Youth and Community Mobilization Advisor

Background

Youth Network for Sustainable Development (YNSD) is a non-governmental, non-profit making indigenous organization that was founded in 2003 by four school clubs and fifteen youth associations. Currently, YNSD is an umbrella network of more than 160 youth organizations and associations operating at national level. YNSD strives for sustainable development through promoting partnership, networking and building the capacity of its member organizations. www.ynsdethiopia.org.et

Youth Network for Sustainable Development (YNSD) in partnership with Mastercard Foundation implements Community Service Programin Addis Ababa, Sodo and Wolo. This Programenvisions “equal opportunity for young people to learn and prosper, access to dignified and fulfilling work and contribute to their country’s overall development.”  The Community Service as Pathway to Work (CSPW) initiative aims to contribute to this vision by engaging young people (18 to 34 years) in a structured program of community service, training and by providing linkages to a comprehensive local network of public, private, and civic sector agencies that provide work-related placements and resources. The Programwill make every opportunity available to engage differently-abled youth as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) which are directly impacted by the conflict and other vulnerable groups in the community.

Job Summary:

Youth Network for Sustainable Development/YNSD/ is looking for a Youth and community mobilization Advisor to provide technical leadership and support for the MasterCard foundation’s community service as a pathway to work/CSPW/ program that aims to provide community service opportunities and job preparedness skills for young people focusing on women, vulnerable and those from conflict affected areas while significantly contributing to the overall health and well-being of the communities. The Programwill be active in 150 woredas (districts) and city administrations across 5 regions, 29 (19%) of which will be in post-conflict areas, coordinated through cluster offices.

The Youth and community mobilization advisor is responsible for technical leadership and guidance to ensure program outcomes related to improved youth and community participation and support for community service outcomes. The advisor is responsible for all youth-related activities of the program deliverables.  The job holder works closely with the Program implementation Director, cluster Managers, program implementation Manager. YNSD technical Heads and other key stakeholders to ensure the attainment of program goals and objectives.  This role has a focus on ensuring that the Program activities are well coordinated, that team outputs are of a high standard and meet the demands of internal and external stakeholders. S/he will be responsible for the overall technical quality of the program, ensure the use of best practices in community outreach and social mobilization, and oversee field-based staff to ensure effective implementation, and lead and contribute to development of Programwork plans and performance reports.  S/he will assist the program area offices in the design, roll-out and day to day management and implementation of youth and community mobilization and engagement activities.

S/he will coordinate with the M&E unit to identify key barriers for youth and community mobilization across the sectors and collaboratively design strategies with youth and other stakeholders to help them overcome these barriers.  The advisor will provide technical advice and support for the development of tools, standards and guidelines.

Under the supervision of the Program implementation Director , this position will coordinate with (external stakeholders)

S/he will ensure interventions are inclusivity sensitive, align with positive youth development, and emphasize participatory and youth-led approaches and instate quality assurance and user feedback mechanisms for continuous learning and adapting of CSPW program.

Primary duties and responsibilities: the Youth and community mobilization advisor perform the following duties and responsibilities.

• Provide technical leadership, guidance and strategic direction, and ensure appropriate support for the implementation of program activities to increase youth uptake of community service and job preparedness interventions.
• Conduct stakeholder mapping on organizations working in the program implementation area related to community services.
• Lead the identification of needs and barriers for the youth community services in each intervention cities and design a strategy.
• Work closely with partners to increase awareness of, demand for, and access to youth community services;
• Identify appropriate strategies to address demand generation and community mobilization bottlenecks that act as an obstacle to effective community service.
• Ensure the needs of young people identified and met accordingly through appropriate program channels.
• Facilitate the identification needs, develop tools, guides and approaches, and capacity strengthening plans to enhance the capacity of both CSPW program implementing partners, youth and youth serving organizations, and government stakeholders on institutionalizing youth community service and to facilitate knowledge transfer.
• Provide technical assistance and leadership to enhance individual skills sets and to strengthen the overall activity. Assess the core strengths/weaknesses of cluster program staffs, provide training and on-the job coaching to develop the capacity and knowledge;
• Document and maintain an inventory of successful tools and approaches for demand generation and community mobilization/engagements.
• Work with the program Team to design, implement a plan to track data/results related to community service and community mobilization/engagement.
• Ensure that the IEC/BCC material developed considering young people’s social, economic and emotional skills, enabling them to make positive choices, manage change and navigate risk.
• Ensure effective partnership with all Stakeholders and proactively engage in organizing forums with partners to ensure ownership of other organization.
• Facilitate trainings, review and experiences sharing meetings at all level to facilitate youth program implementation and improve performance.
• Review existing learning and best practices and articulate key barriers for youth access to community service and employment opportunities Share evidences and best practices, what works well about youth empowerment for other program team through Success Model platform.
• Identify model youth community service locations, organize experience sharing and facilitate learning;
• In collaboration with program team, contribute to the development of work-plans and annual implementation plans that are consistent with the activity goals and objectives;
• Organizes and reports feedback relating to the youth perception of the community service, youth unemployment and other services provided by the program to inform the management decision-making process.
• Provide timely response, feedback and support to senior program personnel’s and focal persons on technical and management matters relevant to program implementations ensuring they are advised of all developments and problems.
• Working closely with MEL, contribute for tracking and documentation of achievements and challenges including key learnings and best practices. Ensure compliance with M&E and donor requirements.
• Contribute to the development and timely submission of written reports, including partner reports and oral presentations on the project. Prepare periodic update reports on Program successes, challenges facing the project, and progress toward meeting deliverables.
• Perform Other similar duties as assigned by immediate supervisor

Report to: Program implementation Director    

Location: Addis Ababa and frequent travel to the cluster cities

Employment Type: Full Time / Contact based

Qualification: -

Education and Experience

Qualification requirements

• MPH/MBA/MSc in public health, education, international development, social work, Development studies or other related field from a recognized university 

Experience

• Minimum of Five years of experience in implementing youth development activities (e.g., health, education, economic empowerment), with at least three years of senior level experience demonstrating strategic leadership;
• Experience in youth program management, particularly in youth community mobilization and youth unemployment mainstreaming GESI and meaningful youth engagement and advocacy skills, and/or youth program development or any equivalent combination of experience and capacity that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is preferable.
• Experience cultivating relationships and collaborating with a variety of Ethiopian stakeholders including youth, government ministries and officials, NGOs, donors, the private sector, and community-based institutions;
• Experience in demand generation and community mobilization/engagement, strengthening service  delivery projects, training, performance and quality improvement, monitoring, and evaluation;
• Experience developing and implementing effective capacity strengthening models and approaches for organizations and individuals;
• Experience working collaboratively with teams from diverse backgrounds;
• Experience donor-funded projects;

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Committed to the protection of team members and clients, with a focus on vulnerable groups.
• Able to role-model inclusive and culturally sensitive attitudes and behaviors
• Strong commitment to young people and an understanding of the factors affecting their lives;
• the ability to provide reliable support to young people in times of need and act with integrity;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish good relationships with young people;
• Patience, tolerance, and flexibility;

• Formal communication skills for presentations and report writing
• Strong oral and written communication and presentations skills in Amharic, English, and the  local languages of the program implementation area ;
• Ability to treat young people's concerns with respect, tact, and sensitivity,
• A great deal of resilience.
• Results orientated;
• Motivated to develop professionally;
• Willingness and ability to travel (30% to 40% of the time) to program implementation sites;
• Fully committed to YNSD’s goal and mission;
• Committed to excellence.
• Excellent computer skills using MS Office 365 Suite of products including Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint;

 Personal characteristics

• Behave Ethically: Understand ethical behavior and business practices, and ensure that own behavior and the behavior of others is consistent with these standards and aligns with the values of the organization.
• Value volunteerism: understand the sense of volunteerism and exercise it, show willingness to execute tasks as assigned by supervisors
• Flexibility: demonstrate flexibility to accomplish tasks requiring a range of skills and abilities
• Build Relationships: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with others, both internally and externally, to achieve the goals of the organization.
• Communicate Effectively: Speak, listen and write in a clear, thorough and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools and techniques.
• Focus on members/beneficiaries Needs: Anticipate, understand, and respond to the needs of members and beneficiaries to meet or exceed their expectations within the organizational parameters.
• Creativity/Innovation: Develop new and unique ways to improve operations of the organization and to create new opportunities
• Foster Teamwork: Work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problem, and make decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness
• Organize: Set priorities, develop a work schedule, monitor progress towards goals, and track details, data, information and activities.
• Plan: Determine strategies to move the organization forward, set goals, create and implement actions plans, and evaluate the process and results.
• Solve Problems: Assess problem situations to identify causes, gather and process relevant information, generate possible solutions, and make recommendations and/or resolve the problem.
• Commitment: shows dedication to the missions and visions of the organization

Only Short listed candidates will be contacted

Female Candidates are highly encouraged