Disability and Inclusion Specialist

• Job TitleDisability and Inclusion Specialist
• OrganisationInternational Rescue Committee (IRC)
• ProgrammeReSET Pillar 1 (Lifesaving Assistance)
• Duty StationKampala Country Field Office, with frequent field travel
• Job TypeFull Time
• ExperienceAt least 5 years
• ReferenceJR00005507
• DeadlineWednesday, 28 October 2026 (rolling review)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people affected by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC works in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities.

IRC and its consortium partners were selected by the British High Commission (BHC) Kampala for the Refugee Support, Empowerment and Transformation (ReSET) Programme. IRC leads Pillar 1 (Lifesaving Assistance) with the Refugee-Led Organisations Network (RELON), TPO Uganda and UGANET, using a cash-first approach linked to protection and referrals across 10 refugee settlements in West Nile, Mid-Western, Northern and South-Western Uganda.

The Disability and Inclusion Specialist makes sure persons with disabilities and other groups at risk of exclusion, whether because of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality or displacement status, can meaningfully take part in and benefit from every part of ReSET Pillar 1 on an equal basis with others.

The specialist leads the technical approach to disability and inclusion in targeting, cash, protection, referral and accountability, acts as the consortium lead on inclusion, and works closely with OPDs, refugee-led organisations and disability service providers. The role also generates evidence on what works for inclusive cash and protection in Uganda’s refugee response.

Strategy and Technical Leadership

• Develop and lead a Pillar 1 disability and inclusion strategy and action plan aligned with FCDO requirements, the CRPD, the IASC Guidelines, the Humanitarian Inclusion Standards and IRC’s Safe, Inclusive and Transformative programming approaches.
• Advise programme leadership and consortium partners on inclusion in design, adaptation and decisions.
• Integrate inclusion into work plans, budgets, risk management and donor reporting.
• Validate the GEDSI analysis with OPDs, women-led and refugee-led organisations, set the baseline accessibility audit and disability data, and agree inclusion standards before delivery starts.
• Run quarterly reviews of targeting, registration, cash delivery, referral and feedback outcomes for bias and exclusion, with actions for adaptation.

Inclusive Targeting, Registration and Cash Assistance

• Review targeting and vulnerability criteria so persons with disabilities and other at-risk groups (female-headed households, older persons, adolescents, unaccompanied and separated children) are not left out.
• Use tools such as the Washington Group Short Set of Questions and age, gender and diversity analysis.
• Work with cash teams to reduce barriers in registration, verification, delivery mechanisms, financial service providers and post-distribution monitoring.
• Advise on including the extra costs of reasonable accommodations, such as assistive devices, transport and personal assistance, in transfer values and complementary support.

Protection, Referral and Case Management

• Link cash assistance with case management, MHPSS, GBV response, child protection and legal aid for persons with disabilities and other at-risk groups.
• Develop accessible, up-to-date referral pathways to rehabilitation, assistive technology, health, education and livelihoods services.
• Work with TPO Uganda, UGANET and IRC protection teams to make case management and psychosocial support inclusive, including safeguarding and PSEAH.

Partnership and Participation

• Build relationships with OPDs, disability-focused organisations, and women’s and youth groups at national, district and settlement levels.
• Involve OPDs in validating analyses, targeting, accessibility reviews and programme governance.
• Work with RELON to strengthen leadership of refugees with disabilities and other at-risk groups.
• Represent IRC and ReSET in disability, inclusion, gender, protection and cash working groups, and coordinate with OPM, district local governments and UN agencies.

Capacity Strengthening

• Assess the inclusion capacity of IRC staff and consortium partners and deliver a practical capacity plan.
• Train and coach on inclusive communication, disability-sensitive data collection, accessibility, reasonable accommodations and respectful engagement.
• Develop tools, checklists and guidance notes adapted to local languages.

Accountability and Community Engagement

• Make feedback and complaints mechanisms accessible and safe, including for people with sensory, intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
• Share information on eligibility, entitlements and services in accessible formats and languages.
• Help outreach volunteers reach people hidden from services or facing stigma.
• Monitor feedback and complaints so action is taken and programming adapts.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Reporting

• Add disability-, sex- and age-disaggregated indicators to the results framework with the MEAL team.
• Track access, participation and outcomes for at-risk groups and use findings to adapt.
• Document and share good practice with FCDO, the consortium and the wider sector.
• Contribute to donor reports, case studies and learning products that show people with dignity and agency.

Other Duties

• Contribute to IRC Uganda’s wider inclusion work and proposal development.
• Carry out other duties assigned by the line manager within the scope of the role.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, development studies, disability studies, gender studies, public health, human rights or a related field.
• A master’s degree is an advantage.

Experience

• At least 5 years of progressive experience in disability inclusion, wider social inclusion, protection or inclusive programming in humanitarian or development settings, preferably refugee contexts.
• Experience mainstreaming disability and inclusion into programmes, ideally cash assistance or social protection.
• Experience partnering with OPDs and local or refugee-led organisations.
• Experience building staff and partner capacity in consortium or multi-partner settings.
• FCDO or other institutional donor experience is an advantage.
• Familiarity with Uganda’s refugee response and coordination structures is a strong advantage.

Technical Skills

• Disability rights frameworks: CRPD, IASC Guidelines and Humanitarian Inclusion Standards.
• Inclusive data: Washington Group questions and disaggregated monitoring.
• Cash and protection: Cash-based programming, protection mainstreaming and referral systems.
• Accessibility: Accessibility audits and reasonable accommodations.
• Training and facilitation: Strong coaching skills.
• Writing and tools: Clear English reports; Microsoft Office; local languages are an advantage.

Soft Skills

• Influence: Advising partners at all levels without line authority.
• Empathy: Respectful, culturally sensitive work with persons with disabilities and refugees.
• Relationship building: Trust with local organisations, government and donors.
• Planning: Managing priorities across several locations.
• Mobility: Willing to travel frequently to remote field sites.

Salary and benefits are not stated in the advert.

• Lead disability inclusion across an FCDO-funded refugee programme.
• Shape how cash and protection reach people who are often left out.
• Work directly with OPDs and refugee-led organisations.
• Kampala-based role with national reach.
• Senior technical role among international development jobs in Uganda.

Apply online through the IRC careers portal (JR00005507) by Wednesday, 28 October 2026. IRC reviews applications on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged. See more NGO jobs in Uganda, international development jobs in Uganda and jobs in Kampala.

• Apply early: IRC reviews applications as they arrive.
• Name the frameworks you have applied, such as the CRPD, IASC Guidelines and Washington Group questions.
• Give examples of accessibility audits or inclusive targeting you led.
• Show partnerships with OPDs and what changed because of them.
• Mention any cash or social protection programme experience.