Department/Group: Planning and Design
Reporting To: Manager, Planning and Design
Years of Experience 4 - 6 years
Location: Mbarara
Travel Required: Up to 60%

About Raising the Village
We are Raising the Village (RTV) – an international development organization and a registered charity – on a mission to end ultra-poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. Raising The Village is a fast-growing organization on an accelerated growth path. We have 120+ national staff in Uganda and a team of 8 people in North America working together to lift communities out of ultra-poverty in last-mile villages. We operate at the intersection of direct implementation and advanced data analytics to inform progress, decision-making, and impact.
To date we have supported more than 665,000 people through our innovative holistic approach and are on track to expand to reaching one million people annually in the region by 2027.
We have achieved this tremendous growth with the support of our incredible partners from all around the globe who believe in our model and impact. Find out more about our programs and impact at: www.raisingthevillage.org.

Role Summary:
The Senior Officer, Out of Country Expansion plays a critical role in Raising The Village’s international planning and expansion efforts. This position leads strategic planning activities across Rwanda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and any other new contexts, ensuring that all preparatory and planning processes are technically sound, contextually relevant, and aligned with national development priorities. The role is based in Uganda and may also provide technical support to emerging geographies when needed.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Planning

• Lead strategic planning processes across Rwanda, Tanzania, and DRC to inform country entry, regional engagement, and implementation readiness.
• Conduct contextual analysis, scoping, and feasibility assessments to support expansion decisions and operational planning.
• Collaborate with the Program Design team by providing relevant planning inputs such as baseline data, community needs priorities, and contextual summaries.
• Ensure alignment of RTV’s strategic planning processes with country-specific governance structures and development frameworks.
• Contribute to the preparation of planning documents, technical briefs, and rollout timelines to support informed decision-making.

2. Expansion Scoping & Pre-Launch Support

• Participate in scoping missions to assess feasibility, entry readiness, and opportunityrisk profiles.
• Document regional planning assumptions, risks, and operational considerations.
• Support development of strategic entry and rollout plans across the three countries and, where relevant, new geographies.

3. Stakeholder Engagement & Government Alignment

• Engage with government stakeholders, local authorities, and relevant technical platforms to support alignment and endorsement of RTV planning processes.
• Prepare and support formal submissions such as MoUs, registration documents, and planning dossiers.
• Ensure that all planning activities align with national development strategies and local policy frameworks.

4. Documentation, Reporting & Learning

• Develop and maintain high-quality planning documentation including contextual summaries, planning memos, and regional analysis reports.
• Capture and share planning learnings and innovations across countries to inform adaptive strategy and continuous improvement.
• Submit regular updates to the Manager, Planning and Design on planning progress, milestones, and support needs.

5. Internal Coordination & Technical Support

• Serve as a planning liaison between country teams and cross-functional departments including Programs, Venn, Operations, and Government Relations.
• Support training, induction, and coaching for in-country teams during early implementation phases.
• Facilitate cross-country planning calls, learning exchanges, and documentation of best practices.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Public Policy, International Relations, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 4–6 years of experience in program planning or expansion in multi-country or regional roles within the NGO sector.
• Excellent writing, stakeholder engagement, and project coordination skills.
• Fluency in English required; working knowledge of French, Swahili, or Kinyarwanda is a significant advantage.
• Strong interpersonal and analytical skills.
• Willingness to travel across countries up to 40% of the time.
• Fluency in English and additional knowledge of French, Kiswahili and Kinyarwanda will be an added advantage.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Planning Expertise – Proficiency in developing adaptive, contextinformed strategic plans across countries.
• Cross-Cultural Engagement – Ability to navigate diverse cultural and institutional settings with sensitivity.
• Stakeholder Alignment – Strong capacity to engage and align with multi-level government and partner institutions.
• Communication & Coordination – Skilled in facilitating internal collaboration and managing planning timelines.
• Adaptability & Initiative – Capable of delivering results in dynamic environments with limited supervision.

• Lead strategic planning processes across Rwanda, Tanzania, and DRC to inform country entry, regional engagement, and implementation readiness.
• Conduct contextual analysis, scoping, and feasibility assessments to support expansion decisions and operational planning.
• Collaborate with the Program Design team by providing relevant planning inputs such as baseline data, community needs priorities, and contextual summaries.
• Ensure alignment of RTV’s strategic planning processes with country-specific governance structures and development frameworks.
• Contribute to the preparation of planning documents, technical briefs, and rollout timelines to support informed decision-making.
• Participate in scoping missions to assess feasibility, entry readiness, and opportunityrisk profiles.
• Document regional planning assumptions, risks, and operational considerations.
• Support development of strategic entry and rollout plans across the three countries and, where relevant, new geographies.
• Engage with government stakeholders, local authorities, and relevant technical platforms to support alignment and endorsement of RTV planning processes.
• Prepare and support formal submissions such as MoUs, registration documents, and planning dossiers.
• Ensure that all planning activities align with national development strategies and local policy frameworks.
• Develop and maintain high-quality planning documentation including contextual summaries, planning memos, and regional analysis reports.
• Capture and share planning learnings and innovations across countries to inform adaptive strategy and continuous improvement.
• Submit regular updates to the Manager, Planning and Design on planning progress, milestones, and support needs.
• Serve as a planning liaison between country teams and cross-functional departments including Programs, Venn, Operations, and Government Relations.
• Support training, induction, and coaching for in-country teams during early implementation phases.
• Facilitate cross-country planning calls, learning exchanges, and documentation of best practices.

• Excellent writing skills
• Stakeholder engagement skills
• Project coordination skills
• Working knowledge of French, Swahili, or Kinyarwanda
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Strategic Planning Expertise
• Cross-Cultural Engagement
• Stakeholder Alignment
• Communication & Coordination
• Adaptability & Initiative

• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Public Policy, International Relations, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 4–6 years of experience in program planning or expansion in multi-country or regional roles within the NGO sector.