Youth Engagement Team LeaderShape at Never Again Rwanda: (Deadline 29 July 2022)

Youth Engagement Team LeaderShape at Never Again Rwanda: (Deadline 29 July 2022)

Terms of Reference for recruiting

Youth Engagement Team Leader

Position: Youth Engagement Team Leader

Number: 1

Duty Station: Kigali

Type of Appointment: Fixed term contract

Duration: One Year renewable

Report to:  Deputy Executive in charge of Programs & Quality Assurance

Background 

Never Again Rwanda (NAR) is a peace building and social justice organization that arose in response to the 1994 genocide perpetrated against Tutsis. Guided by a vision of a nation where citizens are agents of positive change and work together towards sustainable peace and development, NAR aims to empower Rwandans with opportunities to become active citizens through Peacebuilding and development. NAR has five core programs: Peacebuilding, Governance & Human Rights, Research, Youth engagement and Strategic partnerships.

Since its establishment, Never Again Rwanda (NAR) has placed emphasis on youth engagement. Since then a number of projects and programs targeting youth have been implemented across different districts to empower youth with opportunities to become active citizens. NAR empowers young people with critical thinking skills, public speaking and dialogue skills, governance and democratic values, peace education, participatory approaches and socio-economic opportunities.

Specifically, the program builds the capacities of youth to be more confident and willing to come together to identify, structure, analyze and envision solutions to (policy) issues impacting their lives. In addition, the program intends to empower Youth (representatives) to effectively use existing consultative platforms (direct or indirect) to constructively engage government authorities on their concerns, needs and priorities and hold them to account.

Finally, the program engages national and local policy and decisions makers to ensure government policies and programs increasingly integrate and are thus improved by youth feedback and or inputs on their relevance vis-à-vis youth concerns, needs and priorities.  Both categories of target groups: youth (as right holders) from all walks of life who are direct members of youth organizations and youth representatives (both right holders and duty bearers) on the one hand and local and national policy makers (as duty bearers).

It is with this background that Never Again Rwanda wishes to recruit a Youth Engagement Team leader

Position summary

Reporting to the Deputy Executive in charge of Programs & Quality Assurance, the Youth Engagement Team leader will provide technical leadership and coordination of Youth engagement strategic pillar. The team leader will coordinate the design, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and learning of youth engagement related projects and activities including participating in the proposal writing process for new projects/programs.  He/she will be responsible to coordinate district youth engagement officers to deliver quality deliverables within a timely manner and minimum resources. Candidate is responsible for reporting by ensuring the partner requirements are met.

Role and responsibilities

Design and planning

• Co-design and implement joint programming strategies with selected partner organisations
• Provide NAR management with technical and strategic advice on youth engagement strategies, policies and programs

• Ensure that projects design under youth engagement pillar are linked with NAR’s vision , mission  and strategic plan
• Responsible for planning and budgeting for all youth engagement program activities
• Coordinate the project set up  in collaboration with Youth engagement officers
• Lead projects/programs introduction at district and sector levels
• Coordinate the official launch of the project at national level

• Contribute in proposal design for new projects seeking additional funding under the Youth engagement Pillar
• Hold Quarterly and annual planning meetings for all projects under Youth engagement pillar
• Lead the development of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual plans for all projects under youth engagement pillar

Program Implementation and coordination

• Lead and supervise the implementation of projects/activities under Youth engagement pillar
• Supervise the drafting of concept notes, work plans and proposals
• Contribute in policy analysis, advocacy , policy briefs development on issues affecting youth
• Coordinate day to day effective and quality implementation of projects under the youth engagement pillar  in collaboration with district engagement officers
• Coordinate the Youth engage initiation at the district level including working with local authorities and district youth engagement officers to set up district level offices

• Provide technical leadership in identification and selection of project beneficiaries
• Plan and coordinate the capacity building sessions for youth and local leaders at different levels
• Ensure effective youth engagement in local and national decisions making processes
• Coordinate youth (representatives) through mentorship sessions for effective engagement with local decisions makers
• Collaborate with district youth engagement officers to conduct feedback sessions with  youth and youth representatives on outcome of government engagement work undertaken by youth representatives

• Plan, organize and facilitate annual national policy dialogue between youth and local policy makers
• Closely work with district youth engagement officers to organize community radio dialogues bringing together youth, media and local decisions makers on identified youth issues and or priorities
• Support youth engagement officers to monitor youth independent initiatives across the districts
• Lead the advocacy process for all documented youth issues at local and national levels
• Provide leadership in design and operationalization of CIVITECH

• Coordinate all youth related activities under youth engagement pillar and or in other programs pillars
• Map out all youth initiatives, create and update youth clubs database

Research, Monitoring, evaluation, and learning

• Collaborate with NAR M&E expert to design user friendly M&E tools

• Support M&E expert to provide capacity building for district youth engagement staff on effective use of data collection and reporting tools
• Support M&E team to conduct baseline and endline surveys and program assessments
• Lead the collection and reporting of youth engagement M&E data using the approved M&E tools
• Closely working with research team to conduct proposed research projects under the youth engagement pillar
• Support the director of programs to organize quarterly and annual review workshops with project team to share project related experiences, including progress, lessons learnt, challenges and opportunities

• Actively participate in learning events including peer to peer learning sessions, community of practices, etc.
• Ensure proper data entry for youth engagement related data in M&E database
• Undertake regular visits to project activities to monitor progress, document challenges and lessons learnt and mentor youth associations/clubs
• Ensure proper physical and online filling system for all youth engagement program data and documents

Partnership and collaboration

• Nurture and foster good collaboration with local and national level authorities and partners under the guidance from the NAR Senior Management
• Participate and represent NAR in meetings organized by partners and donors as requested
• Engage local and national stakeholders that have interest in youth programs
• Establish synergies with other partners working in the areas of youth engagement

Documentation and Reporting 

• Support the drafting of timely quality program reports in line with NAR and donor requirements
• Support the program team to document evidence from the field to inform program implementation and new project design
• Work with M&E expert and communications team to identify and document lessons learnt and good practices for learning
• Ensure timely and quality event /activity reports
• Provide timely supporting documents to the finance to justify funds and other resources used

Qualifications

The Youth engagement Team leader must have the following qualifications:

• At least a Master’s or Bachelors’ Degree in Governance, political sciences, democracy, Human rights, Development studies , or other related social sciences
• A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in working with youth, local leaders, communities and local partners including coordinating youth projects in areas of governance, democracy, human rights and behaviour change
• At least 3 years of experience coordinating programs and projects related to CSOs, government and or development partners
• Prior experience in working with donors such as EU, USAID, SIDA, etc.
• Prior experience in report writing, proposal writing and research facilitation

Professional Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• Technical skills in planning and budgeting
• Familiar with donor requirements in program implementation and reporting (EU, SIDA, USAID, etc.)
• Technical skills in youth engagement

• Technical skills in advocacy and citizen engagement
• Experience in working with youth from diverse backgrounds
• Skills in gender analysis and mainstreaming
• Previous experience working with multiple stakeholders
• Capacity to engage district and national policy makers and other authorities on matters affecting youth

• Experience working with a range of stakeholders including civil society, government, national organizations
• Strong understanding of Rwanda governance system, policies and government programs
• Skills in context analysis
• Experience in data collection, data analysis and report writing
• Excellent written and spoken Kinyarwanda and English, knowledge of French is an added advantage

• Strong planning skills
• Capacity to manage multiple and tight deadlines
• Excellent IT skills (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) for the latest Windows application

Application details

For interested candidates, please send your cover letter, updated CV and other supporting documents electronically via email to: info@neveragainrwanda.org  by July 29th, 2022, not later than 5:00 pm. Only candidates with the above qualifications and experience will be selected and contacted for test and interview.