Partnership Officer

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

Application Deadline: 8th March 2026

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 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.

General Description of the Role

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

The key responsibilities of the role will be:

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.
• Introducing 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.
• Establishing trust and setting 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.
• Discussing risk managing procedures and agreeing 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 tracking progress through key performance indicators (KPIs), conducting regular co-monitoring visits, and reviewing deliverables.
• Monitoring budget utilization, reviewing financial reports, and ensuring compliance with all partnership financial requirements.
• Maintaining 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.
• Reviewing 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 updating of partnership management information Systems (PIMS).
• Ensuring 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 your 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.

Other tasks as mutually agreed with supervisor

• 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.
• Ensuring 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).
• Other tasks as requested.

Job Level Specifications

Essential Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting
• ACCA/CPA at least level 2.
• Minimum three (3) years’ experience in a similar role.
• Experience in collaborating and working with both private and public sectors.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office

Desirable Criteria

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

General Terms and Conditions

At GOAL, we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please just contact our Recruitment Team at recruitment@ug.goal.ie

GOAL Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
GOAL is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We foster an inclusive culture where all voices are heard and valued. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

All employees share in the responsibility for fulfilling GOAL’s commitment to equal employment opportunity and equal treatment. GOAL does not discriminate against any employee on the basis of sex, race, colour, ethnic background, tribe, birth, creed or religion or social or economic standing, political opinion, disability.

Code of Conduct and Accountability within GOAL

GOAL is an equal opportunities employer and has values and behaviours framework which defines our code of conduct. Any candidate offered a job with GOAL will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability.

• Comply with GOAL’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, Code of Conduct, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a GOAL staff or partner.

Safeguarding

Children and vulnerable adults a must be safeguarded to the maximum extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that GOAL shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

GOAL 

Established in 1977, GOAL is an international humanitarian agency and works with the most vulnerable communities to help them respond to and overcome humanitarian crises, and to assist those facing poverty and exclusion achieve greater resilience and well-being. GOAL envisions a world beyond humanitarian crises where poverty no longer exists, where vulnerable communities exposed to shocks and stresses are resilient, where barriers to well-being are removed and where everyone has equal rights and opportunities. 

General Description of the Country Programme 

First operational in Uganda in 1979, the current GOAL Uganda country programme focuses on Health, (including WASH, Health Accountability and Nutrition); and a market-based systems approach to improving agricultural livelihoods and WASH. GOAL Uganda mainstreams gender, child protection, social behavior changes and resilience strategies across all programming. GOAL uses a mixture of direct implementation and partnerships with national and international civil society organizations, local government, the private sector and communities to give effect to our mission.  

GOAL Uganda has a skilled team of over 110 personnel and has a head office in Kampala and field offices in 7 locations across Northern, Southwestern and Eastern regions of Uganda.  GOAL Uganda’s donors include the Mastercard Foundation, charity: water, Irish Aid, The Kingdom of Netherland Embassy in Uganda (EKN) and other private donors.  

Interested applicants who meet the requirements should apply through the link with at least 3 professional referees (current or former Line Manager) from the last three employers and daytime contact number by 8th March 2026.