrated financial management experience in developing and administering program budgets;
• Ability to communicate skills and experience to others as a trainer, advisor, or technical consultant; sensitivity to collaboratively with local organizations.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team to coordinate and lead the efforts of other staff to effectively meet program goals.

Qualifications

Education

Required

Bachelors or better in Political Science or related field.

Experience

Required

3-5 years:

Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations or related field; Three to Five years professional experience in international development programming in the areas of democratic governance and politics; Experience working directly with political parties, civil society organizations/NGOs and/or legislative bodies, and/or marginalized groups