Jobs at Youth Challenge International

• Reporting to the Project Lead, the Knowledge and Learning Manager will play a leadership role in the implementation of HerStart: Innovate the Future’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) system in Tamale, Ghana to ensure that relevant program knowledge will be gathered, shared and actioned upon through a dynamic knowledge management system. The Knowledge and Learning Manager will use learning strategies and informational, organizational and technical skills to implement and continually enhance systems for tracking and managing knowledge – both to improve operations and outputs in Ghana, as well as enhance program effectiveness globally.
• We are seeking a passionate, skilled, and creative candidate to deliver exceptional results.  We are looking for people to join our team who believe in youth as powerful agents of change and are passionate about contributing to women’s empowerment through the advancement of both national and global gender equality agendas.

Responsibilities will include:

• Knowledge Management: Lead the adaptation and implementation of the overall HerStart: Innovate the Future MEAL strategy at the country level in close collaboration with YCI Headquarters staff and key project stakeholders (such as volunteers, sub-contractors and partners); Ensure rigorous data quality control through proactive, participatory monitoring approaches; Contribute to the development of the knowledge management system, including supporting the design of context appropriate tools, resources and activities to capture both qualitative and quantitative data; Drive the effective management of project reporting at the country level, including the collection of project results and performance reports, and other briefings, summaries and presentations for various audiences as needed; Ensure that knowledge about the project’s achievements is well documented and shared with the appropriate stakeholders.
• Learning Management: Identify, document and share best practice, lessons learned and trends in the youth and women’s livelihoods sector to ensure program relevance and effectiveness; Coordinate the consolidation of evidence and learning from program evaluations to identify best practices and lesson learned across the YCI network; Collaborate with YCI volunteers, partners and stakeholders to strengthen the integration of program learnings across all facets of program delivery; Inform HerStart communications initiatives with high level summaries, stories and consolidated data.
• Technical Support: Ensure sufficient onboarding of relevant staff and volunteers on the efficient use of MEAL systems and provide ongoing coaching/support; Provide technical assistance, training and ongoing support to partners on the efficient use of the YCI project monitoring and reporting system and application of findings; Establish and maintain positive, collaborative and productive relationships with project staff, partners and sector stakeholders, providing technical support as needed.

Skills and Experience:

• You are a self-starter with 5+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in participatory knowledge management systems with a successful track record in designing, managing, implementing and monitoring MEAL strategies and systems for program tracking and improvement; you are passionate about investing in women and youth livelihoods and inspired by the possibilities of innovation and entrepreneurship ; you are talented at designing user-friendly data collection tools, conducting high quality qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and writing summary reports and presentations; ; you have a proven ability to manage and provide training and support on MEAL processes to relevant project stakeholders; you demonstrate an integrated understanding of the principles of gender equality and the empowerment of girls, including a familiarity with the socio-economic profile of young women in Tamale, Ghana you are an effective communicator with excellent written and verbal English proficiency and you are a permanent resident or a Citizen of Ghana.

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• Reporting to the Project Lead, the Partnership & Training Coordinator will lead activities and processes designed to leverage project partners’ capacity to deliver more inclusive, innovative and environmentally sustainable development initiatives, while shaping an inclusive enabling environment for women entrepreneurs. The Partnership & Training Coordinator will utilize training materials (listed below) and a participatory approach to deliver elements of the HerStart Toolkit Curriculum to young women and men, alongside partner organizations.
• We are seeking a passionate, skilled, and creative candidate to deliver exceptional results.  We are looking for people to join our team who believe in youth as powerful agents of change, and those who are passionate about contributing to women’s empowerment and advancing both national and global gender equality agendas.

Training Materials

• Sparking Social Innovation provides training for aspiring or established entrepreneurs in how to create and measure the social and environmental impact of their business activities. It has the dual purpose of building skills around social enterprise and raising awareness among community members of how social enterprise can be utilized as a vehicle for achieving gender equality and transforming their communities. This initial training increases access for young women to participate in HerStart and builds a pipeline of diverse young women to engage in later stages of training support.
• Seed your Social Venture builds young women’s competencies to prepare a business idea to launch using innovative tools such as the Impact Business Model Canvas. The training leverages best practice tools adapted to meet the needs of young social innovators. It will focus on social innovation, idea testing, market assessment and measurement. Participants will be provided tools to support the design of gender-inclusive and environmentally sustainable products and services for their communities.
• Grow your Social Venture creates a supportive ecosystem around female-led social ventures with high potential for social impact. A holistic and tailored blend of supports are offered to meet the unique needs of each social entrepreneur. Personalized coaching focused on both the business venture and cultivating the individual’s leadership and targeted brokering of relationships with potential investors, customers and partners will address key barriers young women face in growing social enterprises.

Responsibilities will include:

• Partnership Development: Work closely with partners to assess organizational and technical capacity to align technical assistance with real time needs for organizational sustainability; collaborate with partners to identify and apply leading development practices, methods and tools; oversee and coordinate the co-delivery of activities and initiatives; engage skills-based Canadian volunteers and leverage their expertise in the development and delivery of initiatives;  capture and facilitate shared learning between partners, volunteers & YCI; establish and maintain positive, collaborative and productive relationships with project staff, implementing partners, youth participants and volunteers.
• Training and Support: Leverage training materials, dynamic facilitation skills and participatory approaches to engage participants in an inclusive and responsive learning environment; provide technical support in the preparation of training modules and learning materials on main project themes, including social entrepreneurship, green business and women’s leadership development; contribute to ongoing quality improvement of training materials and processes; recognize, and adapt to the needs and strengths of young women program participants, coaching and collaborating with them at varying stages of starting and implementing a successful social enterprise.

Skills and Experience:

• You are a self-starter with 5+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in participatory facilitation and partnership building; you are passionate about investing in women and youth livelihoods and inspired by the potential of innovation and entrepreneurship; you are talented at fostering relationships with young people and diverse stakeholders; you are aligned with the Lean Startup approach and familiar with design thinking; you understand the potential of online and offline learning environments; you have demonstrated the ability to mentor and support ventures at the start-up phase; you possess a learning orientation and willingness to participate in ongoing professional and personal development; you have a sound working knowledge of multiple methods and tools for organizational capacity building and technical assistance; you thrive as a team member and work respectfully and inclusively with diverse stakeholders, including international volunteers; you demonstrate an integrated understanding of the principles of gender equality and the empowerment of girls, including a familiarity with the socio-economic profile of young women in Tamale, Ghana; you are an effective communicator with excellent written and verbal English proficiency and you are a permanent resident or a Citizen of Ghana.

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• The Project Lead, Ghana, reporting to the Director, Programs will bring initiative, innovation and leadership to the management of HerStart: Innovate the Future in Ghana and will be accountable for achieving project results at the country level. This role demonstrates people-centred leadership in supporting the YCI team and volunteers in Ghana, ensuring they are well equipped to apply YCI’s principles across all partners and projects in Ghana, and deliver on organisational and program objectives.
• We are seeking a passionate, skilled, and creative candidate to deliver exceptional results.  We are looking for people to join our team who believe in youth as powerful agents of change, and those who are passionate about contributing to women’s empowerment and advancing both national and global gender equality agendas.

Responsibilities Include:

• Program Management: Establish a thriving  team culture by leading, managing and further strengthening the capacity of the YCI Ghana team and Canadian and national volunteers to deliver high quality project impact; Provide strategic support to ensure that activities are meeting goals and targets, recommending evidence-based adjustments as necessary to keep the project on track; Drive the oversight and implementation of country level HR policies and procedures, including the support of recruitment, onboarding and performance management systems; Remain up-to-date on research and sector strategies in relevant areas of programming and ensure strategic planning is responsive to such changes at both the country and global levels; Support the implementation of all country level communication strategies; Ensure team and volunteer well-being, safety, and risk mitigation; Perform other duties as outlines by the Director, Programs.
• Volunteer Support: Work in collaboration with Headquarters and country office staff to develop a robust volunteer management systems, processes and documents for the entire volunteer mobilization cycle; Ensure and manage appropriate conditions for the effective onboarding, performance and project delivery of Canadian volunteers in Ghana; Provide guidance, support and leadership to Canadian volunteers as needed.
• Partner and Relationship Management: Liaise and coordinate with local partners, proactively engaging with sub-contractors to ensure the effective delivery of project activities; Engage private sector and relevant actors in forming a multi-stakeholder network to support youth and women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship objectives; Support the implementation of the HerStart Catalyst Fund for aspiring female social entrepreneurs; Ensure strong communication and relationships are established and maintained with YCI headquarters in Toronto; Remain well-informed about national and regional priorities and issues affecting women and youth, and where possible, position the project to respond appropriately.
• Financial Management, Accountability and Oversight: Monitor and manage annual and multi-year program budgets, ensuring compliance with organizational and donor regulations and requirements; Ensure preparation and submission of financial and project activity reports according to the project reporting processes and standards; Support the Operations and Finance Manager and other technical team leaders to ensure program activities are implemented in accordance with the project budget and work plan.

Required Skills or Experience

• You are a self-starter with 6+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience at a management/director level, with a robust understanding of, and compatible vision, for effective community development;
• you are passionate about investing in women and youth livelihoods and inspired by the possibilities of innovation and entrepreneurship;
• you have an appreciation of the contribution of volunteers to international development and ideally, experienced in supporting or working with volunteers;
• you can demonstrate how you have built effective teams and partnerships and you have leadership capacity and the ability to cultivate lasting relationships to deliver programming through a range of stakeholders, including civil authorities, community group leaders, donors, private sector and other international NGOs;
• you exemplify a strategic mindset and are skilled at designing and implementing effective workplans to achieve ambitious goals with sound financial planning and budget management skills;
• you have a successful track record in supervising, designing, managing and implementing donor-funded projects, with a demonstrated commitment to team management, mentoring and experience supporting staff teams;
• you demonstrate an integrated understanding of the principles of gender equality and the empowerment of girls, including a familiarity with the socio-economic profile of young women in Tamale, Ghana;
• you are an effective communicator with excellent written and verbal English proficiency and
• you are a permanent resident or a Citizen of Ghana.