Apply by 5th October 2026 at 5:00 PM (E.A.T)
About Restless Development
We have worked in Uganda since 1997, guided by four goals shaped by young people: Voice and Democracy, Education and Livelihoods, Gender and Sexual Health, and Climate Justice. We support young people to influence decisions, access quality education and sustainable livelihood opportunities, advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, promote gender equality, and lead action towards a just and sustainable future. We currently work in 26 districts across Northern, North-Eastern, Central and Eastern Uganda, with offices in Kampala, Jinja, Moroto and West Nile.
Our approach to safeguarding
Restless Development considers the welfare and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults to be an organisational imperative with primacy over the success of programmes or strategic objectives.
About YIGA
Promoting Youth Inclusion in Governance and Decision-making in Uganda (YIGA) is supported by the Royal Danish Embassy under PACER and runs through December 2027. Restless Development leads the consortium with Media Challenge Initiative (MCI) and Karamoja Youth Effort to Save the Environment (KAYESE). Building on implementation in Karamoja, the project is expanding to Arua, Terego and Madi-Okollo in West Nile, alongside activities that bring regional youth priorities into national discussions.
YIGA 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. At the same time, it helps these leaders involve young people in decisions and respond to their concerns through practical action plans and regular follow-up.
In West Nile, this includes training Youth Accountability Advocates and youth councillors, supporting community barazas and Youth Leader Connect meetings, and monitoring service delivery with local governments. MCI’s Youth Information Hub+ combines a physical hub in Arua and Karamoja, mobile and digital engagement approaches and digital resources with civic films, radio, storytelling and media literacy activities. Evidence from both regions will inform the State of Youth Civil Society in Uganda report and National Youth Working Group discussions. Throughout, YIGA seeks to turn informed youth participation into decisions and services that better reflect young people’s needs.
About the Role:
The Communications Officer will lead and coordinate communications and documentation for Restless Development’s contribution to YIGA, with particular responsibility for implementation in West Nile while supporting consistent programme messaging across West Nile, Karamoja and relevant national engagement.
The role will ensure that programme activities, results, youth perspectives, evidence, learning and stories of change are captured in real time and translated into high-quality communications for young people, partners, donors, government stakeholders and wider audiences.The Communications Officer will work closely with the Communications Coordinator, Programme Manager, Assistant Programme Coordinator, Programme Officer, MEL Coordinator, Advocacy Officer and other Restless Development teams.
The Officer will also work closely with MCI’s Communications Officer, Production Officers, Graphic Designer, Civic News Reporters and Training Officer. The Communications Officer will primarily provide programme-level communications coordination, documentation, messaging, visibility, quality assurance and linkage between programme evidence and communications, while MCI provides specialised civic-media production, digital dissemination and technical media support. This distinction will ensure complementary rather than duplicated communications functions across the consortium.
Job title: Communications Officer
Location: Arua – West Nile, Uganda
Project coverage: West Nile, with coordination across Karamoja and relevant national programme activities
YIGA Level of Effort: 50%
Salary: UGX 23,542,380 Gross Per Annum
Preferred start date: As Soon As Possible
Duration: 1 year, renewable depending on funding and performance
Reports to: Communications Coordinator
Direct Reports: Young Leaders, where applicable
Expected travel: Regular domestic travel, particularly within West Nile and to other programme locations as required
Key responsibilities
Programme Documentation and Storytelling
- Document YIGA activities, achievements, outcomes, lessons and emerging changes, particularly across Arua, Terego and Madi-Okollo.
- Identify and develop stories showing how young people are influencing governance, accountability and service delivery.
- Produce articles, case studies, profiles, newsletters and other communications products for internal and external audiences.
- Maintain a regular pipeline of stories and documentation opportunities throughout programme implementation.
- Ensure all stories represent young people accurately, respectfully and with appropriate context.
Communication of Results and Youth Voice
- Work with Programme, MEL and Advocacy teams to turn programme evidence, data and learning into clear communications products.
- Communicate the changes, commitments and results emerging from community barazas, service monitoring, Youth Leader Connect engagements and other activities.
- Keep young people’s experiences, priorities and solutions at the centre of programme communications.
- Support young people to communicate their experiences directly through appropriate platforms and formats.
- Ensure communications reflect diverse voices, including young women, young people with disabilities and others facing barriers to participation.
Digital Communications and Programme Visibility
- Develop youth-friendly content for Restless Development’s website, social media and other digital platforms.
- Coordinate communications coverage of key YIGA activities, campaigns and public engagements.
- Ensure materials comply with Restless Development branding and donor visibility requirements.
- Maintain consistent YIGA messaging and identity across West Nile, Karamoja and national-level communications.
- Organise approved photographs, videos, stories, designs and visibility evidence for reporting and future use.
Media and Partner Coordination
- Prepare press releases, media briefs, talking points, key messages and other external communications materials.
- Support media coverage of programme activities, results, quarterly radio dialogues and other public engagements.
- Coordinate with MCI on civic-media production, youth-friendly governance materials and dissemination.
- Share programme priorities, schedules, evidence, participants and emerging stories with relevant MCI teams.
- Review jointly produced content for accuracy, safeguarding, branding and consistency with agreed programme messages.
Communications Planning and Coordination
- Develop and maintain a practical YIGA communications and documentation plan aligned with the programme workplan.
- Maintain a calendar of programme activities, campaigns, donor requirements and relevant national and international days.
- Track communications deliverables and coordinate with responsible teams to support timely completion.
- Participate in programme and consortium planning and reflection meetings.
- Provide practical communications guidance to programme staff and young leaders.
Ethical, Inclusive and Safe Communications
- Obtain and document informed consent before collecting or publishing identifiable stories, photographs, videos or personal information.
- Apply safeguarding standards and assess possible risks, including stigma, retaliation and political exposure.
- Use inclusive, respectful and non-discriminatory language and imagery.
- Handle sensitive governance and accountability information responsibly and in line with organisational policies.
- Consult programme and safeguarding colleagues whenever communications raise protection or ethical concerns.
Other responsibilities
- Other duties as required, including occasional work on weekends for which Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) can be taken.
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Media Studies, Public Relations, Marketing or another relevant field.
- At least three years of relevant professional communications experience, preferably within the development, governance or youth sector.
- Demonstrated experience developing strong written communications products, including stories, articles, case studies, digital content and programme documentation.
- Experience documenting programme activities, outcomes and stories of change.
- Strong writing, editing and proofreading skills with the ability to adapt content for different audiences.
- Experience working with programme teams to translate technical information, evidence and results into accessible communications.
- Good understanding of digital and social media communications.
- Strong organisational and coordination skills, including the ability to manage several communications priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
- Ability to work effectively with young people, programme teams, partners and external stakeholders.
- Demonstrated commitment to ethical and inclusive storytelling, safeguarding and informed consent.
- Willingness and ability to travel regularly within West Nile and other programme locations.
Desirable
- Experience communicating programmes related to youth participation, governance, accountability, advocacy, democracy or public-service delivery.
- Experience working with NGOs, youth-led organisations, civil society organisations or other development-sector actors.
- Experience supporting donor-funded programme communications and knowledge of donor branding and visibility requirements.
- Experience in photography, videography, multimedia storytelling or basic content production.
- Experience managing or contributing to organisational social media platforms and digital campaigns.
- Experience working with communications agencies, journalists, media organisations or creative-production teams.
- Experience communicating monitoring, evaluation, research or programme evidence to non-technical audiences.
- Familiarity with the social, political and youth-development context of West Nile would be an advantage.
To Apply
Please submit your CV and a cover letter that provides tangible examples of how your skills, knowledge and experience will support your ability to perform the key priorities outlined in the above job description (using no more than 750 words)
