AIA Programs Director

Who We Are 
Action in Africa (AIA) is a community-based organization whose mission is to advance the social, personal, and economic development of children, youth, and adults in Uganda through greater access to education and other life-changing resources

AIA operates a thriving community center that serves over 300+ women, men and children daily through the following programs:

• Primary School Partnership Program
• After School Program
• Women to Women Program
• Medical Outreach
• Special Needs Program
• ICT Training
• Secondary and University Scholarships
• Community Library
• Internship and Fellowship Program
• Adult English Classes

Where We’re Headed
Action in Africa (AIA) is undergoing rapid growth, marking a pivotal moment in its history. In response to this expansion and the plan to establish a second community center with broader program offerings, AIA recognizes the need to strengthen its leadership in program management. We are therefore seeking a Uganda-based Programs Director who will play a key role in overseeing, developing, and scaling our educational and community initiatives to ensure effective impact and organizational growth.

Role Summary
The Programs Director will design, lead, and continuously improve innovative programs that serve diverse needs, advance excellence, and produce meaningful and measurable change in the lives of those served, while contributing to AIA’s strategic goals. This role is crucial for driving program impact, ensuring efficient operations, fostering staff development, ensuring safeguarding and compliance, and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Strategy & Development:

• Design, lead, and continuously improve innovative programs aligned with AIA’s strategic goals and community needs.
• Work with the Country Director to develop phased plans for scaling successful initiatives to our new Sentema campus, piloting innovative approaches, and identifying strategic partnerships for growth.
• Ensure program staff consistently monitor and adhere to the strategic plan, keeping activities aligned with organizational goals throughout the program period.
• Improve program performance and impact through in-country proposals that identify strategic opportunities, address local needs, and strengthen sustainability.

 Program Management & Implementation:

• Oversee the successful execution of all program activities, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Develop annual work plans in advance with clear termly or quarterly breakdowns that guide program activities and support timely budget planning.
• Work with the country Director to maintain strong partnerships with schools, government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to enhance program quality, expand reach, and support sustainable growth.
• Oversee the program budgeting process, ensuring correct projections, efficient use of funding, and accurate financial tracking in collaboration with the Finance team.
• Ensure program compliance with donor regulations, government policies, and internal audit requirements.
• Identify and mitigate program risks, including reputational, operational, and financial risks.
• Prepare program budgets and forecasts accurately, aligned with workplan periods, ensuring optimal resource allocation and financial sustainability.
• Review and approve program proposals and budgets each school term to ensure compliance with organizational standards and policies.
• Ensure programmatic procurements comply with organizational policy, and provide pre-approvals for high-value or program-critical procurements.
• Align programmatic procurement needs with program objectives, budgets, and timelines, and review procurement plans to confirm they support program deliverables and priorities.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL):

• Ensure accurate data collection and analysis, including comprehensive baseline, midline, and endline data for all programs, to inform decision-making and impact evaluation.
• Conduct quarterly learning sessions with staff to reflect on impact data and identify opportunities for program growth and innovation.
• Analyze program-related reports to identify key discussion points and focus areas, enabling the top management team to make timely, strategic responses.

Team Leadership & Staff Development:

• Work with HR to ensure staff have clear performance goals and receive regular performance feedback and coaching.
• Foster cross-department collaboration in order to ensure that departments are working effectively and efficiently to achieve program goals.
• Lead, manage, and motivate Program Teams, ensuring they have clear objectives and receive meaningful feedback on their performance regularly, in collaboration with the human resources department.
• Create and maintain a cooperative and positive working environment where staff have clear roles and responsibilities, participate in decision making, and are supported in progressing towards their objectives.
• Identify capacity gaps and arrange for appropriate training of Project Team staff to adequately equip them with the skills and knowledge required to accomplish their responsibilities.

 Reporting & Communication:

• Ensure 100% of donor, board, and annual program reports are submitted on time, containing accurate, high-quality data meeting organizational standards.
• Communicate program results effectively to various internal and external audiences.

Safeguarding & Child Protection:

• Ensure all programs comply with child protection, safeguarding, and ethical standards.
• Promote a culture of safety, dignity, and accountability in program design and delivery.

Any additional duties as assigned, provided they align with the scope of the role and level of responsibility

 Reporting

The Programs Director will report directly to Action in Africa’s Country Director.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field (Master’s preferred)
• 7+ years of program management experience, ideally in education, scholarship, or a similar NGO setting
• Proven experience managing teams, budgets, and complex programs
• Strong understanding of MEL, data-driven decision-making
• Excellent communication, collaboration, leadership, and strategic planning skills
• Experience using G-Suite tools, including Gmail/Drive/Docs/Sheets/Chat/Calendar, as well as an aptitude for learning new software programs such as Monday.com
• Proven ability to lead program change, implement new systems, or scale programs.
• Capacity to foster a culture of innovation and learning
• Knowledge of curriculum development, learning outcomes, or community-based education programs
• Understanding of policy frameworks and government regulations relevant to the sectors. Be a Ugandan citizen or have the legal right to work in Uganda

  Core Competencies

1. Strategic Thinking and growth-oriented: Ability to align programs with organizational goals and Community needs, developing long-term strategies for growth and quality improvement
2. World-class Project Management skills: Strong experience in developing, planning, managing, and reporting program activities
3. Monitoring & Evaluation Skills: Experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and analysis for program improvement
4. Team Leadership: Proven aptitude and track record of developing others through clarity, coaching, performance standards, and motivation
5. Integrity and Accountability: Prioritizes community needs and owns program outcomes; consistently exercises ethical judgment in all matters
6. Innovation: Committed to encouraging new and innovative solutions and driving continuous program improvements
7. Excellent Communication and Collaboration: Ability to articulate ideas professionally and work effectively with diverse stakeholders
8. High emotional intelligence: an approachable and skilled listener with the ability to successfully manage conflict
9. Cultural sensitivity: Ability to work in diverse, inclusive, multi-stakeholder environments.
10. Attention to detail: Adherence to the highest professional standards at all times
11. Mission-oriented: A strong commitment to AIA’s mission and a passion for implementing community-based change