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.

General Description of the Role

The Gender Equality, Social Inclusion (GESI) and Safeguarding Advisor will provide technical leadership across all components of the ASTYE Programme. She/He will play a crucial role in developing and implementing ASTYE Gender Equality Social Inclusion & Safeguarding Strategy. She/he will lead on systematic integration of gender equality and social inclusion considerations into strategic, technical and operational processes of the programme, while providing technical support to programme staff and partners to mainstream gender equality and safeguarding across all programme components.

The role strengthens inclusive, safe, and equitable access to programme opportunities for young women and men, persons with disabilities, refugees, and other marginalized groups, while embedding robust prevention, reporting, and response mechanisms for safeguarding risk management. The Advisor will work closely with implementing partners, private-sector actors, community structures, and government agencies to uphold a do-no-harm approach and advance gender transformative and inclusion approaches within agri-food systems.

Job Functions

Gender Equality Social Inclusion

• Lead the development and implementation of the programme’s Gender Equality Social Inclusion strategy, frameworks, and action plans.
• Conduct gender and social inclusion analysis to inform programme design, market-systems interventions, youth-employment pathways, and value-chain activities.
• Provide technical leadership for integrating women, youth, and marginalized groups into agri-food market systems, entrepreneurship, and employment opportunities.
• Conduct annual partner gender assessments, provide training and develop action plans that offer pathways to improve practice in relation to support and promoting women’s participation in the identified market systems
• Promote gender-transformative and disability-inclusive approaches that address social norms, power dynamics, and structural barriers
• Support private sector partner co-design process to ensure appropriate consideration and incentives for the inclusion of young women
• Support partners in setting Gender Equality Social Inclusion targets, tracking progress, and documenting lessons learned.

Safeguarding

• Ensure GOAL’s policies on safeguarding are understood and adhered to. Ensure a zero tolerance and survivor centered approach is taken throughout programme implementation.
• Provide safeguarding leadership across the programme to develop and apply a robust, gender-sensitive and risk-based approach to safeguarding; Act as a reporting focal person for safeguarding related issues, concerns and experiences and ensure response steps occur in accordance with GOAL’s policies and procedures.
• Design the programme's safeguarding approach and procedures in line with Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)’s Safeguarding Core principles and GOAL’s Safeguarding Minimum Standards.
• Lead on the pro’s safeguarding risk assessment and work with implementing partners, consultants and contractors, to review and strengthen their safeguarding approaches on an ongoing basis.
• Conduct routine safeguarding assessments with partners (due diligence, OCAs, capacity-building plans).
• Design and deliver capacity strengthening activities for the programme and provide training, capacity building and support with tools development to partners where required.
• Conduct mapping exercises to ensure strong referral processes are established and build relationships with GBV service providers (and others as appropriate) for referrals.
• Ensure safe, accessible and confidential reporting channels are established and functional for GOAL and all implementing partners and programme locations.
• Ensure confidential and survivor-centered handling of safeguarding concerns, including coordination with accredited service providers.
• Monitor partner compliance with safeguarding standards.

Capacity Strengthening

• Build capacity of programme teams and partners on Gender Equality Social Inclusion-responsive and safe programming approaches.
• Mentor youth-led organizations and agri-food actors to adopt inclusive and protective practices.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), training tools, guidance notes, and communication materials on Gender Equality Social Inclusion and safeguarding.

Programme Implementation Support

• Work with value-chain, youth-employment, and systems-strengthening specialists to ensure interventions respond to the distinct needs of women and youth from diverse backgrounds.
• Support design of inclusive employment pathways, entrepreneurship models, and agri-business opportunities for young people.
• Ensure Gender Equality Social Inclusion and safeguarding considerations are embedded in partner selection, contracting, and performance monitoring.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL)

• Collaborate with the MEL team to develop indicators, tools, and methodologies for Gender Equality Social Inclusion and safeguarding.
• Collaborate with the MERL team to review monitoring data and research to understand project effectiveness in efforts to enable young women’s participation in the identify market systems
• Track progress, support data disaggregation, and ensure ethical data collection practices.
• Document learning, promising practices, and success stories that demonstrate inclusive and safe outcomes in agri-food systems and youth employment.
• Support internal and external reporting.

Coordination and Representation

• Represent the programme in Gender Equality Social Inclusion, safeguarding, youth-employment, and protection coordination forums.
• Strengthen partnerships with referral mechanisms, protection service providers, women’s organizations, disability-rights groups, and relevant ministries.
• Liaise with donors and government ministries on compliance, progress, and learning.

Job Level Specifications

Essential Criteria

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Human Rights
• Minimum 5 experience at advisory level in Gender Equality Social Inclusion, safeguarding, protection, or related technical fields in development or humanitarian pro

• Lead the development and implementation of the programme’s Gender Equality Social Inclusion strategy, frameworks, and action plans.
• Conduct gender and social inclusion analysis to inform programme design, market-systems interventions, youth-employment pathways, and value-chain activities.
• Provide technical leadership for integrating women, youth, and marginalized groups into agri-food market systems, entrepreneurship, and employment opportunities.
• Conduct annual partner gender assessments, provide training and develop action plans that offer pathways to improve practice in relation to support and promoting women’s participation in the identified market systems
• Promote gender-transformative and disability-inclusive approaches that address social norms, power dynamics, and structural barriers
• Support private sector partner co-design process to ensure appropriate consideration and incentives for the inclusion of young women
• Support partners in setting Gender Equality Social Inclusion targets, tracking progress, and documenting lessons learned.
• Ensure GOAL’s policies on safeguarding are understood and adhered to. Ensure a zero tolerance and survivor centered approach is taken throughout programme implementation.
• Provide safeguarding leadership across the programme to develop and apply a robust, gender-sensitive and risk-based approach to safeguarding; Act as a reporting focal person for safeguarding related issues, concerns and experiences and ensure response steps occur in accordance with GOAL’s policies and procedures.
• Design the programme's safeguarding approach and procedures in line with Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)’s Safeguarding Core principles and GOAL’s Safeguarding Minimum Standards.
• Lead on the pro’s safeguarding risk assessment and work with implementing partners, consultants and contractors, to review and strengthen their safeguarding approaches on an ongoing basis.
• Conduct routine safeguarding assessments with partners (due diligence, OCAs, capacity-building plans).
• Design and deliver capacity strengthening activities for the programme and provide training, capacity building and support with tools development to partners where required.
• Conduct mapping exercises to ensure strong referral processes are established and build relationships with GBV service providers (and others as appropriate) for referrals.
• Ensure safe, accessible and confidential reporting channels are established and functional for GOAL and all implementing partners and programme locations.
• Ensure confidential and survivor-centered handling of safeguarding concerns, including coordination with accredited service providers.
• Monitor partner compliance with safeguarding standards.
• Build capacity of programme teams and partners on Gender Equality Social Inclusion-responsive and safe programming approaches.
• Mentor youth-led organizations and agri-food actors to adopt inclusive and protective practices.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), training tools, guidance notes, and communication materials on Gender Equality Social Inclusion and safeguarding.
• Work with value-chain, youth-employment, and systems-strengthening specialists to ensure interventions respond to the distinct needs of women and youth from diverse backgrounds.
• Support design of inclusive employment pathways, entrepreneurship models, and agri-business opportunities for young people.
• Ensure Gender Equality Social Inclusion and safeguarding considerations are embedded in partner selection, contracting, and performance monitoring.
• Collaborate with the MEL team to develop indicators, tools, and methodologies for Gender Equality Social Inclusion and safeguarding.
• Collaborate with the MERL team to review monitoring data and research to understand project effectiveness in efforts to enable young women’s participation in the identify market systems
• Track progress, support data disaggregation, and ensure ethical data collection practices.
• Document learning, promising practices, and success stories that demonstrate inclusive and safe outcomes in agri-food systems and youth employment.
• Support internal and external reporting.
• Represent the programme in Gender Equality Social Inclusion, safeguarding, youth-employment, and protection coordination forums.
• Strengthen partnerships with referral mechanisms, protection service providers, women’s organizations, disability-rights groups, and relevant ministries.
• Liaise with donors and government ministries on compliance, progress, and learning.

• Gender Equality
• Social Inclusion
• Safeguarding
• Protection
• Risk Management
• Capacity Building
• Training
• Mentoring
• Data Analysis
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Partnership Building
• Communication
• Report Writing

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Human Rights