Gender and Safeguarding Specialist

The Agency For Accelerated Regional Development (AFARD) in collaboration with six partners (African Agribusiness Incubation Network (AAIN), Omia Agribusiness, Agromax, Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI), Uganda Rural Development and Training Institute (URDT) and Gudie Leisure Farm (GLF) and partnership with the Mastercard Foundation will implement a 5-year program, “Sustainable Inclusive Youth Employment Pathways (SIYEP)” in West Nile, Karamoja, Acholi, and Central and Western Uganda as part of the Young Africa Works Strategy to address unemployment
challenges faced by young women in Uganda. The program will directly reach 258,000 young women (7% refugees and 5% young women with disabilities (YWWDs)) and transition 90% into work, and 70% into dignified and fulling work. This will be achieved through institutional strengthening, market relevant training, skilling, incubation, and access to capital and markets.
The program will work directly with Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVETs), Local Artisans, and incubation centers and in collaboration with local and central government entities such as Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD), National Council of Higher Education (NCHE), Uganda Business and Technical, Examinations Board (UBTEB), Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URBS), Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), NGOs, CBOs, and existing Young Africa Works partners.

JOB TITLE: Gender and Safeguarding Specialist (1 vacancy)
Reporting: Technical Advisor, Youth Skilling & Workforce Development

Duty Station: Kampala
Employment terms: Full time; Fixed Term: 5- years renewable annually based on satisfactory performance and availability of funds.
Job Summary
Working closely with the gender and safeguarding partner, s/he is responsible for the mainstreaming of gender and safeguarding in SIYEP program and serves as the link person with the Mastercard Foundation Gender and Safeguarding Lead.
Roles & Responsibilities
Management functions
• Ensure the gender and safeguarding partner develops an acceptable annual gender and safeguarding TA workplan and budget and put in place adequate competent human resources for the execution of the gender and safeguarding TA services.
• Ensure effective coordination between the gender and safeguarding partner and consortium partner organizations.
• Establish and coordinate the gender and safeguarding focal point network for the program.
• Participate in program planning, implementation, monitoring and learning.
• In collaboration with the Foundation’s Gender and Safeguarding Program Lead assure quality of the TA services.
• Ensure program gender and safeguarding best practices are documented and shared with partners and stakeholders for learning and adaptation.
• Submit timely acceptable reports for delivered work packages.
Gender mainstreaming
• Conduct a comprehensive programmatic gender assessment with tailor-made recommendations.
• Develop Gender mainstreaming Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the program.
• Develop a Gender Action Plan for the program and Gender Implementation Plans for downstream partners and oversee its implementation.
• Ensure gender is integrated into all training manuals, IEC materials, and MERL system.
• Collaborate with the Foundation and consortium to develop the appropriate tools to consistently track and report on the extent to which all program activities are mainstreaming gender.
• Conduct annual participatory program gender audit and disseminate the results to partners for action.
• Consortium partner boards, staff, gender focal persons and stakeholders are trained on gender awareness and mainstreaming gender in their institutional policies, programs, and practices.
Prevention of safeguarding incidents.
• Conduct a programmatic safeguarding risk assessment with tailor-made mitigation recommendations.
• Develop Safeguarding mainstreaming Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the program.
• Develop a Safeguarding Implementation Plan for the program and implementation plans for downstream partners and work closely with the Foundation SAFE initiative team to oversee plan implementation.
• Ensure safeguarding is integrated into staff recruitment processes, and all training manuals, IEC materials, and MERL system.
• Collaborate with the Foundation and consortium to develop the appropriate tools to consistently track and report on the extent to which all program activities are mainstreaming gender.
• Conduct annual participatory program gender audit and disseminate the results to partners for action.
• Consortium partner boards, staff, safeguarding focal persons and stakeholders are trained on mainstreaming safeguarding in their institutional policies, programs, and practices.
Safeguarding incident management
• Collaborate with consortium and Foundation SAFE initiative to develop, train on use and track safeguarding risks, measures and incidents reported.
• Develop incident reporting and management framework for the program including referral and management pathways.
• Establish a functional complaints and feedback mechanism in collaboration with the consortium members.
Person specifications:
• A bachelor’s degree in Gender and Women Studies, Development Studies or Social Sciences. Masters degree is an added advantage.
• Additional training in project planning, safeguarding, protection and legal matters will be an added advantage.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience cultivating partnerships and gender mainstreaming in a consortium setting
• Good understanding of gender transformative approaches, gender mainstreaming, GBV prevention, response, and mitigation as well as protection and advocacy processes.
• Demonstrated experience in capacity development of local implementing partners.
• Demonstrated experience in developing operational tool (curricula, policies, guidelines) and documenting lessons learned.

• Familiarity with work in refugee-host community settings is an added advantage.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills (in English), including the ability to work effectively with diverse groups of youth.
• Familiarity with participatory and youth-centered methodologies.
• Knowledge of gender-sensitive approaches and inclusive programming.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and partners.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• Experience working in refugee-host community settings.
• Exceptional skills in report writing and tracking results
• Exceptional interpersonal, teamwork and networking skills
• Willingness to travel to remote districts of Uganda to support partners as and when required.

Signed Application and a 2-pager motivation letter plus relevant academic & experience credentials, CV with names and daytime contacts of three referees,
and your daytime phone contact numbers in 1-file PDF format should be addressed to “The Human Resources Office” and e-mailed to procurement@afard.net latest on May 23, 2025 at 5:00PM. In the subject area of your email, indicate the position you are applying for.
Polite Notice.
• Qualified females and refugees are highly encouraged to apply.
• Only complete applications will be accepted and considered for review.
• Only those who are ready to start immediately will be shortlisted.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Successful applicants will be required to start immediately after appropriate screening checks including criminal records, child and sexual abuse, exploitation and/or harassment. By applying, job applicants consent to these screening checks