Organization details

SOS Children’s Villages is a worldwide, independent, not-for-profit social development organization that has been working to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of children since 1949. The focus of our work is the care for children without parental care and those at risk of losing the care of their parents. In each SOS Children’s Village, we give a permanent home in a family environment to vulnerable children. Each child is looked after by an SOS mother and grows up in an SOS family with 8-10 boys and girls in a natural setting.

Number of vacancies: 1
Sector: NGO
Industry: Civil society

Knowledge, skills and competences

• A good understanding of child rights and child development issues in a developing country.
• Strong influential and executive leadership style, be an articulate and confident manager able to spur confidence in the organization, working closely with the Board of Trustees.
• Notable success working with and building high performance and successful teams in a multi-cultural setting.
• Excellent networking ability, persuasive communication, marketing and fundraising skills.
• A successful record of accomplishment working with and building high-performance teams in a multi-cultural setting.
• Strong managerial and implementation skills.
• Strong strategic awareness, integrating environmental developments, future orientation and a pragmatic view into operational planning and day-to-day work.
• Proactive decision-making based on sound analysis and excellent communication skills.
• Fluent oral/written English skills required, Uganda local languages preferred.
• Computer literate

Responsibilities

Strategic Direction and Governance

• Facilitates the strategic planning process under the direction of the board (or guided by the board), involving the national management team and other key staff in identifying priority areas and setting objectives.
• Review strategy regularly, proactively assess future needs and perform sustainability forecasts to ensure relevance and appropriateness of the NA;
• Follow up on reports relating to the development and/or deviation from the expected route by any programme / project within the NA.
• Presents plans, reports and proposals at board meetings. Ensures in cooperation with the chairperson legality of the national organization, complying with relevant national legislation. Ensures that board decisions are translated into clear actions.
• Communicate SOS-KDI policy at the National and Programme levels.
• Drive operational excellence by ensuring appropriate best practices, processes and technologies are in place.

Brand Development

• Applies the internationally agreed brand development concept in national strategy, planning and implementation.
• Provide strategic and tactical guidance to the NA marketing, branding- and communication strategies and initiatives, together with the Fund Development and Communications department.
• Maintain close contact with internal and external marketing and related stakeholders to build strategic relationships, solicit continual feedback on current initiatives, and understand market needs and perceptions.

HR Management and Organization Development 

• Ensures that the right people are employed for the right positions so that co-workers and external partners are always treated with the desired professionalism and according to the principles of the organizational culture
• Ensures an efficient performance management and human resource development system that guarantees the development of co-workers and the identification of talents. Besides, promotes accountability at all levels of the National Association
• Leads and manages the National Management Team, builds an effective National Office team, providing guidance and support as necessary.
• Assure stable employee relations by managing conflict and creating a positive working environment.

Programme Development, Management and Monitoring  

• Ensures that resources are focused on building strong programmes and services. Ensures review and evaluation of programmes to ascertain that agreed plans and policies are implemented and provides capacity building and technical support as needed
• Promotes interaction and exchange of relevant experiences between programmes

Finance and Funds Management

• Ensures planning and budgeting
• Implements and monitors the internal control system, reviews key figures & financial reports
• Ensures realisation of annual financial statement and external audit report
• Oversee an efficient flow of funds to the programmes and projects

Fund Development and Public Relations

• Promotes long-term stability and financial self-sufficiency by pursuing support from government and private sources with the aim to maximise the fundraising potential
• Supports the development and implementation of sustainable fundraising strategies and grant applications.
• Supports public relations/marketing activities as necessary and ensures that an appropriate image of the organization is portrayed

Business Development and Physical Assets Optimisation

• Lead the development and execution of a national business development strategy aimed at diversifying and strengthening locally generated income streams to complement donor funding.
• Identify, assess and pursue innovative revenue-generating opportunities aligned with the organization’s mission, including social enterprise models, strategic investments, and income-generating projects.
• Optimize the utilization of the National Association’s physical assets (land, buildings, facilities and other resources) to enhance operational efficiency and generate sustainable income, while ensuring compliance with organizational policies and safeguarding standards.
• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with private sector actors, investors, and other stakeholders to unlock value from underutilized assets and co-create mutually beneficial business initiatives.
• Ensure robust feasibility analysis, risk assessment, and governance mechanisms for all business development and asset optimisation initiatives.

Partnership building, Advocacy and Cooperation with external stakeholders

• Establishes sound relationships with relevant government authorities, ensures appropriate representation of the organization’s views and seeks government recognition and support for SOS Children’s Villages work
• Ensures a clear understanding of the NA role of children, young people, families, community
• Builds partnerships with non-governmental organisations who work for the rights of children without parental care or at risk of losing parental care

Cooperation and Reporting

• Fosters a professional relationship and maintains close cooperation with the Regional Office as well as with other units in the General Secretariat; receives guidance, support and monitoring with respect to international standards (from Regional Office); provides specified reports and acts on agreements

Child Safeguarding (CS)

• Responsible for implementation and management of SOS Child Protection Policy in NA and for reporting to the national Board
• Ensures that co-workers and programmes do no cause harm to children and young people and that they are not exposed to the risk of harm and abuse
• Responsible to report any concerns the organization has about children’s safety in its programmes and within the communities to the appropriate authorities
• Ensures that co-workers act within national law, Child Protection Policy, Code of Conduct and other child safeguarding requirements.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in development studies, Public or Business administration, Public Policy and Social Sciences or in related fields.

Details of experience

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in development work, including at least five (5) years in a comparable National Director or equivalent executive leadership role..
• Experience in developing, nurturing and implementing social development programmes and fundraising through the establishment of long-term partnerships with stakeholders.

How to apply

All interested and qualified persons are strongly encouraged to apply by email: vacancy@futureoptions.org clearly indicating the Position Title in the email subject line. The deadline for submissions is Sunday 2nd August 2026 at 11:59 pm (EAT).