Project Coordinator, Childcare Economy, PlayMatters
AI summary
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is hiring a Project Coordinator for the Childcare Economy component of PlayMatters, based in Kampala, Uganda, with coordination responsibilities across Uganda and Ethiopia. The role focuses on delivering Outcome 4 inception-phase workplans, managing budgets, supporting staff recruitment, and coordinating landscape assessments and provider mapping. The position involves significant travel and close collaboration with IRC country teams and technical partners.
- Based in Kampala, Uganda, with coordination across Uganda and Ethiopia
- Covers inception phase from September to December 2026, continuing into 2027
- Manages Outcome 4 budget, workplans, and project delivery tools
- Requires high volume of travel across both countries
- Application deadline is 15 October 2026
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Project Coordinator, Childcare Economy, PlayMatters Jobs – International Rescue Committee
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Posted
9 hours ago
Closes 15 Oct
☆
Job Title:
Project Coordinator, Childcare Economy, PlayMatters
Organisation:
International Rescue Committee
Duty Station:
Kampala, Uganda
About Organisation:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power.
Job
Summary
To provide day-to-day coordination and oversight of this component, the IRC is seeking a Project Coordinator covering both Ethiopia and Uganda. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for pushing forward all agreed Outcome 4 deliverables with the UBS Optimus Foundation, working in close collaboration with IRC/ PlayMatters country teams, the IRC Ethiopia and IRC Uganda technical coordinators for
Education
and ERD, IRC ECD and ERD technical unit staff, and the technical partners supporting this component
Geographic targeting within Ethiopia and Uganda will be guided by a clear set of selection criteria to be finalised during the inception phase, drawing on the landscape assessment and provider mapping. Where feasible, co-location with PlayMatters 3.0 implementation areas will be prioritised, given the potential for operational synergies and shared community relationships; however, childcare demand, provider density, market viability and government partnership opportunities may point to different or additional geographies. The Project Coordinator will play a central role in this process and should expect a high volume of travel across both countries.
Key Duties and
Technical Unit, and Philanthropy and Partnerships.
Ensure Outcome 4 activities are integrated with the wider PlayMatters 3.0 outcomes so that synergies and complementarities are realised rather than duplicated.
Ecosystem coordination and partner management
Act as the primary programme focal point for technical partners, ensuring partners are on track with their deliverables, targets and spending.
Operationalise the systems integrator function: mapping and convening childcare providers, financing partners, technical service providers and government stakeholders, and brokering the connections between them.
Support engagement with relevant ministries and district and woreda authorities in Ethiopia and Uganda on childcare policy, standards, registration and quality assurance.
Serve as the main liaison with IRC technical unit focal points for ECD and ERD, ensuring they provide technical insight and support to Outcome 4 activities and objectives.
Provider support, coaching and monitoring
Provide leadership and strategic guidance to the country-level implementation of direct coaching support to childcare providers, drawing on IRC/ PlayMatters in-country staff as the primary operational presence in both countries.
Plan and undertake regular coordination, advocacy and monitoring visits in Ethiopia and Uganda.
Support providers to strengthen business practices and to access appropriate financing instruments, working alongside technical and financing partners.
Identify capacity gaps among providers and coordinate the training and technical support needed to address them.
Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning
Work with the IRC/ PlayMatters MEAL team to operationalise Outcome 4 indicators, including child development outcomes anchored in the Nurturing Care Framework: social-emotional learning, safety and security, responsive caregiving, and MHPSS.
Oversee routine tracking of provider economic sustainability indicators, including operating cost coverage ratio, cash flow consistency and provider graduation rate.
Coordinate documentation of evidence and learning to build the investment case for childcare and demonstrate provider viability beyond the grant period.
Ensure safeguarding, child protection and accountability standards are applied consistently across all Outcome 4 activities, including partner-delivered work.
Donor and stakeholder relations
Coordinate with the International Philanthropy & Partnerships team to ensure that all feedback and requests for information from the UBS Optimus Foundation and LEGO Foundation are timely addressed.
Contribute to donor reporting, ensuring narrative and financial reporting for Outcome 4 is accurate, evidence-based and submitted on time.
Represent Outcome 4 in donor-facing conversations, technical working groups and external fora as delegated.
Qualifications, Skills and
and/or early childhood development programming, ideally including work grounded in the Nurturing Care Framework or comparable ECD frameworks.
Familiarity with the childcare economy, including childcare provider business models, childcare demand and market dynamics, provider financing, and the policy and regulatory environment for childcare provision.
Understanding of financing instruments relevant to small providers — for example results-based financing, blended finance, grant-to-loan pathways or small business development support — and comfort working with operating costs, cash flow and cost coverage.
Professional
bachelor degree
Work Hours: 8
Responsibilities
- Inception phase and start-up (September – December 2026)
- Coordinate delivery of the Outcome 4 inception phase workplan across Ethiopia and Uganda, ensuring milestones are met on time and within budget.
- Work with GDI and GSF to finalise the geographic selection criteria, and support delivery of the landscape assessment and childcare provider mapping in both countries.
- Facilitate the process for confirming target geographies, weighing co-location opportunities with PlayMatters 3.0 implementation areas against childcare demand, provider density, market viability and government partnership opportunities.
- Support the recruitment, onboarding and induction of Outcome 4 staff in Ethiopia and Uganda, and establish the operating routines, tools and systems the component will use from January 2027.
- Project planning, delivery and budget management
- Provide leadership for project planning and scheduling for Outcome 4, from the high-level planning phase to detailed short-term activity scheduling in both countries.
- Track project progress against high-level and detailed plans, troubleshooting and flagging barriers to success with relevant staff and leadership.
- Manage and oversee the Outcome 4 budget, track expenditure across both countries and maintain accurate projections.
- Support country teams to develop, manage and implement key project management tools, such as workplans, spending plans and procurement plans.
- Ensure that project communications are timely, relevant and accurate, including regular status updates to key focal points within PlayMatters, IRC’s
Experience
- The Project Coordinator, Childcare Economy will need to meet the
- in project management, including large-scale, cross-functional, multi-location projects.
- coordinating delivery across more than one country is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated
- in
- responding to complex humanitarian crises and/or post-conflict situations;
- in Ethiopia and/or Uganda is an added advantage.
- managing and supporting partners, including consortium or multi-partner arrangements.
- managing project budgets, tracking expenditure and maintaining accurate projections.
- with training, coaching and staff or partner capacity building.
- representing programmes to donors or clients, ideally including private foundations.
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently between Ethiopia and Uganda and to field locations, estimated at up to 40–50% of working time and higher during the inception phase.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, with demonstrated exceptionally strong writing and presentation skills.
- Working knowledge of Amharic and/or a relevant Ugandan language is an advantage.
- Excellent analytical, presentation, communication and representation skills.
- Strong commitment to the IRC’s mission, purpose and values.
- COMPETENCIES
- Strong cross-cultural communication skills and eager to work as part of a diverse, multi-country team. Sensitive to interpersonal differences and a range of viewpoints.
- Exceptional advance planning and organisational skills. Able to effectively prioritise and follow multiple activities and deadlines simultaneously across two country programmes.
- Analytical, strategic, and able to proactively develop solutions to complex challenges.
- Comfortable with ambiguity. This is a new component in an inception phase: priorities, target geographies and provider partners will be defined as the work progresses.
- Demonstrated creativity and ability to apply innovative thinking and problem-solving skills, particularly where humanitarian programming meets market-based approaches.
- Able to navigate interpersonal and inter-departmental dynamics across country programmes, technical units and external partners to keep focus on goals and products.
- Able to make difficult decisions, as necessary, to ensure that the project stays on track and focused.
- Able to work well under administrative and programmatic pressures, and flexible in adapting to changing requirements.
- High levels of attention to detail and strong organisational skills.
- Reliable and able to work independently while being a strong team player.
- How to Apply:
- All suitably qualified and Interested applicants should apply online at the link below.
- Opens the employer’s application page
- Apply Now →
- NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
- For more of the latest jobs, please visit
- https://www.theugandanjobline.com
- or find us on our facebook page
- https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
- Level of
- in Months: 60
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Requirements
- below:
- Bachelor’s degree in education, early childhood development, international development, economics, business administration or a related field; a master’s degree is an advantage.
- At least 5 years of professional