Restless Development Seeks Programme Officer for Youth-Led Change Initiative

Restless Development Uganda, an agency for youth-led change, is seeking a Programme Officer to join their team in Arua, West Nile, Uganda. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in delivering activities under the Promoting Youth Inclusion in Governance and Decision-making in Uganda (YIGA) project, supported by the Royal Danish Embassy. The project aims to address information gaps, limited opportunities, and institutional barriers that prevent young people from influencing decisions about their communities.

The Programme Officer will work closely with the Programme Coordinator and Assistant Programme Coordinator to deliver YIGA activities in Arua, Terego, and Madi-Okollo. The role involves supporting young people to understand governance, planning, and budgeting, gathering evidence on public services, and engaging officials and elected representatives about issues affecting their lives. The Officer will also provide direct support and mentorship to Young Leaders and organise youth training and dialogue.

The YIGA project builds on implementation in Karamoja and is expanding to West Nile, with activities that bring regional youth priorities into national discussions. The project addresses the information gaps, limited opportunities, and institutional barriers that prevent young people from influencing decisions about their communities. It helps young people understand local government planning and budgeting, gather evidence on public services, and raise their priorities with elected representatives, officials, and community leaders.

The Programme Officer will be responsible for activity planning and field delivery, including preparing practical activity plans, budgets, and logistics requests for assigned West Nile activities. The Officer will also support district inception and community entry, explaining YIGA's purpose and planned activities to youth structures, local officials, and community leaders. Additionally, the Officer will maintain contact details and agreed arrangements for field engagement and mobilise participants transparently with local youth structures and partners.

The role involves youth civic learning and mentorship, including organising and supporting training for Youth Accountability Advocates on local government planning, budgeting, public service monitoring, youth leadership, and Meaningful Youth Engagement. The Officer will also help participants practise using these skills in their communities and support youth councillor training and work with young leaders to consult their peers, identify common concerns, and prepare clear messages for local decision-making spaces.

The Programme Officer will ensure that youth priorities and perspectives are reflected in community dialogue and service delivery follow-up. The Officer will help young people gather clear evidence and prepare practical requests before meeting officials or representatives. Additionally, the Officer will organise community barazas and Youth Leader Connect meetings with advocates, youth leaders, and duty bearers and record concerns, responses, commitments, responsible people, and agreed dates for follow-up.

The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of youth-led change and experience in programme delivery, mentorship, and capacity building. The Programme Officer will be expected to work in a fast-paced environment, with regular domestic travel, mainly within West Nile, and occasional international travel. The contract will be for one year, renewable depending on funding and performance, with a salary of UGX 47,084,760 gross per annum.

Key points

• Restless Development Uganda is seeking a Programme Officer to support youth-led change in West Nile, Uganda.
• The Programme Officer will play a crucial role in delivering activities under the YIGA project, supported by the Royal Danish Embassy.
• The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of youth-led change and experience in programme delivery, mentorship, and capacity building.