Job Title: Program Technical Head EYE-C-Program
Organisation: aBi Development
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About Organisation:
aBi Development Ltd focuses on increasing agricultural production & value addition by extending matching grants & Business Development Services (BDS) to agribusinesses, farmer organisations & intermediaries to enhance planning & management, production & business infrastructure, as well as upstream & downstream market linkages of producers & agribusinesses.
Job Summary: The Program Technical Head serves as the principal technical authority and deputy to the Program Director in the Empowering Young Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture Stimulated by Coffee (EYE-C) program. The Program Technical Head will provide project management and take lead in the implementation to facilitate the empowerment of 430,000 young people between the ages of 16-35 to secure decent and dignified employment. The role ensures delivery of high- quality, inclusive, and climate-smart interventions across production, processing, skilling, enterprise, and finance workstreams. The Head will ensure proper planning, implementation, reporting, financial management, and compliance, provide vision and hands-on leadership for strategy, technical quality, national rollout, team performance, coordinate partnerships, and knowledge exchange, positioning EYE-C as a leading rural transformation program for young women in Uganda.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide Strategic and Technical Leadership for Program Design and Execution
- Lead the development and refinement of transformative program strategies, ensuring national scalability, technical quality, and strategic alignment with donor priorities and Uganda’s rural development agenda.
- Provide strategic leadership and technical guidance across all program workstreams, ensuring alignment with the EYE-C results framework and national priorities.
- Lead the co-creation and continuous improvement of inclusive, market-led value chain models targeting young women in coffee and complementary sectors.
- Oversee the design and rollout of national implementation strategies across all program regions, coordinating with regional and thematic leads.
- Serve as a senior advisor to the Program Director and Senior Management Team on strategy, innovation, and partner alignment.
- Lead or contribute to concept notes, funding proposals, technical reports, and strategic reviews.
- 100% alignment of program strategies with donor goals and EYE-C logframe. Number of scalable technical models developed and adopted nationally.
- All development partner-facing technical proposals rated “high quality” or “excellent.”
- EYE-C contributions reflected in national coffee sector performance reviews and roadmap tracking systems.
- Programming, and Risk Management
- Drive the integration of inclusive, climate-resilient, and risk-sensitive approaches across all technical workstreams.
- Guide the co-creation of technical frameworks for implementing partners, ensuring delivery at scale and with fidelity.
- Ensure all interventions comply with ESG, safeguarding, and risk mitigation frameworks.
- Lead technical inputs into partner selection, project vetting, conducting DD, capacity assessment and funding window design.
- Support development of resource mobilization strategies and donor engagement materials.
- Maintain contract files and ensure reports and relevant documentation is kept up to date and in an orderly manner.
- financially sound projects in the in coffee and complementary value chains developed
- Audit findings indicate compliance with risk mitigating
- policies/procedures / actions around project management Enhanced Risk management awareness evident.
- Sustainable and socially inclusive programming.
- Lead the planning, and coordination of project activities across the consortium members.
- Oversee Project Delivery, Countrywide Rollout, and Operational Compliance
- Ensure timely, efficient, and compliant implementation across all program regions by providing proactive technical oversight and problem-solving.
- Supervise and coordinate field-based and regional implementation teams, ensuring consistency and problem resolution across geographies.
- Ensure that project staff execute approved work plan activities and operations in response to technical direction and recommend appropriate adjustments to achieve project objectives.
- Provide field-level technical backstopping and supervise regional consultants and short-term experts.
- Lead quarterly technical reviews, audit follow-ups, and performance assessments.
- >95% of AWPB targets achieved across all regions and reported quarterly.
- All implementing partners achieve minimum 80% compliance score. 100% of consultant ToRs delivered within scope, time, and budget. Tangible contribution of EYE-C activities to annual increases in coffee production metrics and rejuvenation coverage.
- Manage Stakeholder Engagement, Partnerships, Advocacy, and Communication
- Position EYE-C as a nationally influential platform through effective partner engagement, communications, and policy influence.
- Represent the program at national and international platforms, including government, private sector, donor, and civil society engagements.
- Lead strategic partnerships with government, farmer groups, and industry actors for policy influence and program synergy.
- Oversee rollout of the advocacy and communication strategy, ensuring visibility, brand alignment, and technical messaging.
- Guide production of quarterly reports, knowledge briefs, policy notes, and donor communications referencing communications and advocacy plan.
- Align stakeholder engagement strategies with Uganda Coffee Roadmap structures and coordination platforms.
- At least 2 strategic partnerships initiated or deepened per year.
- EYE-C represented at 5+ national or regional policy/technical platforms annually.
- Communications plan fully implemented with quarterly deliverables.
- Two policy briefs or technical publications co-produced annually.
- Lead Program Budget Management and Financial Oversight
- Ensure efficient and accountable use of program resources through strategic budget planning, financial oversight, and compliance with donor and institutional requirements.
- Collaborate with the finance and operations teams to develop and review annual program budgets, ensuring alignment with Annal Work Plan and Budgets and strategic priorities.
- Monitor technical expenditure and burn rates across program components, ensuring optimal utilization of funds and adherence to financial controls.
- Provide quarterly financial performance input during program reviews and recommend adjustments to improve cost-efficiency.
- Ensure timely reallocation of resources in line with emerging implementation realities and donor-approved protocols.
- Program burn rates monitored and maintained within ±10% of approved budgets.
- 100% of financial reporting deadlines met with accurate technical inputs. Reallocations and budget adjustments documented, justified, and donor- compliant.
- Financial risks identified and mitigated proactively through oversight and forecasting.
- Champion Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Knowledge Management
- Drive evidence-based decision-making, adaptive learning, and positioning of EYE-C innovations for replication and policy influence.
- Collaborate with the MEL team to define and track key outcomes, KPIs, and impact metrics.
- Monitor and provide feedback on project quality through regular team meetings, field visits, and regular communication
- Facilitate quarterly learning reviews and adaptive planning cycles at both national and regional levels.
- Coordinate with the MELs team to ensure partners are being monitored for progress against deliverables as well as against donor and aBi compliance.
- >90% of regional field staff apply adaptive decisions based on MEL feedback.
- At least 3 program learning products published per year and program models adopted or referenced by external institutions or platforms. Evidence from MEL system integrated into 100% of technical reports.
- Support development of scalable best practices, tools, and technical guidance notes.
- Represent EYE-C in technical learning forums, learning alliances, and sector- wide discussions.
- Integrate national coffee roadmap KPIs and metrics into MEL and reporting frameworks.
- Oversee the development and operationalization of monitoring and evaluation plans for the successive phases of the project to capture project performance and results.
- Organize and conduct periodic partnership reviews and provide support to partners in closing the gaps.
- Lead, Empower, and Hold Accountable the Technical Implementation Team
- Build a results-driven, high- performing, and well-supported team capable of delivering quality outcomes at scale.
- Provide day-to-day technical leadership to regional and thematic leads, fostering collaboration and accountability.
- Define performance expectations, track KPIs, and conduct monthly coaching and quarterly performance reviews.
- Promote a learning culture through cross-team exchanges, innovation showcases, and professional development.
- Maintain performance dashboards and recommend structural or capacity adjustments where needed.
- Provide day-to-day technical leadership to regional and thematic leads, fostering collaboration and accountability.
- >90% of team KPIs met or exceeded. Monthly check-ins and coaching sessions completed for 100% of direct reports.
- Internal 360° feedback indicates >80% team satisfaction with technical leadership.
- Low staff turnover (<10%) and improved team performance year- over-year.
- And other duties as requested by the Program Director
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- Master’s Degree preferably in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, Gender, Youth, International Relations, International Development, Business Administration or NGO related studies.
- A minimum of ten (10) years of Program Management experience at strategic level, of which 5 years in a development related sector.
- He/she will possess at least (5) five years of experience designing and managing large and complex inclusive market systems, value chain development projects with large teams.
- Proven experience working with the private sector, local and international institutions.
- Technical Skills & Knowledge
- Strong understanding of climate change adaptation strategies and their application to sustainable agriculture in Uganda. Demonstrated expertise in monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, and data-driven decision-making.
- Proven ability to develop and implement comprehensive strategic and operational plans, and budgets.
- Proficient in relevant software and digital tools for project management, data analysis, and communication.
- Strong understanding of risk management frameworks and the ability to proactively identify and mitigate risks.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
How to Apply:
Please send your applications to [email protected] indicating the Position Title in the email subject line. All documents should be combined into a single PDF file, with the total size not exceeding 5MBs.
Deadline: 19th September 2025
NB: Please note that only successful candidates will be contacted. Canvassing will lead to disqualification.
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Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: 120