Environment & Energy Officer – Nakivale – 28 octobre 2026

Contexte

HEKS/EPER (Swiss Church Aid) is a faith-based international development and humanitarian organization committed to justice, human dignity, and sustainable development. In Uganda and South Sudan, our work focuses on supporting marginalized communities and building resilience through a triple nexus approach that integrates humanitarian response, sustainable development, and peacebuilding. We promote a rights-based, participatory, and conflict-sensitive approach that upholds dignity, inclusion, and accountability to affected populations.

The Environment & Energy Officer will lead the environmental restoration, natural resource management and clean energy components of the project Empowering Youth and Women through Inclusive Skills Development (EWISE) in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. The project aims to improve the self-reliance and inclusive economic participation of vulnerable youth and women in refugee and host communities while enhancing environmental restoration and reducing pressure on natural resources.

The Environment & Energy Officer will coordinate, implement and monitor project interventions on natural resources management, especially watershed management inputs, community and institutional woodlot management, and the integration of gender through Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) with focused targeting of youth and women. The Officer will also design community-led plastic waste collection and recycling hubs, and will ensure that environmental safeguards, climate adaptation and sustainable energy considerations are integrated across the project.

In addition, the Officer will provide technical support on environment, climate and energy across other projects of the country programme, dedicating approximately 10% of the position’s time to technical guidance and promoting consistent application of environmental safeguards and scale-up of sustainable energy approaches across the country programme.

Missions et responsabilités

• Programme Strategy and Implementation : Ensure effective and efficient planning and implementation according to approved budgets, workplan and HEKS/EPER policies. Ensure the project adopts the humanitarian–development–peace nexus approach and aligns with the thematic areas of livelihoods, conflict transformation, climate adaptation, and protection. Conduct environmental, climate-risk and energy assessments to inform project targeting, design, and implementation and guide the design of interventions on natural resources management at the community and institutional level. Design interventions that promote sustainable energy solutions that complement woodlot restoration, such as fuel-efficient stoves, clean-cooking practices and woodlot-based fuelwood management plans, to reduce pressure on natural resources. Develop strategies and promote approaches that strengthen integration and inter-linkages of climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry, reforestation, sustainable land management, water conservation, soil and water protection, and biodiversity-friendly practices. Provide technical input to project proposals across the country programme, ensuring environment, climate and energy principles are integrated into context analyses, theories of change and results frameworks.
• Project Cycle Management (PCM) : Coordinate the targeting, selection and engagement of youth and women as change agents, using vulnerability, capacity and gender-inclusion criteria. Support the establishment and strengthening of woodlot management committees, including management plans, bylaws, benefit-sharing and conflict-resolution arrangements and gender-balanced leadership. Design and deliver specialized training for community members and institutions on woodlot restoration, including nursery management, planting, maintenance, protection, and sustainable harvesting, with integrated modules on gender equality, safeguarding, and conflict sensitivity. Conduct sensitization and awareness sessions in institutions on environmental protection, climate change and energy efficiency and strengthen the capacity of school Eco-clubs to mainstream environmental protection in schools. Support plastic waste collection and recycling, including establishing community-led recycling hubs and working with the MSD Officer to link collection groups to recyclers and green business opportunities. Conduct environmental and social safeguard screening of project sites and activities (including woodlots, nurseries and recycling hubs), develop and monitor mitigation measures, including safe waste handling. Work with the MEAL team to track log frame indicators (including tree survival, area restored and waste collected), conduct assessments, and document success stories, case studies and lessons learned; contribute to the internal mid-term and end-term reviews. Provide technical assistance and capacity building to schools and community structures on woodlot restoration, watershed management, environmental safeguards and sustainable energy.
• Donor Compliance, Reporting and Representation : Ensure compliance with donor contract, HEKS/EPER’s Field Financial and Administrative Guidelines (FFAG), and national environmental regulations as applicable. Prepare high-quality narrative inputs for donor reports, programme briefs and case studies on woodlot restoration, tree survival, sustainable energy and plastic waste recycling, in consultation with the MEAL Officer and Grants and Acquisition Coordinator, ensuring donor visibility requirements are met. Represent HEKS/EPER in environment and energy coordination platforms at settlement and district level (OPM, UNHCR, Isingiro District Local Government, CRRF structures) and build partnerships with environment partners and institutions, especially schools and community structures.
• Budget Oversight and Financial Accountability : Develop project workplans, procurement plans and budget follow-ups (BFUs) to contribute to monthly forecasts and variance analysis. Review and approve procurement requests and expenditure plans within delegated thresholds.
• MEAL and Learning : Contribute to organisational learning on climate resilience, environmental restoration and energy access.
• Team Management and Capacity/Building : Ensure age, gender, disability, conflict sensitivity (Do No Harm) and environmental considerations are mainstreamed in all activities. Promote team cohesion and ensure staff, partners and trainers adhere to Do No Harm, Protection and HRBA principles and to HEKS/EPER’s Gender and Diversity, PSEAH and child safeguarding policies. Any other task relevant to this role, assigned by the Supervisor.

Profil recherché

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Natural Resource Management, Forestry, Agroforestry, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Environmental Engineering, Agriculture or a related field (a master’s degree is an added advantage).
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in environmental management, woodlot restoration/agroforestry, watershed management, climate adaptation, sustainable energy or natural resource management in humanitarian and/or development settings.
• Demonstrated experience in environmental and social safeguards, environmental risk assessment, community mobilisation, training and field monitoring.
• Knowledge of tree nursery and woodlot management, fuel-efficient stoves and clean-cooking technologies, solar energy, waste management, plastic recycling or circular-economy approaches.
• Experience working in refugee-hosting contexts and with refugee and host communities, women, youth and persons with disabilities.
• Strong report-writing, data collection and analysis skills; proficiency in MS Office and data tools (Excel, KoboToolbox, PowerPoint; GIS or Power BI preferred).
• Fluency in English; knowledge of Runyankole/Rukiga, Kinyarwanda, Kinyabwisha, Swahili or French is an added advantage.

Conditions et avantages

This is a national position. Only national candidates will be considered. HEKS/EPER is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified candidates regardless of gender, race, or disability status.

Dossier de candidature

• Updated CVs
• Cover letter

Comment postuler

Interested candidates should submit their updated CVs and cover letter to [email protected] by the 5th of November 2026. Please indicate Environment & Energy Officer in the subject email. Due to the urgency of the position, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.