Social and Environmental Safeguards Officer job at United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP )

Background

Aligned with UNDP’s mission to end of poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, promote effective governance, and enhance sustainable environmental governance, UNDP Uganda has been collaborating with the Government, Stakeholders and the People to contribute to Uganda’s Sustainable Development. Supporting Uganda’s priorities in this regard is advanced in line with Uganda’s Vision 2040, the Tenfold Growth Strategy and the National Development Plan IV (NDP IV – 2025/26 – 2029/30).

In 2026, UNDP is starting the implementation of a new five-year Country Program Document (CPD) for Uganda 2026-2030 anchored on a youth and women focus and adopting digital transformation in its implementation. The CPD directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the period 2026 – 2030 which positions the United Nations system in Uganda to contribute to national development efforts and to support the Government of Uganda to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Uganda economic outlook

UNDP’s Country Program Document (CPD) will be operationalized through three transformative portfolios with an elevated focus on ensuring youth and women are central to Uganda’s National Transformation Agenda. These Portfolios are: i) Fostering Transformative Growth and Innovation portfolio, seeking to empower youth and women, including those at risk of being left behind to access new market opportunities, enter the job market, and use new tech to stimulate economic growth. ii) Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Resilient Development seeking to fostering climate-resilient development, contributing to implementation of global and national environmental commitments, promoting innovative solutions for conservation and restoration, and mobilizing green and climate financing. iii) Transformative Governance, Political Environment and Partnerships, where together with state and non-state partners and employing digital transformation, UNDP will seek to strengthen governance, legislative and justice systems, promote people-centered service delivery and advocate for wider application of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Gender and Youth portfolios will be at the center of this work during 2026 to 2030.

UNDP is in the process of recruiting a Social and Environmental Safeguards Officer to lead the development and implementation of social and environmental management frameworks, other social risk management plans for the all the projects across the Country Office.

Objective/Purpose of the Assignment:

Under the leadership and supervision of the Team Leader (Monitoring Support Unit), the Safeguards Officer will serve as the main focal person for all safeguards related activities for the CO projects. The safeguards officer’s responsibility is to coordinate and support implementation of all safeguards related issues ensuring that activities are implemented in accordance with the UNDP social and environmental standards.

Scope of Work

The Social and Environmental Safeguards Officer will work as part of the MSU ( Management Support Unit).

Functions / Key results expected

• Support the development and review of instruments, checklists, guidelines, and tools relevant to the implementation of environmental and social safeguards in compliance with UNDP and Government of Uganda requirements;
• Participate in project implementation in relation to all social and environmental issues including safeguards; facilitate the preparation of safeguard monitoring plans and review implementation of social and environmental issues, preparation of all documentation and reports required by the project Implementing Partner and Responsible Parties and UNDP to ensure that social and environmental issues have been adequately addressed and that the project is in compliance with the UNDP and Government of Uganda Safeguards;
• Review the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) of the project, identify gaps, and recommend remedial actions, including updating of the ESMF of the project;
• Support the MSU to conduct the necessary assessments to identify potential environmental and social risks of project investments and interventions, ways to avoid negative environmental and social impacts where possible, and where risk avoidance is not possible, to identify appropriate mitigation and management measures, in line with UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards;
• Update the Social and Environmental Screening Procedures (SESP) for the project in line with the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards, ensuring that all risks related to non-compliance on SES are adequately and timely flagged and addressed;
• Prepare and share technical briefs, reports on the compliance of SES in the implementation of the project;
• Support the quality control of M&E products including monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, ensuring that SES issues are adequately addressed;
• Update the project risk log monthly;
• Provide support to UNDP Uganda Country Office on social and environmental safeguards compliance related issues according to UNDP Corporate requirements.

• Support the development and review of instruments, checklists, guidelines, and tools relevant to the implementation of environmental and social safeguards in compliance with UNDP and Government of Uganda requirements;
• Participate in project implementation in relation to all social and environmental issues including safeguards; facilitate the preparation of safeguard monitoring plans and review implementation of social and environmental issues, preparation of all documentation and reports required by the project Implementing Partner and Responsible Parties and UNDP to ensure that social and environmental issues have been adequately addressed and that the project is in compliance with the UNDP and Government of Uganda Safeguards;
• Review the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) of the project, identify gaps, and recommend remedial actions, including updating of the ESMF of the project;
• Support the MSU to conduct the necessary assessments to identify potential environmental and social risks of project investments and interventions, ways to avoid negative environmental and social impacts where possible, and where risk avoidance is not possible, to identify appropriate mitigation and management measures, in line with UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards;
• Update the Social and Environmental Screening Procedures (SESP) for the project in line with the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards, ensuring that all risks related to non-compliance on SES are adequately and timely flagged and addressed;
• Prepare and share technical briefs, reports on the compliance of SES in the implementation of the project;
• Support the quality control of M&E products including monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, ensuring that SES issues are adequately addressed;
• Update the project risk log monthly;
• Provide support to UNDP Uganda Country Office on social and environmental safeguards compliance related issues according to UNDP Corporate requirements.