Mercy Corps Yes Youth Can (YYC) Program Chief of Party Job in Kenya

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. 

Driven by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools and support they need to turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. 

Mercy Corps is looking for committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position.

Chief of Party - Economic Opportunities for Youth in Kenya

Program / Department Summary: Mercy Corps’ goal in Kenya is to strengthen and sustain capabilities of Kenyan society and stakeholders to be agents of positive change in their communities.  

It achieves this goal through three objectives:  

1) Strengthened ability of local, district, and regional structures to manage conflict and become  managers of democracy; 

2) Empowered Kenyan youth to achieve a greater voice in national reform and create new livelihood opportunities and 

3) More resilient drought affected populations in North Eastern Kenya.  

The Yes Youth Can (YYC) program is a multi-year USAID-funded program that focuses on building youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed institutional arrangements and capabilities at both national and county levels. Mercy Corps implements two of USAID’s regional YYC programs—one in the Rift Valley and one in Central region.  

In partnership with its partners the County Bungee Forums and SACCOs, Mercy Corps works to achieve the following four objectives: 

1) Mobilize youth and form youth representation structures at the village and county level; 

2) Support youth to exercise a greater voice in local and national affairs; 

3) Increase youth productivity, employment opportunities, and income; and

4) Increase young women’s access to social, political, and economic opportunities.

Entering its fourth and final year of implementation, Mercy Corps has reached 1.9 million youth in Rift and Central regions and supported the development of over 11,000 bunges (youth parliaments). 

General Position Summary: The Chief of Party (COP) – “Yes Youth Can” is a senior level position with Mercy Corps Kenya. S/he will be responsible for providing program guidance, oversight, and management of two USAID-funded YYC projects (one in Central and one in Rift) aimed to strengthen youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed institutional arrangements and capabilities. 

This will be accomplished through building county bunge forum leaderships and capacity and strengthening the SACCOs to better serve their constituents.  

Given the multifaceted character of the circumstances Kenyan youth face, the activities contemplated to support youth development must be integrated, multi-sectoral and mutually reinforcing.

The COP of Yes Youth Can will directly manage approximately 30 Thika and Eldoret-based project staff and will work closely with them to ensure high quality and the timely implementation of activities. 

The position requires travel to project sites, representation, and coordination with project partners and external stakeholders, such as USAID, local and international NGOs, CBOs, business groups, local and County government authorities. 

The successful candidate will be expected to set a programmatic vision and exit strategy, execute deliverables as agreed upon with USAID, collaborate closely with youth structures and hold them accountable to pre-defined targets, and mentor and advise YYC team members and youth to achieve their greatest potential.  

Essential Job Functions:

Leadership

• Lead the overall design, management, and reporting to USAID on both YYC projects.
• Provide technical oversight and guidance to youth structures and their leadership. 
• Promote economically viable youth enterprises with new finance products and methodologies, as well as development of new skills to facilitate livelihood development and employment.
• Proactively seek out mechanisms and activities to promote female engagement in YYC activities and ensure there is a gender balance in program activities.
• Promote mechanisms to foster strengthening youth’s voice program activities and governance bodies. 
• Network youth, youth groups, and youth-serving organizations and strengthen their linkages with all relevant development actors so that their actions are both economically and politically self-sustainable, and promote ethnic tolerance.
• Support broader based youth policy development to create a more enabling environment for youth enterprises, youth employment and youth civic engagement.

Staff Management

• Manage and mentor program staff and other partners, gradually transferring skills and capacities;
• Work with project staff on an ongoing basis to ensure smooth planning, preparation, implementation and joint monitoring and evaluation of program activities and achievements towards project goals.

Coordination and Representation

• Represent and coordinate with donor, local governance institutions, local partners, private sector, and other project stakeholders;
• Regularly report to the Mercy Corps Country Director and donor on program progress, ensure that required deliverables are on time and on budget;
• Engage and develop joint initiatives with government, community leaders, NGOs, private sector and other stakeholders, to maximize project impact;

Organizational Learning: As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility: Overall supervision of the Yes Youth Can program team; and local and international sub-grantees.

Accountability:
 

Reports Directly To: Mercy Corps Kenya Country Director
 

Works Directly With: Yes Youth Can Rift Valley and Central Province teams, Operations/Finance Staff, Nairobi-based support staff

Knowledge and Experience:

• MA/S or equivalent in management, international development, youth development, business, finance or related field required.
• Demonstrated experience working with youth structures and youth is strongly preferred.
• Minimum ten years of experience in development and management, as well as a strong background in institution-building and management is required.  Kenya experience is strongly preferred
• 5 years of field management experience.
• COP or senior-level leadership strongly preferred.
• Technical expertise in youth development is preferred.  Technical expertise in decentralized public administration and planning is also preferred.
• Experience managing youth, conflict/reconciliation, job skills/employment and/or civic education programs.
• Experience with USAID rules, regulations and requirements are preferred.
• History of working effectively and respectfully with host government, NGOs, contractors and other partners.
• Ability to effectively convey programmatic goals, cultivate partnerships, and work with a range of program and external stakeholders is required.

Success Factors:

• Innovative, decisive and inclusive leadership approach
• Demonstrated experience with involving youth in transparent decision making, leadership, and management processes
• Excellent communication and team-building techniques
• Proven experience managing and building capacity of diverse teams
• Cultural knowledge, sensitivity and respect
• Willingness to travel often to monitor and provide support to YYC activities and actors.

Living / Environmental Conditions: The position is based in Thika or Eldoret, Kenya.  

Visit this link to apply for the position: http://bit.ly/1nh51jX

Deadline for application on 9th August, 2014.