Youth Empowerment Specialist 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 Youth Empowerment Specialist will lead the design, coordination, and implementation of youth empowerment, community mindset transformation, and Nutrition Impact and Positive Practices (NIPP) interventions under the ASTYE Programme. The role will focus on strengthening youth agency particularly financially disadvantaged young women, refugees, and persons with disabilities by supporting youth groups, youth champions, civil society organisations /community-based organisations (CSOs/CBOs), and communities to improve dignified employment outcomes, food and nutrition security, and positive household practices within the agrifood system.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

Essential

• Post Graduate Diploma in Development Studies, Social Science, Community Development,
• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Nutrition, Agriculture, Public Health and Gender Studies.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in youth empowerment, community development, nutrition programming, or livelihoods programming.
• Demonstrated experience working with CSOs/CBOs, youth groups, and community-based structures.
• Strong experience in nutrition behaviours change communication (SBCC), Nutrition Impact and Postive Practices (NIPP), or similar community nutrition approaches.
• Experience working with young women, refugees, and persons with disabilities.
• Experience in implementing youth-centered and gender-transformative programming

Desirable

• Strong facilitation, training, and mentorship skills.
• Experience working on donor-funded programmes (Mastercard Foundation experience is an added advantage).
• Partnership development and coordination
• Community facilitation and social behaviour change communication
• Strong planning, coordination, and reporting skills
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work in rural community settings

The key responsibilities of the role will be:

Youth Empowerment, Skilling & Community Mindset Transformation

• Provide technical, financial, and legal support for the formation, strengthening, and formalization of youth and young women-led groups within the agrifood ecosystem.
• Map, profile, and enroll formal and informal youth groups and young women into the ASTYE program in collaboration with CSOs/CBOs.
• Support the identification, training, and mentorship of Youth Champions and Master Youth Champions to cascade services at community level.
• Coordinate and support mindset change, leadership, governance, soft skills trainings for young women.
• Facilitate exposure visits, exchange learning, and benchmarking engagements for young women entrepreneurs and youth groups through collaboration with CSOs/CBOs.

Partnerships & Civil Society and Community Based organizations’ Capacity Strengthening

• Identify, assess, and onboard CSOs and CBOs as downstream implementing partners for youth empowerment and NIPP interventions.
• Conduct Organizational Capacity Assessments (OCAs) and develop capacity strengthening plans for CSOs/CBOs partners.
• Support partnership co-design, workplan development, implementation, and performance monitoring.
• Orient GOAL and partner staff on ASTYE programme design, youth empowerment approaches, safeguarding, and measurement frameworks.

Youth Voice, Agency & Policy Engagement

• Support youth champions and young women to conduct community conversations to identify and address barriers to youth participation in agriculture.
• Facilitate youth participation in sub-county, district, regional, and national dialogue platforms, including youth parliaments and planning/budget conferences.
• Support youth-led evidence gathering, documentation, and dissemination (reports, audio-visuals, community briefs).
• Facilitate youth engagement with radio, social media, and digital platforms to influence community norms and policy discourse.

Nutrition Impact and Positive Practices (NIPP)

• Lead the planning and implementation of Nutrition Impact and Positive Practices (NIPP) interventions in target communities.
• Coordinate mapping, identification, and profiling of vulnerable and malnutrition-prone households.
• Support formative research on household decision-making, feeding practices, sanitation, food access, use and storage.
• Oversee the development, adaptation, translation, and printing of NIPP training manuals, IEC materials, volunteer guides and food flash cards.
• Establish, support, and monitor NIPP circles (female, male, and community leader circles).
• Support the selection, training, certification, and mentorship of NIPP volunteers and facilitators.
• Coordinate household visits, community sensitization sessions, and follow-up support to ensure sustained behaviour change.
• Lead entry, exit, and longitudinal follow-up surveys (6-month follow-up) in collaboration with MEAL teams.
• Ensure integration of nutrition, gender, safeguarding, and inclusion (PWDs and refugees) across all youth empowerment interventions.

Market Linkages & Employment Pathways

• Facilitate linkages between youth groups and private sector actors, including agribusinesses, financial institutions, Business Development Services (BDS) providers, and agri-tech players.
• Support youth participation in agricultural trade shows, expos, youth agro-expos, and national/international events.
• Promote access to markets, inputs, finance, skilling, mentorship, and employment opportunities for young women.

Monitoring, Learning & Reporting

• Lead and coordinate programme documentation, including activity reports, field reports, meeting minutes, best practices, case studies, and success stories.
• Ensure proper filing and record keeping of programme documents, tools, training materials, and partnership agreements.
• Support preparation of quarterly, annual, and donor reports by compiling accurate and timely information.

Supervision & Team Support

• Provide technical supervision and guidance to Program Officers implementing youth empowerment and NIPP activities.
• Support Program Officers in planning, budgeting, implementation, and reporting of activities.
• Conduct regular field supervision visits to ensure quality implementation and compliance with programme standards.
• Support performance monitoring, coaching, and continuous capacity development of Program Officers.

• Provide technical, financial, and legal support for the formation, strengthening, and formalization of youth and young women-led groups within the agrifood ecosystem.
• Map, profile, and enroll formal and informal youth groups and young women into the ASTYE program in collaboration with CSOs/CBOs.
• Support the identification, training, and mentorship of Youth Champions and Master Youth Champions to cascade services at community level.
• Coordinate and support mindset change, leadership, governance, soft skills trainings for young women.
• Facilitate exposure visits, exchange learning, and benchmarking engagements for young women entrepreneurs and youth groups through collaboration with CSOs/CBOs.
• Identify, assess, and onboard CSOs and CBOs as downstream implementing partners for youth empowerment and NIPP interventions.
• Conduct Organizational Capacity Assessments (OCAs) and develop capacity strengthening plans for CSOs/CBOs partners.
• Support partnership co-design, workplan development, implementation, and performance monitoring.
• Orient GOAL and partner staff on ASTYE programme design, youth empowerment approaches, safeguarding, and measurement frameworks.
• Support youth champions and young women to conduct community conversations to identify and address barriers to youth participation in agriculture.
• Facilitate youth participation in sub-county, district, regional, and national dialogue platforms, including youth parliaments and planning/budget conferences.
• Support youth-led evidence gathering, documentation, and dissemination (reports, audio-visuals, community briefs).
• Facilitate youth engagement with radio, social media, and digital platforms to influence community norms and policy discourse.
• Lead the planning and implementation of Nutrition Impact and Positive Practices (NIPP) interventions in target communities.
• Coordinate mapping, identification, and profiling of vulnerable and malnutrition-prone households.
• Support formative research on household decision-making, feeding practices, sanitation, food access, use and storage.
• Oversee the development, adaptation, translation, and printing of NIPP training manuals, IEC materials, volunteer guides and food flash cards.
• Establish, support, and monitor NIPP circles (female, male, and community leader circles).
• Support the selection, training, certification, and mentorship of NIPP volunteers and facilitators.
• Coordinate household visits, community sensitization sessions, and follow-up support to ensure sustained behaviour change.
• Lead entry, exit, and longitudinal follow-up surveys (6-month follow-up) in collaboration with MEAL teams.
• Ensure integration of nutrition, gender, safeguarding, and inclusion (PWDs and refugees) across all youth empowerment interventions.
• Facilitate linkages between youth groups and private sector actors, including agribusinesses, financial institutions, Business Development Services (BDS) providers, and agri-tech players.
• Support youth participation in agricultural trade shows, expos, youth agro-expos, and national/international events.
• Promote access to markets, inputs, finance, skilling, mentorship, and employment opportunities for young women.
• Lead and coordinate programme documentation, including activity reports, field reports, meeting minutes, best practices, case studies, and success stories.
• Ensure proper filing and record keeping of programme documents, tools, training materials, and partnership agreements.
• Support preparation of quarterly, annual, and donor reports by compiling accurate and timely information.
• Provide technical supervision and guidance to Program Officers implementing youth empowerment and NIPP activities.
• Support Program Officers in planning, budgeting, implementation, and reporting of activities.
• Conduct regular field supervision visits to ensure quality implementation and compliance with programme standards.
• Support performance monitoring, coaching, and continuous capacity development of Program Officers.

• Strong facilitation, training, and mentorship skills.
• Partnership development and coordination
• Community facilitation and social behaviour change communication
• Strong planning, coordination, and reporting skills
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work in rural community settings
• Strong experience in nutrition behaviours change communication (SBCC), Nutrition Impact and Postive Practices (NIPP), or similar community nutrition approaches.

• Post Graduate Diploma in Development Studies, Social Science, Community Development,
• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Nutrition, Agriculture, Public Health and Gender Studies.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in youth empowerment, community development, nutrition programming, or livelihoods programming.
• Demonstrated experience working with CSOs/CBOs, youth groups, and community-based structures.
• Experience working with young women, refugees, and persons with disabilities.
• Experience in implementing youth-centered and gender-transformative programming
• Experience working on donor-funded programmes (Mastercard Foundation experience is an added advantage).