program manager – northern uganda

Position Title:

Program Manager – Northern Uganda

Reports to:

Uganda Country Program Lead

Duty Station:

Gulu, with frequent travel to Elegu and Amuru District

Contract Type:

Full-time (Initial 12-month fixed term, renewable based on performance and funding)

Start Date:

December 2025

1. Background

Tiny Totos is a pioneering social enterprise transforming childcare in East Africa by turning informal daycare centres into sustainable, high-quality small businesses. The organization empowers caregivers with training, tools, data, and financing to deliver safe and stimulating childcare, while supporting parents, especially women, to work productively and improve family incomes.

After a decade of success in Kenya and a growing presence in Uganda (Kampala), Tiny Totos is expanding to Northern Uganda through a pilot in Elegu Market, a high-traffic cross-border hub along the Uganda - South Sudan border.

This pilot aims to demonstrate the viability of market-based childcare models in fragile and low-income trading environments, and to establish a foundation for scaling operations across Northern Uganda.

1. Role purpose

The
Program Manager – Northern Uganda

will be responsible for proving that Tiny Totos social franchise care solutions can translate and have impact to the care context of northern Uganda. The PM will drive our efforts to prove that our entrepreneurial approach to care is viable even in the remote rural and refugee context of this region.

The Program Manager will lead the implementation of Tiny Totos' childcare model in Northern Uganda, adapting it to local realities and ensuring it delivers effective, community-driven solutions. The role combines hands-on leadership, user-centered program design, and operational oversight to ensure the Elegu market pilot and regional base in Gulu are established successfully and positioned for scale. 

1. Key responsibilities

A. Program leadership and implementation

• Lead the adaptation and implementation of Tiny Totos' social franchise care model in Northern Uganda, striving for a balance between quality of care, sustainability of service, market compatibility and user-centered design.
• Lead planning, coordination, and delivery of Tiny Totos activities in Northern Uganda, starting with but not exclusive to the Elegu pilot.
• Find incredible care entrepreneurs to upskill, and hard-working mothers willing to pay for their service
• Excite and inspire stakeholders with the vision of market-based care, delivering benefits to all – country, companies, women and most of all, children.
• Develop detailed workplans and ensure activities are implemented on time, within budget, and to the required quality.
• Supervise field operations and provide day-to-day oversight to the Field Officer and other support staff.
• Lead data-driven decision-making, ensuring continuous learning and adaptation based on field realities.
• Ensure adherence to Tiny Totos' values, programmatic standards, safeguarding, and ethical conduct policies.

B. Stakeholder and partnership management

• Foster a strong, innovative care community in northern Uganda out of the many women, mothers and fathers needing a solution to their care needs.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with district and town councils, market associations, and community leaders.  Help them to understand that local communities can be the drivers of the solutions to protracted social problems like care, when their entrepreneurial spirit is elevated, and they are not seen as beneficiaries.,
• Represent Tiny Totos in local coordination meetings, joint planning sessions, and strategic stakeholder fora.
• Identify and cultivate partnerships with NGOs, microfinance institutions, and private sector actors supporting women traders.
• Support the negotiation and development of MoUs with local authorities and strategic partners.

C. People management and capacity building

• Recruit, mentor, and supervise the Northern Uganda team (including the Field Officer).
• Foster a high-performance culture that values accountability, learning, and innovation.
• Facilitate regular team reflection and learning sessions to drive continuous improvement.
• Identify capacity gaps and coordinate training, coaching, and knowledge-sharing across the regional team.

D. Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting

• Ensure robust data collection and reporting systems are in place to track pilot outcomes and operational performance.
• Contribute to the development of quarterly and annual reports for donors and Tiny Totos HQ.
• Support qualitative documentation — case studies, lessons learned, and best practices from the Elegu pilot.
• Use insights and evidence to inform program adjustments and future scale-up strategy.

E. Financial oversight and compliance

• Oversee Northern budgets, expenditure tracking, and adherence to procurement guidelines.
• Ensure financial accountability and value-for-money across all field activities.
• Prepare monthly budget forecasts and activity-based financial reports.
• Support compliance with donor regulations and internal audit requirements.

F. Strategy and scale-up preparation

• Support the Uganda Country Program on the development of a regional roadmap for Tiny Totos' growth in Northern Uganda
• Identify women to build the care community with
• Craft and sensitively deploy appropriate language and actions to enforce the fact that Tiny Totos is not an NGO, but an entrepreneurial catalyzer of care.
• Identify new market opportunities (e.g., Gulu, Lamwo, Adjumani) based on data from the pilot.
• Identify companies to work with on corporate care solutions, and foster strong relationships with these.
• Contribute to funding proposals and presentations for donors and potential partners.

• Actively participate in organizational strategy sessions and cross-country learning exchanges.

• Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Education, Business Administration, or related field (Master's preferred).

• 5+ years' experience in program or project management within NGOs, social enterprises, or development programs.
• Proven track record in stakeholder engagement, government liaison, and team supervision.
• Demonstrated experience managing field-based teams in complex, multicultural, or cross-border contexts.
• Sound understanding of market systems, livelihoods, or women's economic empowerment approaches.
• Experience in financial oversight and results-based reporting.
• Excellent written and spoken communication in English; proficiency in Acholi, Luo, or Kiswahili is an added advantage.
• Strong interpersonal skills, integrity, and adaptability in fluid operational contexts.

5. Core competencies and values

• Strong leadership and decision-making capacity in resource-limited environments.
• Entrepreneurial mindset — practical, adaptive, and focused on scalable solutions.
• Excellent coordination, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Commitment to Tiny Totos' mission of empowering women and children through quality childcare.
• Culturally sensitive, emotionally intelligent, and collaborative.
• Strong sensitives and track record in gender equity
• Willingness to travel frequently between Gulu, Amuru, and Elegu.

Application process

:

Submit a current CV plus a letter of interest (optional) to  by 28th November.

(Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; early submission is encouraged.)