Country Director

About IFAD and Its Work in Uganda

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

In Uganda, IFAD's work is particularly relevant to this role. The second Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE) by IFAD's Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE), covering 2013-2020 and published 07 July 2021, found that the country programme aimed to reduce rural poverty with a focus on regional poverty dimensions in the north and east and on value chain approaches. The evaluation found the programme contributed to increasing household incomes by as much as 226 per cent in one project, and helped achieve results in productivity, access to markets and rural financial services mainly through provision of community access roads. It also noted improvements in human and social capital but gaps in systematic routine data collection and limited reach of household mentoring methodologies. Recommendations included expanding the effective value chain approach to other commodities, mainstreaming climate change more extensively, providing more transformative interventions for women and young people, developing a non-lending strategy that systematizes knowledge management, and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems. The Country Director will lead the next phase of strategy and programme delivery building on these lessons. Source: https://ioe.ifad.org/en/w/uganda-country-strategy-and-programme-evaluation

Job Details

• Organization: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) - Department for Country Operations (DCO), East and Southern Africa Division (ESA)
• Position: Country Director, Grade P-4 (ID37389), Regular appointment, Assignment Duration 2 Years
• Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda (KAMPALA)
• Organizational Unit: East & Southern Africa Division (ESA), reporting to the Divisional Director based in the IFAD Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Date of Issue: 21/08/2026; Close Date: 21/09/2026 (Midnight, Rome Time)
• Supervisory Role: Provides day-to-day managerial direction to Programme Analysts and Officers (up to P-3 level), Country Programme Officers (CPOs), Country Programme Assistants (CPAs) and Administrative Assistants (AAs); supervises a small team for the Small and Medium Agribusiness Development Fund (SMADF), financed by the European Union through IFAD
• Representation: Serves as IFAD spokesperson in Uganda, primary point of contact on the UN Country Team, liaises with government line ministries and governmental bodies at all administrative levels, donors, civil society, research centres and private sector
• Accountability: Accountable for IFAD core values of integrity, transparency and equity in management of the assigned portfolio; advocates for and enhances national government programmes improving poor rural people's access to natural resources, agricultural technologies, financial services, markets, employment opportunities and enterprise development; promotes capacity building of government counterparts and rural poor for participation in policy and programming processes

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• 1. Country Strategy Management: Lead strategic positioning and country strategy development; lead and manage development and implementation of medium to longer-term strategies (COSOP) for IFAD's collaboration with governments and other national stakeholders for agricultural development and rural poverty reduction following principles of ownership, alignment and harmonization; analyse dynamics of agricultural development and rural poverty reduction, develop country-specific strategies and define IFAD's value added.
• 2. Country Programme Management: Manage IFAD programme and related IFAD-funded projects within the portfolio assigned by the Division Director; lead design and supervision of projects as well as loan and grant negotiations in accordance with IFAD's applicable policies; analyse relevant information, assist in periodic monitoring and evaluation of results achieved and report/disseminate findings; contribute to IFAD organizational change agenda with reference to direct supervision and implementation support modalities.
• 3. Institutional Representation and Partnership Management: Ensure IFAD presence at country-level; catalyse effective partnerships with government and non-governmental institutions, bilateral and multilateral financing institutions, civil society organizations, research centres and private sector; enhance relationships and collaboration with in-country partners focusing on synergies and coordinated strategies with multilateral/bilateral donors and civil-society organizations; represent IFAD on the UN Country Team as primary point of contact transmitting IFAD's decisions, support coordination of operational activities for development and contribute to international and national/thematic group meetings.
• 4. Contribution to Policy Leadership: Contribute to corporate-level strategy on core IFAD policy positions within assigned portfolio, led by Division Directors; maintain and promote constructive dialogue on pro-poor agricultural development and rural poverty reduction policies and enable rural poor to advocate for institutional transformation; regularly participate in relevant policy meetings and events involving government, donors and civil society including NGOs to render policy dialogue credible and sustainable; contribute to IFAD's policy intelligence with regular updates and information exchange and ensure proper knowledge management; link realities on the ground and voices of the poor with national policies and programmes.
• 5. Office Management: Support the relevant Country Director/Head of Multi-Country Office (MCO) in managing utilization of allocated resources; support management of human resources, contracting goods and services and financial management; support budget preparation, management and monitoring of expenditures.
• Provide technical and managerial leadership to substantive development and execution of assigned country programme(s); ensure effective country presence and representation with government counterparts and collaborators; anticipate and manage potential risks to programme success; provide guidance to the SMADF team.
• Actively engage with private sector and other local stakeholders; hold regular consultations with counterparts to enhance effectiveness and impact of IFAD operations; improve coordination among IFAD, government and key development partners for synergy and common approaches; serve as IFAD liaison with project authorities and help address administrative and programme-related substantive issues such as targeting and identifying needs for technical backstopping; ensure compliance with IFAD policies and orientation towards results and impact.

Qualifications, Skills and Requirements

• Education: Advanced university degree from an accredited institution listed on https://whed.net/home.php in rural development, agriculture, rural finance, development policy or other job related fields, with a preference for economics. Note: For internal candidates, requirement assessed in line with IFAD's Human Resources Implementing Procedures.
• Experience: At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in rural development, agriculture, rural finance, development policy or other job related fields, with a preference for economics; Two (2) years in international organizations, rural development/financial institutions or government services providing support on global scope; Experience may include project design, development, implementation and evaluation preferably in implementation and supervision of rural development programmes.
• Languages: Required: English (4 - Excellent); Desirable: French, Spanish, or Arabic.
• Organizational Competencies (Level 2): Building relationships and partnerships - Builds and maintains strategic partnerships internally and externally; Communicating and negotiating - Acquires & uses a wide range of communication styles & skills; Demonstrating leadership - Leads by example; initiates and supports change; Focusing on clients - Contributes to a client-focused culture; Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating - Challenges, innovates & contributes to learning culture; Managing performance and developing staff - Manages wider teams with greater impact; Managing time, resources and information - Coordinates wider use of time, information and/or resources; Problem-solving and decision-making - Solves complex problems with wider corporate impact; Strategic thinking and organizational development - Staff in management and/or strategic leadership roles; Team working - Fosters a cohesive team environment.
• Skills: IFAD governance & mandate: In depth knowledge of IFAD's governance structure, mandate, strategic priorities and technical work; IFAD partners: Knowledge of partners' functioning and mandate (public sector, non-state actors - NGOs, CSOs, Foundations, and private sector); Performance management: Managing performance, learning management, establishing learning plans; Risk management (e.g. reputational): Identification and assessment of potential liabilities and risks vis-à-vis third parties and mitigation strategies; Interpersonal skills: Patient and tactful dealing with others including senior individuals; Evidence-based policy: Formulation of concrete actionable policy recommendations based on hard evidence; Loans & grants: Designing loan and grant operations and managing preparation process; Policy dialogue: Representation of IFAD as trusted strategic partner, effective consultations with counterparts; Topical expertise - Programme Management for Agricultural Development; Project/Programme management (coordination, design, development): Project design and evaluation; Rural Finance: Inclusive rural finance (savings, credit, insurance, payments, remittances, demand, providers, systems, markets, policy/regulations); Advocacy: Maintaining and promoting constructive dialogue around IFAD's vision.
• Other Information: IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to authority of the President; all International Professional staff required to be geographically mobile; IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer (DEI Strategy, Prevention of SH/SEA policy); does not charge fees at any stage; official communication from @ifad.org; new staff normally placed at first step of grade; candidates may be required to take written test, presentation and interviews; only short-listed candidates contacted within three months.

Job Summary

• Job Category: Agriculture, Administrative, Management, NGO
• Job Type: Full-time (Regular, 2 Years, Grade P-4)
• Deadline of this Job: 2026-09-21 (Midnight, Rome Time)
• Duty Station: Kampala (KAMPALA), Uganda
• Posted: 2 days ago (1 day - as per source listing)
• No of Jobs: 1 (Single position)