Partnership Officer (02)

Job Title: Partnership Officer (02) Location: Kabarole with travel within districts of implementation Reports to: Partnership Manager

Programme Background

The Agrifood System Transformation for Youth Employment (ASTYE) Uganda program 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 456,000 transiting into work and 336,000 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, 5% of the total youth in work target will be refugees, and another 5% will be people with disabilities.

Job Summary

The Partnership Officer reports directly to the Partnership Manager (PM). He/She will support the PM and the Finance Team in the management of Civil Society and Private Sector partners. The officer assists with the approval of partner proposals, oversight of the use of partner funds and building the capacity of partner organizations to achieve programme objectives. The Partnership Officer will work closely with the PM when assessing partners’ operational capacity, developing capacity building plans jointly with the partners and supporting the partners to achieve programme objectives. Overall, the role will contribute to ensuring that partners understand and use accountability frameworks including maintaining compliance with donor regulations and requirements.

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting
• CPA or ACCA is a must
• Minimum three (3) years’ experience in audit or a similar role
• Experience in collaborating and working with both private and public sectors
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office

Desirable Requirements

• Strong analytical skills
• Strong communication, presentation and training skills

Key Responsibilities

Partner Mapping and Selection

• Define parameters for mapping and selection (e.g., market expansion, technology integration, inclusion, or community impact)
• Undertake research (desk and field) to identify the potential partners and profile them in greater detail
• Update Partnership Information Management Systems (PIMS) database with all the mapped partners
• Identify potential partners based on strategic alignment, reputation, credibility, and capacity
• Document the entire process and ensure that all pertinent notes are signed and filed accordingly

Partner Onboarding and Due Diligence

• Conduct due diligences/Assessments for potential Partners and ensuring that risk management are integrated into the project design
• Introduce partners to GOAL’s procedures, systems, and the project’s specific context
• Review partner documents, assess capacity, and conduct thorough background research
• Identify and assess potential risks associated with the partnership and document them accordingly
• Engage the partner to discuss areas of concern and engage in a co-creation exercise to agree on how to close the gaps

Partner Contracting

• Identify the right partner’s agreement type and draft it for reviews and approvals
• Establish trust and set expectations through initiating partnership inception meetings that define the partnership and the shared goals
• Clearly define the scope, roles, responsibilities, and deliverables of the partner to ensure alignment and mutual benefit
• Discuss risk managing procedures and agree on strategies and monitoring processes

Partnership Implementation & Management

• Engage in co-creating solutions by collaboratively setting objectives, defining milestones, and budgeting for project activities
• Jointly track progress through key performance indicators (KPIs), conduct regular co-monitoring visits, and review deliverables
• Monitor budget utilization, review financial reports, and ensure compliance with all partnership financial requirements
• Maintain regular communication channels (e.g., meetings, emails, phone calls, reports, etc.) to build trust, resolve conflicts, and share information in a timely and respectful manner
• Identify opportunities for providing technical training and support to partners to enhance their ability to deliver results
• Review partnership performance to inform the decision around partnership closure, scaling up, renewal or modification of the agreement

Support the Capacity Building of Partners

• Carry out financial training to partner’s management
• Carry out compliance and safeguarding training
• Coordinate the capacity enhancement for partners
• Coordinate individual or group external audits for partners

Support to Partner Grants Management

• Carry out financial review of all partners’ proposal/budgets prior to further review by the Partnership Manager
• Review all partners’ finance reports, support documentation and follow up on any queries before forwarding to Partnership Manager for approval
• Timely update of partnership management information Systems (PIMS)
• Ensure partner closure out procedure has been properly adhered to whenever a partnership comes to an end

Reporting and Documentation

• Provide monthly report to Partnership Manager based on monthly work plan
• File all financial reports, trip reports, official communications, compliance training records, financial assessments/due diligence documents, and internal and external audit reports by partner in an orderly manner, maintaining both soft and hard copies
• Present partner performance updates to the programme grants monitoring team during monthly Programme Meetings
• Timely preparation of partner disbursement forecast
• Support partners in preparation of proposal Budget for upcoming projects
• Ensure partner’s agreed actions are followed up and closed within agreed time frame
• Contribute to establishing a team culture grounded in collaboration, openness, and learning
• Perform other duties as assigned by the line manager (PM)