DREEM Economic Inclusion officer

Background:

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization that works with and through its southern partners to promote sustainable development. Founded in 1957 and currently working in more than 20 countries worldwide with an annual budget of approximately 45 million dollars, WUSC fosters youth-centered solutions for improved education, economic, and empowerment opportunities to overcome inequality and exclusion. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Globally, WUSC has a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty, and community leaders that can be leveraged to support our work. WUSC’s members are Canada’s most globally engaged post-secondary institutions. WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment, and empowerment.

DREEM project:

WUSC, through the DREEM project, plays a unique role as a technical assistance and strategic learning partner to the Mastercard Foundation and its partners. The DREEM project contributes to the Foundation’s commitment to meaningfully include refugee and displaced youth in their Scholars Program and Young Africa Works strategies.

The DREEM project focuses on two key pillars:

Higher Education Inclusion:

Support Scholars Program (SP) partners and staff with the knowledge, capacity, and networks to meaningfully recruit and serve refugees and displaced youth in higher education and transition to work and to work toward more inclusive societies;

Economic Inclusion:

Support Young Africa Works (YAW) country partners and staff primarily in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, and also in other countries around the continent to gain the knowledge, capacity, and networks to meaningfully include and develop programming that meets the unique training and employment needs, opportunities and aspirations of refugee and displaced youth, especially young women;

Strengthening Economic Opportunities for Refugees (SEOR) to complement WUSC’s existing Learning through Education and Access to Employment Pathways (LEAP) project and provide refugee entrepreneurs, especially young women with improved access to market-oriented business support services that improve business and employment outcomes in Kenya. Mastercard Foundation recently approved an enterprise-wide Refugee and Displaced Persons (RDP) Strategy aiming to invest in young Africans who have faced forcible displacement—and in the host communities, they become part of—by enabling access to high-quality education and training and supporting young people’s pathways to dignified and fulfilling work as employees or entrepreneurs and job creators. The Foundation also works with multiple stakeholders across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, particularly young people themselves, to address systemic barriers inhibiting the economic prospects of forcibly displaced youth.

Job Role:

The Economic Inclusion officer will play a critical role in advancing the missions of WUSC and the Mastercard Foundation in enhancing access to economic opportunities for RDP youth, with a focus on East Africa and other countries of expansion. The officer is required to provide support on the implementation of technical assistance to Young Africa Works partners and the staff of the Mastercard Foundation.

Reporting to the Regional Economic Inclusion Manager The officer will Work collaboratively with DREEM team members to provide technical, programmatic, and coordination support to ensure the economic inclusion goals of the Mastercard Foundation under DREEM are met.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Support in maintaining the technical assistance work plans and activity trackers to ensure timely implementation, scheduling of economic inclusion events and visits to the countries, and closing the loop for completed tasks.
2. Support in the design of resources and training for Young Africa Works staff and partners across the countries of focus (where relevant).
3. Assume responsibility and accountability for ensuring that Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) are meaningfully and effectively incorporated and mainstreamed into all aspects of DREEM’s collaboration with the Young Africa Works strategy.
4. Support in maintaining ongoing channels of communication with partners and other stakeholders on relevant aspects of the technical assistance interventions.
5. Under the guidance of the Regional Economic Inclusion Manager, step in to do actual implementation of technical assistance with partners and the staff of the Mastercard Foundation.
6. Assist in reporting, including weekly, and quarterly reporting on technical assistance for the partners and staff of the Mastercard Foundation.

Qualifications:

The ideal applicant will combine technical expertise in one or more of DREEM’s sectors (higher education, durable solutions for refugees, vocational and technical training, and support to entrepreneurs and businesses), a familiarity with the displacement context in at least one of the countries/regions of focus, an ability to get things done, and strong organization, coordination, and communication skills.

• At a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (International Development, project management, International Relations, Refugee Studies).
• At least 4 years of work experience in development cooperation or technical assistance projects
• Relevant experience on projects that promote livelihoods and economic inclusion for displaced/ refugee youth, entrepreneur support within a refugee setting, and tertiary or technical education for displaced/ refugee youth.
• Understanding of market-based approaches to youth employment and livelihoods.
• Experience providing technical support to development organizations and a commitment to a participatory partnership approach to capacity development.
• Deep knowledge of key issues and emerging trends and barriers in youth employment in one or more regions or countries on the African continent.
• Demonstrated commitment to social inclusion and knowledge of the specific constraints and realities of challenges faced by refugee and displaced groups.
• Adherence to gender equality and social inclusion principles; proven knowledge of and commitment to the concept of gender equality and intersectionality within programming;
• Complete fluency in English is essential, with the ability to write articulately and cogently and to edit at a similarly high level.
• Strong planning, organization, and problem-solving skills with the ability to work hands-on, independently, and within a team in a fast-paced work environment.
• Commitment to WUSC’s mission of building a better world for all young people, particularly displaced and refugee youth.
• Authorization to work in Kenya.