About Us

Rural Uganda faces deep structural dependency challenges that undermine economic mobility and sustainable livelihoods. Although 75% of Ugandans live in rural areas with high entrepreneurial potential, most remain excluded from viable pathways to independence. Young women and youth, the backbone of these communities, are disproportionately locked out, with about 3 million classified as NEET (not in education, employment, or training).

This exclusion is driven by three reinforcing barriers:

• Financial Exclusion: Only 35% of women access formal financial services, which limits their access to startup and growth capital.
• Skills & Exposure Gaps: Limited entrepreneurial training and market exposure confine Enterprises to informal, low-margin activity.
• Ecosystem Isolation: Innovation hubs, accelerators, and investor networks remain concentrated in urban centers, leaving rural entrepreneurs disconnected.

Together, these barriers create a self-perpetuating cycle of exclusion, keeping rural young women and youth dependent rather than enabling them to participate as economic actors.

Imagine Her is building a rural entrepreneurial infrastructure in Uganda by preparing rural young women and youth to become thriving social entrepreneurs that launch, sustain, and scale social enterprises in Uganda’s two pressing sectors: Agrifood and Climate resilience. Our model combines entrepreneurial skills training, access to patient returnable capital, and tailored Enterprise development support, mirroring the discipline of an investment firm while being deeply rooted in community realities.

Position Overview

The Green Venture Portfolio Associate is a field-based, implementation-focused role critical to supporting Imagine Her’s mission to nurture innovative, women- and youth-led green ventures in Kibuku-Eastern Uganda. The Associate is the primary link between the organization and the entrepreneur. The role is directly accountable for extensive community mobilization, high-quality training facilitation, and rigorous business coaching that challenges entrepreneurs to produce innovative and viable business ideas; as well as measurable advancement of green ventures with a focus on the Seedling and early Sprout stages of the Graduation Model.

Success in this role is defined by the quality of venture innovation, the achievement of clear business milestones, and the progression of portfolio ventures toward investment readiness.

This position requires strong skills in business coaching, assertive community facilitation and mobilization, and a dynamic results-oriented mindset dedicated to entrepreneurial excellence.

Position Objectives

1. Participants Recruitment, Onboarding & Community Engagement (30%)

To drive community-level activities that identify, recruit, and support promising green entrepreneurs, ensuring strong stakeholder relationships and local buy-in for the program.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct community mobilization and sensitization campaigns to attract women and youth interested in green entrepreneurship and recruit project participants using approved selection criteria.
• Liaise with district leaders, community groups, NGOs, and industry actors to strengthen partnerships and local support. Identify and nurture community champions.
• Represent Imagine Her as an ambassador, ensuring positive visibility, maintaining strong communication channels, and keeping stakeholders updated on progress.

2. Training Delivery, Venture Development & Capacity Building (50%)

To support entrepreneurs through high-quality training, coaching, and venture development support that strengthens their technical, business, and innovation capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate high-impact training on how green energy can be used to start and grow businesses. Uses the existing curriculum to show real examples of how energy can be used in production. Prepare all training materials, tools, equipment, and logistics.
• Conduct hands-on coaching that guides entrepreneurs from problem identification to funding-ready business ideas. Challenge participants to validate local problems and design innovative, viable solutions. Provide direct support to refine ideas, develop prototypes/MVPs, and complete early venture tasks with a focus on investment readiness.
• Collect and analyze training feedback, collaborating with the Project Lead to adapt content to meet evolving participant needs. Provide tailored, milestone-driven advisory support, such as achieving initial sales to ensure ventures progress concretely and on schedule.

3. Portfolio Monitoring, Data Collection & Reporting (20%)

To ensure the success and growth of green ventures by tracking performance, gathering insights, and supporting data-driven decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct rigorous field visits to track venture progress in real-time, collecting critical data on performance, financials, and environmental impact. Analyze this data, including early signals like attendance drops, to immediately adapt coaching strategies and program implementation, ensuring constant learning, rapid response, and sustained venture engagement.
• Update venture dashboards, trackers, and portfolios using Imagine Her’s systems. Compile weekly and monthly reports with venture insights, risks, and recommendations.
• Timely identification of venture risks, with mitigation plans submitted within 5 days of detection. Support compliance with donor reporting standards.

Requirements for the position

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Business, Agriculture, Economics, Development Studies, Engineering, or Environmental Sciences.
• Experience in working in community settings, entrepreneurship programs, or renewable energy projects.
• Strong facilitation, mobilization, and training skills. Ability to communicate effectively in English and the local language (Lugwere).
• Hands-on experience in business coaching and a focus on achieving growth outcomes are essential.
• Passion for women's economic empowerment, youth innovation, and climate-smart entrepreneurship.

Core Competencies

• Proven ability to mobilize communities, build rapport with local leaders, and maintain supportive relationships that facilitate program implementation in a rural setting.
• Strong skills in delivering engaging, hands-on, and practical training sessions to adults and youth on technical and business topics, ensuring high attendance and learning outcomes.
• A good understanding of foundational business development (ideation, MVP, basic finance, marketing) and green technologies (solar, cookstoves, etc.), capable of providing one-on-one advisory support.
• Diligence in collecting, accurately documenting, and reporting quantitative and qualitative field data to inform program strategy and meet reporting deadlines.
• Strong facilitation, mobilization, and training skills. Ability to communicate effectively in English and at least one relevant local language.
• Hands-on experience in business coaching and a focus on achieving growth outcomes are essential.
• Passion for women's economic empowerment, youth innovation, and climate-smart entrepreneurship

• Conduct community mobilization and sensitization campaigns to attract women and youth interested in green entrepreneurship and recruit project participants using approved selection criteria.
• Liaise with district leaders, community groups, NGOs, and industry actors to strengthen partnerships and local support. Identify and nurture community champions.
• Represent Imagine Her as an ambassador, ensuring positive visibility, maintaining strong communication channels, and keeping stakeholders updated on progress.
• Facilitate high-impact training on how green energy can be used to start and grow businesses. Uses the existing curriculum to show real examples of how energy can be used in production. Prepare all training materials, tools, equipment, and logistics.
• Conduct hands-on coaching that guides entrepreneurs from problem identification to funding-ready business ideas. Challenge participants to validate local problems and design innovative, viable solutions. Provide direct support to refine ideas, develop prototypes/MVPs, and complete early venture tasks with a focus on investment readiness.
• Collect and analyze training feedback, collaborating with the Project Lead to adapt content to meet evolving participant needs. Provide tailored, milestone-driven advisory support, such as achieving initial sales to ensure ventures progress concretely and on schedule.
• Conduct rigorous field visits to track venture progress in real-time, collecting critical data on performance, financials, and environmental impact. Analyze this data, including early signals like attendance drops, to immediately adapt coaching strategies and program implementation, ensuring constant learning, rapid response, and sustained venture engagement.
• Update venture dashboards, trackers, and portfolios using Imagine Her’s systems. Compile weekly and monthly reports with venture insights, risks, and recommendations.
• Timely identification of venture risks, with mitigation plans submitted within 5 days of detection. Support compliance with donor reporting standards.

• Strong facilitation, mobilization, and training skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English and the local language (Lugwere).
• Hands-on experience in business coaching.
• Proven ability to mobilize communities.
• Ability to build rapport with local leaders.
• Strong skills in delivering engaging, hands-on, and practical training sessions.
• Good understanding of foundational business development (ideation, MVP, basic finance, marketing).
• Understanding of green technologies (solar, cookstoves, etc.).
• Diligence in collecting, accurately documenting, and reporting quantitative and qualitative field data.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English and at least one relevant local language.

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Business, Agriculture, Economics, Development Studies, Engineering, or Environmental Sciences.
• Experience in working in community settings, entrepreneurship programs, or renewable energy projects.
• Hands-on experience in business coaching and a focus on achieving growth outcomes are essential.
• Passion for women's economic empowerment, youth innovation, and climate-smart entrepreneurship.