AYSTE Program Lead - Ugandan nationals

Job Title: ASTYE Program Lead - Ugandan Nationals ONLY
Location: Kabarole with travel within districts of implementation
Reports to: Country Director

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.

Please note this role is open to Ugandan nationals only

Job summary

The ASTYE Program Lead will provide strategic direction and vision for the entire program, managing relationships with the Mastercard Foundation, GOAL's Senior Management Team, and external stakeholders while overseeing program design, implementation, and measurement methodologies. Key functions include guiding agrifood system strategy development, identifying and managing partnerships with government, civil society organizations, and private sector companies, ensuring all operations align with agreed work plans and budgets, and conducting regular coordination meetings to maintain program health. The role requires staying informed of emerging trends in agrifood systems and financial inclusion, exploring new opportunities to leverage impact, overseeing risk mitigation measures, ensuring compliance with funding partner regulations, brand alignment and international quality standards, and serving as the primary point of contact for the Mastercard Foundation and key external partners.

The key responsibilities of the role will be:

Strategy and Vision

• Provide strategic directions and leadership to all aspects of the ASTYE program in line with the Mastercard Foundation strategy and GOAL’s operational strategy - From Crisis to Resilience.
• Lead the relationship management with the Mastercard Foundation, GOAL Uganda’s Senior Management Team as well as the GOAL Global teams.
• Provide leadership to teams undertaking Agri food system inquiry, strategy documentation and the identification of appropriate potential partners.
• Support the Mastercard Foundation’s and GOAL’s commitment to locally led development through strong leadership to the ASTYE team in appropriate partnerships with Government, Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and private sector companies, including sub-granting where appropriate and in line with GOAL’s different partnering toolkits.
• Build into program plans and strategies specific initiatives to develop the technical and organizational skills and confidence of CSO partners and the technical and business skills for private sector partners.
• Stay informed of emerging challenges and opportunities, trends and best practices in the agrifood systems, financial inclusion and youth empowerment.
• Explore, evaluate and present new country opportunities that leverage impact and/ or complement core activities supporting youth led agribusiness.

Program Management

• Working closely with the GOAL Uganda Senior Management Team, Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL), Head of Partnerships and GOAL Global Program Technical, MEAL and partnership teams, to design, implement and measure the ASTYE program and provide for cross program/country learning and reporting.
• Manage efficient rollout of all operations in accordance with agreed work plans, budgets and implementation strategy.
• Ensure regular coordination meetings and grant health checks are conducted with the Program Management Unit, Finance, Communications and MERL teams to review implementation progress, budget utilization, and risk mitigation.
• Ensure all Mastercard Foundation regulations and guidelines are adhered to at all times across the program.
• Ensure that all work follows international quality standards and best practices and that agriculture initiatives are technically and environmentally sound.
• Provide high quality and timely reporting to both the Mastercard Foundation and GOAL.

MEAL Management

• With technical support from the GOAL Global MEAL & MIS teams, design a comprehensive MEAL system to allow for adaptive management, individual case management, learning and reporting.
• Ensure that program teams are trained in data collection for the MEAL system and that data (in an appropriate format), is available at the point of need for program teams.
• Ensure that the MEAL teams provide regular quality assurance to data and that accountability mechanisms are in place and are responded to.
• Ensure regular documentation and publication of qualitative and quantitative results.

Partner Management

• Oversee the identification, due diligence, co-design engagement and (technical, organizational and MEAL) capacity strengthening of CSO implementing partners, ensuring that partnerships are transparent, effective, compliant and aligned with the program GOAL.
• Oversee the identification, due diligence, and co-design of engagement with private sector partners, ensuring that partnerships are based on existing business models that present opportunities to unlock system level constraints and could lead to sustainable changes at scale in agrifood systems. Where appropriate, build into programing technical and business capacity strengthening with private sector partners.
• Ensure that all partners have a manager relationship with the skills and experience to identify problems and find solutions to adaptively manage and to provide efficient communication and coordination between the different GOAL teams including the Partnership Management, MEAL and Finance Teams.

Finance Management

• Responsible for the financial management of the program, including overseeing budgets and managing spend.
• Ensure rigorous compliance with the Mastercard Foundation and GOAL requirements and organizational policies, proactively identifying and mitigating financial and contractual risks.
• Oversee risk mitigation measures and ensure timely and narrative reporting to HQ and the Mastercard Foundation.

Team Management

• Provide inspirational management and mentorship to the Program Management Unit (PMU)/ ASTYE steering committee to foster a culture of trust and respect where team work, identification of problems and potential solutions, adaptation and a commitment to quality and attention to detail are rewarded.
• Build a program philosophy so that all managers of people are expected to foster a culture of trust and respect where team work, identification of problems and potential solutions, adaptation and a commitment to quality and attention to detail are rewarded.
• Build a culture of mutual respect between program, system and MEAL teams
• Oversee performance management of the ASTYE team, in liaison with GOAL HR and management.
• Proactively develop an annual staff development plan and align to appropriate capacity building opportunities for key team members.

Brand and Reputational Management

• Responsible forprogram’sbrand identity, and reputation.
• Oversee the implementation of strategic communications, branding, and awareness plans to ensure consistent messaging and alignment with program communications standards.
• Custodian of risks and incident management of the program, providing timely guidance to communications teams

Representation and Networking

• Engage in high level representation and presentation of ASTYE to the Mastercard Foundation; the Uganda government at national and district levels; the ASTYE Steering Committee; ASTYE Coordination Group; Agricultural Community of Practice and other relevant National Advisory Committees such as the National Youth Forum/ Working Group; and private sector partners.

• Represent ASTYE at external / international conferences and relevant thought leadership events or Mastercard annual learning events/ conferences.

  Job Level Specifications

  Essential

  • Master’s degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Entrepreneurship, Rural Development
  • Minimum of 10 years relevant experience leading a similar program area
  • Experience managing large donor-funded programs with a minimum threshold of $20 million.
  • Experience working within multi-partner or consortium delivery models.
  • Proven experience in complex program management in market systems development, market facilitation, youth engagement and development, livelihoods and/or agriculture and value chain programming including financial services, youth skilling and agricultural inputs and outputs markets.
  • Demonstrated ability to apply strategic and systems thinking in program design and delivery in complex operating environments.
  • Proven experience in adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making.
  • Experience in women’s economic empowerment and refugee inclusion programming.
  • Demonstrated skills in budgeting, risk management and adaptive planning

  Desirable

  • Demonstrated experience in people management with agile leadership skills supervising diverse teams and managing donor relations.
  • Experience of partnering with government, private sector and civil society, including sub granting to CSO and private sector companies.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
  • Exemplary communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills.
  • Demonstrable relationship management and partnerships skills.

How to apply

For further details and to apply please click here