Program Coordinator job at COBURWAS International Youth Organization to Transform Africa (CIYOTA)

Job overview

CIYOTA, with a 19-year history of supporting Refugees, Displaced Persons (RDPs), and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) through education, vocational skills, employment and entrepreneurial leadership, seeks to implement a Multi-Year program targeting 3,425 youth in DRC and Uganda in 2026.

The overall goal of the program is to improve access to quality and relevant secondary education and skills development for 3,425 youth from refugee and host communities in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by November 2030.

The program is structured into three key outcome areas, each with targeted activities to ensure sustainable impact:

• Outcome 1: Enhanced access to quality and relevant secondary and tertiary education for 2,880 young people.
• Outcome 2: Improved capacity of 515 out-of-school RDP and host community youth with vocational skills.
• Outcome 3: 30 Associates with strengthened personal development, transformative leadership, and employability skills to become professionally competitive.

The program adopts a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach to ensure long-term sustainability and impact. It integrates education, economic empowerment, and professional skilling, providing young people, particularly those from RDPs, the host community, and PWDs, with a transition into dignified employment or further education. This multi-pronged approach ensures sustained economic resilience and community-driven development.

Job Summary

The Programs Coordinator will play a key role in overseeing and coordinating multiple activities under the Program. This individual will ensure effective planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of activities, maintaining alignment with the organization’s mission and objectives.

This position is subject to the program funding approval. Shortlisting and interviews may be conducted in advance; however, appointments will only be confirmed upon successful funding of the program.

Key Responsibilities

Program Implementation and Coordination:

• Prepare detailed project implementation plans, phased budgets, procurement plans, risk and mitigation plans, communication and community engagement plans, and activity-tracking tools for the program.
• Ensure the timely execution of all planned field activities across the three outcome areas, in coordination with project staff and in accordance with the implementation plans.

Leadership and supervision of teams and individual staff

• Supervise and build the capacity of program staff in quality program delivery and implementation.
• Ensure team and individual staff performance management
• Engage staff in planning and monitoring of program activities, including setting and managing targets and priorities

Coordinate, guide and facilitate operational planning and implementation of the Program:

• Support the rollout of the program through offering strategic direction, guidelines, tools, models, and frameworks
• Mentor staff in translating the program expectations into designs, plans and M&E processes.
• Monitoring and supervising the timely and quality implementation of the grant project's annual plans and targets.
• Lead in the identification and documentation of community needs and fundable ideas.
• Support provision and access to a wide range of Business Development Services to marketing groups to facilitate youth livelihood opportunities,

Program monitoring and reporting:

• Ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability, learning, documentation and reporting in line with agreed project targets and standards
• Establish a functional program level M&E system and utilization of the information from the M&E database;
• Ensure effective communication of program results by managing grant project information and documentation.
• Provide monthly, semi-annual and annual reports (progress against planned activities, expense against estimated budget, etc.) of program and grant project activities to the Program Manager as per the agreed schedule;
• Supervise ongoing program assessments, evaluation and operational research studies, and take the lead in utilising the recommendations to improve programming.
• With the team lead's support, conduct quarterly review meetings with stakeholders to assess project implementation progress.

Partnering and Collaborations

• Build, maintain, and effectively manage strategic partnerships and collaborations at the program level:
• Effective representation and participation of the CIYOTA Programs in relevant District committees, such as the District Technical Planning Committee
• Ensure representation and participation actively in the different relevant events organized by partners and stakeholders, including district celebrations and events.
• Facilitate staff capacity building in partnering, collaboration, and networking.
• Ensure the involvement of implementing partners in the periodic review and reflection events.

Financial/ Budgeting and Assets Management

• Ensure budget management reviews, including BVA reports, are conducted to promptly monitor and track spending in line with standard operating procedures.
• Financial management – Financial management and accountability in line with policy guidelines
• Work with project staff and procurement/finance staff to develop expenditure and procurement plans to guide implementation of approved activities.
• Risk management – Monitor and address or report any risks to management.
• In collaboration with the finance team, ensure timely and proper accountability for funds in accordance with finance regulations.
• Asset management – manage assets in the Programs in line with assets and other policies, and set guidelines.

Participation, Inclusion and Safeguarding

• Training staff, volunteers, and partners on safeguarding protocols.
• Ensure compliance with CIYOTA’s Child Protection and Safeguarding policies, standards, requirements, and procedures across all operations of the program.
• Ensure planning to promote participants’ participation and voice, and to incorporate their input into key decision-making processes in annual reflections/planning, as well as during implementation.
• Data, Storage, and Security: Ensure all children’s data, e.g., photos, addresses, communications, and participant files are filed, stored, and protected in adherence to CIYOTA’s data protection protocols and aligned to child protection policies, standards, and procedures
• Establishing and maintaining reporting mechanisms for safeguarding concerns.
• Promoting a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all program participants.

Requirements

• A minimum of a University Degree in project planning and management, Social Science, Development Studies, or any relevant field (A postgraduate/master’s degree is an added advantage).
• Minimum of 3-4 years of experience in program/project coordination, preferably in the NGO sector and Refugee setting
• Proven experience managing multiple projects and working with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of project management tools and methodologies.
• Familiarity with M&E frameworks and tools.

• Prepare detailed project implementation plans, phased budgets, procurement plans, risk and mitigation plans, communication and community engagement plans, and activity-tracking tools for the program.
• Ensure the timely execution of all planned field activities across the three outcome areas, in coordination with project staff and in accordance with the implementation plans.
• Supervise and build the capacity of program staff in quality program delivery and implementation.
• Ensure team and individual staff performance management
• Engage staff in planning and monitoring of program activities, including setting and managing targets and priorities
• Support the rollout of the program through offering strategic direction, guidelines, tools, models, and frameworks
• Mentor staff in translating the program expectations into designs, plans and M&E processes.
• Monitoring and supervising the timely and quality implementation of the grant project's annual plans and targets.
• Lead in the identification and documentation of community needs and fundable ideas.
• Support provision and access to a wide range of Business Development Services to marketing groups to facilitate youth livelihood opportunities,
• Ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability, learning, documentation and reporting in line with agreed project targets and standards
• Establish a functional program level M&E system and utilization of the information from the M&E database;
• Ensure effective communication of program results by managing grant project information and documentation.
• Provide monthly, semi-annual and annual reports (progress against planned activities, expense against estimated budget, etc.) of program and grant project activities to the Program Manager as per the agreed schedule;
• Supervise ongoing program assessments, evaluation and operational research studies, and take the lead in utilising the recommendations to improve programming.
• With the team lead's support, conduct quarterly review meetings with stakeholders to assess project implementation progress.
• Build, maintain, and effectively manage strategic partnerships and collaborations at the program level:
• Effective representation and participation of the CIYOTA Programs in relevant District committees, such as the District Technical Planning Committee
• Ensure representation and participation actively in the different relevant events organized by partners and stakeholders, including district celebrations and events.
• Facilitate staff capacity building in partnering, collaboration, and networking.
• Ensure the involvement of implementing partners in the periodic review and reflection events.
• Ensure budget management reviews, including BVA reports, are conducted to promptly monitor and track spending in line with standard operating procedures.
• Financial management – Financial management and accountability in line with policy guidelines
• Work with project staff and procurement/finance staff to develop expenditure and procurement plans to guide implementation of approved activities.
• Risk management – Monitor and address or report any risks to management.
• In collaboration with the finance team, ensure timely and proper accountability for funds in accordance with finance regulations.
• Asset management – manage assets in the Programs in line with assets and other policies, and set guidelines.
• Training staff, volunteers, and partners on safeguarding protocols.
• Ensure compliance with CIYOTA’s Child Protection and Safeguarding policies, standards, requirements, and procedures across all operations of the program.
• Ensure planning to promote participants’ participation and voice, and to incorporate their input into key decision-making processes in annual reflections/planning, as well as during implementation.
• Data, Storage, and Security: Ensure all children’s data, e.g., photos, addresses, communications, and participant files are filed, stored, and protected in adherence to CIYOTA’s data protection protocols and aligned to child protection policies, standards, and procedures
• Establishing and maintaining reporting mechanisms for safeguarding concerns.
• Promoting a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all program participants.

• Strong knowledge of project management tools and methodologies.
• Familiarity with M&E frameworks and tools.

• A minimum of a University Degree in project planning and management, Social Science, Development Studies, or any relevant field (A postgraduate/master’s degree is an added advantage).
• Minimum of 3-4 years of experience in program/project coordination, preferably in the NGO sector and Refugee setting
• Proven experience managing multiple projects and working with diverse stakeholders.