Programme Support Officer (PSO) job at GOAL

Program Background

The Agrifood System Transformation for Youth Employment (ASTYE) Uganda program

ASTYE is a 5-year transformative initiative designed to enable dignified and fulfilling work opportunities primarily for financially disadvantaged young women, refugees, and vulnerable groups by addressing structural barriers in Uganda's Agrifood system. Aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040, the National Development Plan and Government of Uganda Agriculture Value Chain Development Strategy, the program will contribute to national efforts toward poverty alleviation, economic growth, as well food and nutrition security. Additionally, ASTYE is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy in Uganda, which aims to empower 4.3 million young Ugandans, particularly young women, by addressing structural barriers to employment and providing them with the skills and resources to succeed.

Specifically, GOAL will implement component one to reach 500,000 financially disadvantaged young people, with 400,000 transiting into work and 320,000 securing dignified and fulfilling work. As the program is young women-centric, 80% of the total outreach target will be young women within Uganda's agrifood ecosystem. Furthermore, 3% of the total youth in work target will be refugees, and another 3% will be people with disabilities.

Job summary

The Programme Support Officer will be responsible for providing programme and administrative support to the Programme Department, contributing to Programme Team coordination as well as supporting the reporting and grant compliance process. The Programme Support Officer (PSO) will work with the ASTYE Program Team Lead and interact with the different programme leads, as well as key leads in the Systems and Finance Department.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies or Social Sciences.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a similar role in the development sector
• Experience in grant and donor reporting.
• Excellent experience in use of Microsoft Office

Desirable

• Ability to prioritise different tasks in a changeable environment.
• Ability to work both independently and within a team.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication skills
• Critical analytical skills with ability to pay keen attention to detail

The key responsibilities of the role will be:

Programme Implementation Support

• Coordinate with the Programme implementation team to plan and schedule meetings, take minutes, circulate and properly file notes.
• Coordinate with Programmes, MEAL, and finance to ensure the Partner Management Tracker and Budget Management Tools are reviewed and updated, actions are saved on Share point and shared with the respective teams.
• Maintaining Programme Quality and Team trackers for the Programme Department’s quarterly and annual KPIs and deliverables.
• Planning and scheduling key internal team meetings.
• Work with the ASTYE Program Team Lead to coordinate the completion of quarterly Program reporting.

Grant Monitoring and Reporting

• Ensure that the HQ Monthly report is completed for the designated sections.
• Schedule and ensure attendance at grant opening, midterm review and closing meetings.
• Maintain and update the reporting, invoice, and grant compliance tracker.
• Calendarize, circulate monthly reminders and reporting timelines for upcoming report deadlines to Programmes, MEAL, Finance, HQ Uganda Desk Officer, and other HQ department focal points.
• Support the completion of partner and donor reports, including coordinating their development with Programmes, Finance and MEAL focal points, reviewing for quality, undertaking copy editing and formatting and check for overall adherence to donor reporting and contractual guidelines.
• Ensure donor correspondence and key information is filed in appropriate folders, and support in ad-hoc and other donor communication and material development as needed.
• Support in our partner on-granting processes including coordinating their onboarding and monitoring and tracking progress once onboard.
• Donor and program files are kept up to date and include communications/notes from all meetings/events that program staff and implementing partners have held, current strategies/policies and history of engagement.

Internal and external communication and visibility

• Coordinate with the Programme leads to track and document participation in external coordination meetings and events that staff attend and ensure notes are shared and saved on SharePoint.
• Respond to ad-hoc requests from HQ for documents or information that may arise and respond proactively.
• Ensure all PPT presentations follow GOAL branding guidelines (project and external presentations)
• Support with managing external meetings as requested, completing comprehensive minutes and circulating these and action points within 2 days of each event.
• Coordinate program synergy meetings and exchange update and research materials with Programme implementing partners.
• Coordinate partnership and procurement timelines and lead the development process and keeping the team on track on time.

Administrative and Workflow Support

• Record minutes and actions from all meetings attended, circulating, and saving notes and updating the Action Tracker, in a timely way.
• Ensure all folders are up to date, new folders and folder structures and Teams Channels are set up in a timely way, and relevant people have access links.
• Ensure weekly, GU monthly reports are submitted on time, in the right format, shared with Team Leader, saved on SP, and tracked on the PQ Tracker.
• Ensure all Departments have timely access to relevant documents, including contracts, reports, meeting minutes and key actions, to support country programme compliance and coordination.
• Support Programme Team to submit required paperwork and file documents.
• Any additional duties may be reasonably required by the line manager within the scope of the above

• Coordinate with the Programme implementation team to plan and schedule meetings, take minutes, circulate and properly file notes.
• Coordinate with Programmes, MEAL, and finance to ensure the Partner Management Tracker and Budget Management Tools are reviewed and updated, actions are saved on Share point and shared with the respective teams.
• Maintaining Programme Quality and Team trackers for the Programme Department’s quarterly and annual KPIs and deliverables.
• Planning and scheduling key internal team meetings.
• Work with the ASTYE Program Team Lead to coordinate the completion of quarterly Program reporting.
• Ensure that the HQ Monthly report is completed for the designated sections.
• Schedule and ensure attendance at grant opening, midterm review and closing meetings.
• Maintain and update the reporting, invoice, and grant compliance tracker.
• Calendarize, circulate monthly reminders and reporting timelines for upcoming report deadlines to Programmes, MEAL, Finance, HQ Uganda Desk Officer, and other HQ department focal points.
• Support the completion of partner and donor reports, including coordinating their development with Programmes, Finance and MEAL focal points, reviewing for quality, undertaking copy editing and formatting and check for overall adherence to donor reporting and contractual guidelines.
• Ensure donor correspondence and key information is filed in appropriate folders, and support in ad-hoc and other donor communication and material development as needed.
• Support in our partner on-granting processes including coordinating their onboarding and monitoring and tracking progress once onboard.
• Donor and program files are kept up to date and include communications/notes from all meetings/events that program staff and implementing partners have held, current strategies/policies and history of engagement.
• Coordinate with the Programme leads to track and document participation in external coordination meetings and events that staff attend and ensure notes are shared and saved on SharePoint.
• Respond to ad-hoc requests from HQ for documents or information that may arise and respond proactively.
• Ensure all PPT presentations follow GOAL branding guidelines (project and external presentations)
• Support with managing external meetings as requested, completing comprehensive minutes and circulating these and action points within 2 days of each event.
• Coordinate program synergy meetings and exchange update and research materials with Programme implementing partners.
• Coordinate partnership and procurement timelines and lead the development process and keeping the team on track on time.
• Record minutes and actions from all meetings attended, circulating, and saving notes and updating the Action Tracker, in a timely way.
• Ensure all folders are up to date, new folders and folder structures and Teams Channels are set up in a timely way, and relevant people have access links.
• Ensure weekly, GU monthly reports are submitted on time, in the right format, shared with Team Leader, saved on SP, and tracked on the PQ Tracker.
• Ensure all Departments have timely access to relevant documents, including contracts, reports, meeting minutes and key actions, to support country programme compliance and coordination.
• Support Programme Team to submit required paperwork and file documents.
• Any additional duties may be reasonably required by the line manager within the scope of the above

• Ability to prioritise different tasks in a changeable environment.
• Ability to work both independently and within a team.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication skills
• Critical analytical skills with ability to pay keen attention to detail
• Excellent experience in use of Microsoft Office

• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies or Social Sciences.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a similar role in the development sector
• Experience in grant and donor reporting.