Are you passionate about making a difference, bringing fresh ideas and contributing your skills to meaningful work? This could be your opportunity.

Hive Colab is recruiting a team to deliver the Youth Startup Academy (YSA 2.0), which incubates entrepreneurs in Uganda’s creative sector. YSA 2.0 is delivered in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC) under the project “Uganda: Enhancing Skills and Enabling  Financial Inclusion for Young Women in the Creative Economy”, known as the CREATE Programme.

The purpose of YSA 2.0 is to strengthen the startup ecosystem for young entrepreneurs under the age of 35 in Uganda by providing comprehensive incubation services, networking opportunities and access to finance. Over the life of the project, 1,000 entrepreneurs will move through three incubation stages, from bootcamp to classroom training to incubation, with 450 progressing to the second stage and 180 to the third. The programme combines training, mentorship, grants (including film accelerator grants), pitch events and ecosystem engagement, delivered through more than 20 regional training events across Uganda.

We invite qualified, motivated and results-oriented individuals to apply for the project roles below. We are looking for professionals who demonstrate strong technical expertise, a collaborative spirit, integrity and a commitment to delivering results.

Safeguarding and Equal Opportunities Statement

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. All employees are expected to share this commitment and follow our safeguarding policies and procedures.

The successful candidate will be required to complete appropriate pre-employment checks, which may include references, criminal record checks where legally permitted, and verification of relevant qualifications and employment history. Checks will be proportionate to the role and comply with applicable legislation.

Application deadline: Thursday, 5 November 2026

Role Purpose

The Project M&E Lead is responsible for designing and implementing a robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning system that ensures the project is results-driven, accountable, and continuously improving. The role ensures that all activities across incubation, grants, and ecosystem engagement are tracked, measured, and translated into clear evidence of impact.

Given the scale of YSA 2.0, including progression of entrepreneurs across stages, grant performance tracking, and donor reporting requirements, this role is critical to demonstrating outcomes, informing decision-making, and ensuring accountability to ITC and all stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design and operationalise a comprehensive M&E framework aligned to project objectives, outputs, and outcomes.
• Develop clear indicators to track performance across all components, including incubation stages, grants, and community engagement.
• Track and manage the progression of entrepreneurs across the pipeline from 1,000 to 450 to 180 participants.
• Develop and deploy data collection tools for attendance, participation, performance, and outcomes.
• Establish systems for real-time data collection and reporting across all regions and activities.
• Work closely with field officers to ensure consistent and accurate data collection at the field level.
• Monitor startup performance indicators, including business growth, participation, and milestone achievement.
• Track grant performance and ensure alignment between funding disbursement and results achieved.
• Monitor mentor engagement and effectiveness in supporting entrepreneurs.
• Conduct periodic assessments, including baseline, midline, and endline evaluations where applicable.
• Analyse data and generate actionable insights to inform programme improvements and strategic decisions.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and compliance with reporting standards.
• Support selection processes by providing scoring tools and evaluation frameworks.
• Collaborate with the Communications Officer to support the development of impact stories and evidence-based narratives.
• Ensure compliance with the project’s overall M&E strategy and donor requirements.

Key Deliverables and Reporting

• Comprehensive M&E framework including indicators, tools, and reporting templates.
• Regular data reports tracking participation, progression, and performance across all stages.
• Attendance and participation databases covering all training sessions, mentorship engagements, and events.
• Startup performance tracking reports including key business indicators and milestone achievement.
• Grant monitoring reports showing utilisation of funds and performance against targets.
• Mentor performance tracking reports assessing engagement and contribution to startup growth.
• Quarterly M&E reports aligned to donor reporting requirements.
• Inputs into quarterly narrative reports, including performance data and insights.
• Evaluation reports including findings, lessons learned, and recommendations.
• Data dashboards and summaries to support decision-making by the Project Lead and team.
• Documentation of impact evidence, including outcomes, success metrics, and programme effectiveness.

Relevant Experience

• At least 3-5 years of relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), programme performance management, research, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, results frameworks, indicators, data collection tools, and reporting systems.
• Proven experience tracking project outputs, outcomes, beneficiary participation, and performance against agreed targets.
• Experience conducting or supporting baseline, midline, and endline assessments, surveys, evaluations, and other data collection exercises.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse quantitative and qualitative data and translate findings into actionable recommendations for programme improvement.
• Experience maintaining databases, monitoring dashboards, and data quality assurance systems.
• Experience monitoring entrepreneurship programmes, business incubation, grant-supported initiatives, or donor-funded projects is an added advantage.
• Familiarity with digital data collection and analysis tools, such as KoboToolbox, ODK, Excel, Power BI, or similar platforms, is desirable.

Why This Role Is Critical

The Project M&E Lead ensures that:

• The project demonstrates clear, measurable impact across all components.
• Progression of entrepreneurs through the incubation pipeline is tracked and justified.
• Grant funding is linked to real outcomes and performance.
• Data is used to improve programme delivery in real time.
• The project meets strict donor reporting and accountability requirements.
• Evidence generated can support future funding, scaling, and policy influence.

This role transforms the project from activity-based delivery into a results-driven, evidence-based programme with measurable impact.

How to Apply

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter with the position in the subject for the above positions through hr@hivecolab.com