Country Director
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Job summary
The Country Director holds the most senior leadership role for the program and is responsible for overall strategic direction, program performance, and in-country representation. The role oversees the design, setup, and execution of a complex, multi-component portfolio focused on agricultural transformation and rural development, and serves as the primary interface with government, donors, and strategic partners. The Country Director works closely with senior leadership across DSG and partner organizations to translate program strategy into effective delivery, ensuring strong alignment between vision, execution, and measurable results. The role requires leadership across multiple pilots, delivery streams, and stakeholder systems, with a strong emphasis on integrity, inclusion, and financial and operational rigor.
Min Qualification:
Masters
Experience Level:
Senior level
Experience Length:
15 years
Job descriptions & requirements
Department Senior Management Team
Role Country Director
Reporting Line: Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Location Kampala, Uganda
About the Opportunity:
The Agrifood System Transformation for Youth Employment (ASTYE) program in Uganda is a transformative initiative designed to address systemic challenges hindering agricultural development and youth employment, particularly for young women. Funded by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented in partnership with DSG, AGRA, and GOAL, ASTYE aims to create dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for young people while strengthening Uganda's agrifood ecosystem.
The Country Director holds the most senior leadership role for the program and is responsible for overall strategic direction, program performance, and in-country representation. The role oversees the design, setup, and execution of a complex, multi-component portfolio focused on agricultural transformation and rural development, and serves as the primary interface with government, donors, and strategic partners. The Country Director works closely with senior leadership across DSG and partner organizations to translate program strategy into effective delivery, ensuring strong alignment between vision, execution, and measurable results. The role requires leadership across multiple pilots, delivery streams, and stakeholder systems, with a strong emphasis on integrity, inclusion, and financial and operational rigor.
In This Role, You Will Make An Impact By:
Strategic and Program Leadership
Providing overall leadership for the program, including strategic planning, problem solving, and oversight of program setup, operating models, systems, and
partnerships across a large-scale, multi-year portfolio.
Government and Stakeholder Leadership
Building and maintaining senior-level relationships with ministries, agencies, donors, private actors, and civil society partners, serving as a senior in-country representative.
Portfolio and Project Oversight
Overseeing multiple projects and their managers, ensuring quality across design, execution, iteration, and scale.
Team Leadership and Culture
Leading recruitment, performance management, culture building, and succession planning, while maintaining high standards of integrity and safeguarding.
Donor Compliance and Risk Management
Ensuring compliance with donor and government requirements, including procurement, reporting, and audit readiness.
Financial Stewardship
Overseeing budgets, financial controls, and procurement integrity across the portfolio.
Communication and Representation
Representing the program in senior-level forums and delivering high-quality presentations with credibility.
Results Management and Adaptive Delivery
Providing executive oversight of portfolio performance, ensuring credible results measurement, governance, and donor-grade reporting, and using evidence and learning to guide decisions, adaptation, and scaling.
Impact Stewardship
Owning the program’s impact ambition by driving senior partnerships and strategic choices that unlock structural bottlenecks in agriculture, support complementary investments, and deliver against defined outcomes and measurement standards.
Inclusion and Systems Orchestration
Driving inclusive leadership practices and coordinating multi-stakeholder systems across public, private, donor, and community actors.
Education & Professional Experience
• Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, International Development, or a related field is required.
• An advanced degree, such as a PhD in a relevant discipline, is strongly preferred.
• 15+ years of senior leadership experience in development, rural transformation, or comparable large-scale programs. Senior-level government engagement and donor leadership experience.
• Proven program set-up and portfolio leadership, including oversight of multi-program budgets exceeding USD 10 million.
• Experience establishing or scaling a country office or national program.
• Management consulting or equivalent transformation delivery experience. Systems-level experience in the agriculture sector, with a private sector and agribusiness orientation.
• Experience building farmer organizations and community-based delivery models. Fluency in the local language and strong professional English proficiency.
Leadership & Technical Competencies
• Strategic planning and structured problem-solving capability in complex environments.
• Leadership of multi-pilot, cross-functional delivery teams at scale.
• Donor and government compliance leadership, including fiduciary oversight, safeguarding, and reporting. Strong financial stewardship, including budget oversight and resource allocation.
• Exceptional executive communication and presentation skills. Strong people leadership, including senior team management and talent development.
• High integrity, safeguarding, and risk-management mindset.
• Ability to orchestrate multi-stakeholder systems across public, private, and civil society actors. Inclusion-focused leadership, with demonstrated impact on gender and youth outcomes.
• Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) capability, including adaptive management.
Nice To Have Qualifications
• Experience with agricultural input systems, including fertilizer and mechanization.
• Experience in regulatory strengthening and public system enablement.
• Experience with agricultural data systems, including soil, water, and farmer profiling.
How to Apply:
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