Environment Assistant - Yumbe job at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Project Background

The objective of the Uganda Refugee Resilience Initiative (URRI) programme is to enhance climate resilience among women, men, and youth in both refugee and host communities, and to promote inclusive, cohesive, and environmentally sustainable development in refugee-affected areas, aligned with local priorities. URRI is funded by the Royal Danish Embassy in Kampala.

The overall purpose of the role:

The Environment Assistant will be responsible for providing technical quality assurance and due diligence for all Climate and Environment activities under the Uganda Refugee Resilience Initiative (URRI) in one of the six districts of Obongi, Moyo, Yumbe, Koboko, Madi Okollo, and Terego. This includes ensuring the appropriateness and quality of field activities, as well as supporting community trainings, particularly those involving community management committees.

About you

To be successful in this role, you must have basic understanding of environmental restoration practices and participatory community development approach. Moreover, we also expect the following.

Required

Bachelor’s degree/ Diploma in Environmental Science, Community Development, or related fields. A Bachelor’s degree holder should have at least 3 years, and a Diploma holder at least 5 years of practical field experience in the mobilization of communities and implementation of projects within a local or international non-governmental organization (INGO).

Experience in the mobilization of communities for participatory activities

Experience in the implementation of ecosystem restoration, climate adaptation, and natural resource management projects using the labor-intensive approach

Experience in managing the workforce and community members

Fluent in written and spoken English

Desirable

Experience working with refugees and host communities

Ability to speak basic Lugbara, Madi,Alur,Luo or Arabic

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 12 months.

Band: NM I

Designation of Duty Station: Obongi, Moyo, Yumbe, Koboko, Madi Okollo, Terego

Start date: January 2026

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for national employees; please refer to our website.

• Act as the primary liaison between URRI and community stakeholders, ensuring open communication and fostering trust.
• Mobilize refugees and host communities to actively participate in environmental restoration activities, such as tree planting, and soil conservation, while applying principles of Resilience Designs.
• Organize and facilitate community meetings, workshops, and awareness campaigns to promote environmental conservation and sustainable practices.
• Identify community needs, concerns, and priorities to inform project design and implementation.
• Strengthen community ownership of environmental initiatives through participatory approaches and co-design processes.
• Develop and deliver educational materials and training sessions on ecosystem restoration, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable resource use.
• Promote environmentally friendly practices among communities, such as recycling, composting, and water conservation.
• Identify and mentor community-based environmental champions to lead localized conservation efforts.
• Collaborate with schools and local institutions to integrate environmental education into their activities.
• Assist the Environment Engineering Coordinator in planning and executing restoration activities, including tree planting, woodlot establishment, and soil erosion control.
• Liaise and work together with Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) partners during community sensitization meetings, group formation, and execution/supervision of activities.
• Support data collection and documentation during environmental assessments and project monitoring.
• Ensure timely delivery of materials and resources for community-based activities.
• Monitor and report on community participation and progress toward project goals.
• Build and maintain relationships with local leaders, government agencies, Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), and other stakeholders to strengthen project implementation.
• Work collaboratively with URRI partner staff to identify synergies and enhance the impact of environmental initiatives.
• Represent URRI in local forums and events related to environmental conservation.
• Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of community-based environmental activities, ensuring alignment with project objectives.
• Collect and report data on project outcomes, community participation, and feedback.
• Prepare regular updates, success stories, and lessons learned for internal and external sharing.
• Any other duties as assigned by Supervisor

• Basic understanding of environmental restoration practices
• Participatory community development approach
• Community mobilization
• Ecosystem restoration implementation
• Climate adaptation
• Natural resource management
• Workforce and community management
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Ability to speak basic Lugbara, Madi, Alur, Luo or Arabic (desirable)
• Striving for excellence
• Collaborating
• Taking the lead
• Communicating
• Demonstrating integrity

• Bachelor’s degree/ Diploma in Environmental Science, Community Development, or related fields
• Bachelor’s degree holder: at least 3 years of practical field experience in community mobilization and project implementation within a local or international non-governmental organization (INGO)
• Diploma holder: at least 5 years of practical field experience in community mobilization and project implementation within a local or international non-governmental organization (INGO)
• Experience in mobilization of communities for participatory activities
• Experience in implementation of ecosystem restoration, climate adaptation, and natural resource management projects using labor-intensive approach
• Experience in managing workforce and community members
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Experience working with refugees and host communities (desirable)
• Ability to speak basic Lugbara, Madi, Alur, Luo or Arabic (desirable)