Youth Advisor (Liberia) 223 views2 applications

The International Youth Foundation® (IYF®) stands by, for, and with young people. Founded in 1990 through a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, IYF is a global nonprofit with programs directly benefiting 7.7 million young people and operations spanning 100 countries so far. Together with local community-based organizations and a network of corporate, foundation, and multilateral partners, we connect young people with opportunities to transform their lives. We believe that educated, employed, engaged young people possess the power to solve the world’s toughest problems, and we focus our youth development efforts on three linked objectives: unlocking agency, driving economic opportunity, and making systems more inclusive. Our vision is to see young people inspired and equipped to realize the future they want. The International Youth Foundation: Transforming Lives, Together. To learn more about the International Youth Foundation, please join us at iyfnet.org.

POSITION SUMMARY

The International Youth Foundation (IYF) seeks a Youth Advisor who will provide technical leadership and guidance for an anticipated USAID-funded, five-year, multi-million-dollar project that will focus on increasing economic self-reliance and resilience of Liberian youth. The anticipated project will develop the basic education and foundational work readiness skills of youth seeking improved livelihoods, and support the creation of an enabling environment for improved youth productivity. The project will benefit youth ages 15-29 in target counties of Montserrado, Grand Bassa and Lofa.

Liberian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply. Hiring for this position will be contingent upon funding from USAID.

RESPONSIBILITIES

· Provide technical leadership and guidance to the project, ensuring that interventions are high quality and evidence-based so that the project achieves its goals and objectives.

· Develop the project’s overarching vision and work-plan in collaboration with the Chief of Party, project leadership, USAID, the Government of Liberia at the national, county and local levels, young people, and other key stakeholders.

· In collaboration with project leadership, develop annual implementation plans consistent with project goals and objectives.

· Design and implement evidenced-based interventions to build the technical and life skills of young people and link them to resources and economic opportunities, including access to finance. Interventions should be gender sensitive/transformative, align with positive youth development, and emphasize participatory and youth-led approaches.

· Build the technical capacity of young people, youth networks, commune leadership, and local government. Develop and implement capacity strengthening plans. Develop tools and guides to facilitate knowledge transfer. Provide technical training and support.

· Build and maintain relationships with the public sector, private sector, civil society, community-based organizations, local communities including parents, local government, and donors.

· Work with project leadership to support continuous program learning and ensure integration of measurement, monitoring and evaluation data/processes into management decision-making and policy advocacy.

· Produce effective written reports and oral presentations on the project, including preparing periodic reports, providing updates on challenges facing the project, and articulating the project’s success in meeting deliverables.

· Represent the project at local, national and regional meetings, workshops and conferences and promote the project at the national level.

· Directly supervise technical staff assigned, including providing regular professional support and coaching to supervisees, assessing their performance and recommending areas for improvement to achieve annual objectives and project goals.

· Perform other duties as requested.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

· A graduate degree in a relevant field such as education, international development, or non-profit management.

· Eight years of relevant experience leading projects/programs focused on youth services, economic empowerment, livelihoods, access to finance, and/or private sector development.

· Strong understanding of the economic, educational, and youth contexts in Liberia, with a deep national network of relevant contacts across government, industry, and civil society.

· Technical leadership experience on youth development programs funded by USAID or other donors.

· Strong understanding of best practices in youth programming, including Positive Youth Development, and familiarity with USAID’s Youth in Development Policy.

· Experience cultivating relationships and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders including youth, government ministries and officials, NGOs, donors, the private sector, and community-based institutions, preferably in Liberia.

· Experience developing and implementing effective capacity strengthening models and approaches for organizations and individuals, including among low literacy populations.

· Knowledge of life skills and its integration into comprehensive skills building programs for youth.

· Experience supervising teams of diverse staff.

· Strong presentation, reporting, and communication skills.

· Spoken and written fluency in English required; fluency in local languages a plus.

· Excellent computer skills using MS Office products including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.