Vacancy Announcement: Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Officer and Program Assistant: TVETs and Industrial Linkages
The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), established by ten Vice Chancellors in 2004, is a consortium of universities in Africa. As of December 2025, membership stands at 175 universities in 40 countries. RUFORUM is registered as an International NGO (FORR78950) in Uganda and coordinated by a Secretariat hosted at Makerere University in Kampala. The organization evolved from its predecessor, the Forum on Agricultural Resource Husbandry (FORUM) program of the Rockefeller Foundation.
RUFORUM’s current operations are anchored in its continental strategy, ‘RUFORUM Vision 2030: The African Universities’ Agenda for Agricultural Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (AHESTI).’ Growing Africa’s HAE sector will underpin agricultural transformation, a key development imperative for Africa’s 54 countries, 40 of which host RUFORUM Member Universities. The Strategy frames an agenda for transforming Higher Agricultural Education, to develop requisite human capital, generate development solutions as well as unlock wealth and job opportunities.
RUFORUM focuses on four (4) Strategic areas designed to advance RUFORUM’s mission while contributing to partners, country and regional development aspirations. These include: Skilling, Engagement for Community Development, SE4CD; Research Innovations and Development, RID; Strategic Partnerships; and Strategic Knowledge and Technology Management. Details of these are available on our website.
Positions
The following positions are immediately available in RUFORUM
1. Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Officer
2. Program Assistant TVETs and Industrial Linkages
Terms and Conditions
The positions are attractive and open only to nationals of countries where RUFORUM member universities operate (See Map showing RUFORUM Footprint). The initial contract period will be for 3 years, subject to probationary period of six months.
Application Procedure
Applications with detailed curriculum vitae (in pdf form), copies of certificates, transcripts, names of three referees and the applicant’s Address; daytime telephone contact should be sent online to our E-mail with the subject: Appointments in RUFORUM followed by the Job title “Appointments in RUFORUM: state the post you are applying for”.
Email address: jobs@ruforum.org
Any form of canvassing will lead to disqualification. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
Closing date: 31st May 2026.
Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Officer
| Role Designation: | Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding and Officer | |||
| Unit: | Skilling Engagement for Community Development | |||
| Flagship | TAGDev | |||
| Contributing to: | RUFORUM Programs | |||
| Reports to: | Senior Program Officer Systems Strengthening | |||
| Position Objective (Summary of placement in the function and broad responsibilities) | ||||
| The Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Officer will be based at the RUFORUM Secretariat. He/she will support the Senior Program Officer, System Strengthening in overseeing design and provision of welfare services, including psychosocial support, gender responsiveness and inclusivity in program implementation, as well as broad inclusion initiatives including refugees, and persons with disability. The office bearer will also support institutional systems strengthening with a focus on compliance to safeguarding and gender responsiveness of established policies, frameworks and processes. This may include gender inclusiveness in recruitment of students participating in TAGDev 2.0 and other RUFORUM programs, continuous professional development as well as programs that enhance institutions’ capacities to address teaching, learning, knowledge translation and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at participating institutions. | ||||
| Duties and Responsibilities (Functional statements defining the responsibilities and objectives) | ||||
| Purpose
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Key JDS | 1. Provide technical guidance to the Systems Strengthening Officer in developing and executing gender mainstreaming, inclusion and safeguard plans at RUFORUM and member universities
2. Support institution based Safeguarding Officers to produce risk assessments and safeguarding plans and share these as appropriate with the relevant agencies/persons with consent, adhering to privacy principles 3. Support staff and consortium partners through training and other avenues to ensure gender, inclusion and safeguards integration into program development; design, baselines, assessments and evaluations. 4. Facilitate formulation of strategies for gender, inclusion and safeguarding under RUFORUM programs, and develop a mechanism to track effective and timely implementation and within budget. 5. Provide a checklist to support institution-based Gender Inclusion and Safeguarding officers in developing and conforming to institutional safeguards and policies in compliance to national safeguarding policies. |
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| Activities | Deliverables | |||
| Delivery | Timeliness and Quality | 1. Strengthening the capacity of Implementing Universities & RUFORUM on safeguarding standards
2. Ensure that the RUFORUM Secretariat and member universities develop an effective, efficient, inclusive and safe student support system
3. Ensure that Universities and TVET institutions have an inclusive and safe systems to recruit, train and skill Africa’s new age of development practitioners and cadres on RUFORUM programs |
1. Gender, safeguards and inclusion strategy
2. Periodic reporting monthly, quarterly and yearly reports e.g.; a. wellness, gender and inclusion services b. gender inclusivity in teaching and learning/curricular c. gender inclusivity in research d. Safeguarding issues arising and how they have been addressed 3. Gender, wellness, inclusion and safeguards publications, manuals and policy briefs 4. Number of trainings conducted a. Number of institutions supported in strengthening Gender Inclusion and Safeguarding processes |
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| Requirements (Education, experience, technical competencies required of the job) |
| · Master’s degree in development studies, gender, education, law, social administration, psychology and related fields
· At least 7 years working experience in a multi-generation, multi-cultural institutional environment. · Experience working with vulnerable young women and men (including refugees and those with disabilities) and with institutions of higher learning in Africa. · Strong knowledge of and experience with safeguarding standards and safe programming considerations for vulnerable young women and men (including refugees and those with disabilities) in Africa · Flexibility in working schedules and willingness to travel at short notice |
Program Assistant TVETs and Industrial Linkages
| Role Designation: | Program Assistant TVETs and Industrial Linkages | |||
| Unit: | SE4CD | |||
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| Contributing to: |
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| Reports to: | Technology Development and Transfer officer | |||
| Position Objective (Summary of placement in the function and broad responsibilities) | ||||
| The Program Assistant TVETs and Industrial Linkages will be based at the RUFORUM Secretariat. He/she will support the Technology Development and Transfer officer in overseeing RUFORUM’s initiatives to enhance Universities-TVETs engagements, Youth skills development, out of school youth training and mutual learning among institutions as well as nurturing linkages between training providers and industry to ensure adequate and relevant skills development for effective transitions to jobs, and work, and the contribution of young people to development especially in last mile delivery. | ||||
| Duties and Responsibilities (Functional statements defining the responsibilities and objectives) | ||||
| Purpose
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Key JDS | 1. Streamlining TVET engagement, youth skills training and University-TVET engagement into RUFORUM programs.
2. Provide technical support to RUFORUM’s Skilling & Engagement for Community Development team for the development of a relevant, effective, well-aligned TVET strategy and other strategies. 3. Provide technical support to university teams and stakeholders especially YSLOs to define TVET approaches and interventions for the benefit of TVET students and excluded populations especially RDPs and PWDS 4. Serve as focal point for RUFORUM engagement in TVET work, joint projects, research, initiatives and events, and participate in relevant TVET fora, including with the TVET steering groups, and other relevant stakeholders. 5. Support academia-industry linkages to promote technology-transfer, commercialization activities, student placements, collaborative teaching & research. |
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| Activities | Deliverables | |||
| Delivery | Timeliness and Quality | 1. Conduct needs assessments and tracer studies in the TVET sector to identify training needs and outcomes of training.
2. Support the development of the TVET strategy and policies for the RUFORUM network 3. Coordinate capacity development activities among TVET institutions, and Youth Serving Local Organisations (YSLOs) to develop, deliver and scale innovative training curricula and new models of agricultural education 4. Coordinate the linkage between universities and TVETs and industry partners to promote uptake of TIMPs 5. Coordinate students’ placements for internships and industrial training. |
1. Strategic documents/policies for TVET-University alignment drafted
2. # TVET institutions engaged in last mile delivery of agricultural advisory and extension service 3. Number of TVETs and out of school youths trained 4. Partnerships created for TVET and youth mentorship, co-teaching, placements etc. 5. Number of enterprises created and transitioned from TVET and youth development initiatives 6. Periodic reports: monthly, quarterly and yearly and activity-based reports delivered
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| Requirements (Education, experience, technical competencies required of the job) | ||||
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