Background:

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization that works with and through its southern partners to promote sustainable development. Founded in 1957 and currently working in more than 20 countries worldwide with an annual budget of approximately $45 million dollars, WUSC fosters youth-centered solutions for improved education, economic, and empowerment opportunities to overcome inequality and exclusion. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Globally, WUSC has a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty, and community leaders that can be leveraged to support our work.

WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment, and empowerment.

Displaced and Refugee Youth Enabling Environment Mechanism (DREEM) project

WUSC through the DREEM project plays a unique role as a technical assistance and strategic learning partner to the Mastercard Foundation and its partners. The DREEM project contributes to the Mastercard Foundation’s commitment to meaningfully include refugee and displaced youth in their Scholars Program and Young Africa Works strategy.

The DREEM project focuses on two thematic areas:

1. Higher Education Inclusion:

1. Support Scholars Program (SP) partners and staff with the knowledge, capacity, and networks to meaningfully recruit and serve refugees and displaced youth in higher education and transition to work and to work towards more inclusive societies;

2. Economic Inclusion:

1. Support Young Africa Works (YAW) country partners and staff primarily in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia and also in other countries around the continent to gain the knowledge, capacity, and networks to meaningfully include and develop programming that meets the unique training and employment needs, opportunities and aspirations of refugee and displaced youth, especially young women;
2. Strengthening Economic Opportunities for Refugees (SEOR) to complement WUSC’s existing Learning through Education and Access to Employment Pathways (LEAP) project and provide refugee entrepreneurs, especially young women with improved access to market-oriented business support services that improve business and employment outcomes in Kenya.

Mastercard Foundation recently approved an enterprise-wide Refugee and Displaced Persons (RDP) Strategy aiming to invest in young Africans who have faced forcible displacement—and in the host communities, they become part of—by enabling access to high-quality education and training and supporting young people’s pathways to dignified and fulfilling work as employees or entrepreneurs and job creators. The Foundation also works with multiple stakeholders across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, particularly young people themselves, to address systemic barriers inhibiting the economic prospects of forcibly displaced youth.

Job Role

Under the supervision of the Nairobi-based RLO Engagement Lead, DREEM, the RLO Engagement Officer will work closely and in collaboration with the WUSC team in Kenya, the WUSC team based in Canada, and the Mastercard Foundation team.

The RLO Engagement Officer provides essential support to the DREEM project’s day-to-day operations. Working closely with the RLO Engagement Lead and the DREEM team, they will support the coordination of various aspects of the project as outlined below:

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with DREEM team members to ensure that the voices of Refugee and Displaced Persons (RDP) youth are effectively and meaningfully represented across all programming.
• Work closely with the DREEM Higher Education Inclusion and Economic Inclusion lead to ensure strong engagement of Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) within these portfolios;Serve as the secondary project liaison to the DREEM Youth Advisory Committee (YAC);
• Ensure regular communication, identify higher education and economic opportunities, organize virtual and in-person convenings, and continued professional development opportunities for the DREEM Youth Advisory Committee (YAC);
• Identify new DREEM Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) members and ensure there is an active and responsive feedback mechanism for with issues or concerns;
• Identify opportunities for RLO strengthening and network building within and across countries;
• Support in reviewing the Youth Advisory Committee Community Fund applications, providing financial and technical resources to support members in implementing self-identified initiatives within their communities or organizations.
• Support the RLO Engagement Lead and Mastercard Foundation in identifying and assessing the landscape and characteristics of RLOs (or similar entities) in countries of expansion.
• Oversee the project’s support of an annual refugee-led leadership conference, driven by the DREEM Youth Advisory Committee (YAC).
• Identify opportunities for the active engagement of displaced youth in international and regional convenings.
• Identify promising practices and ways to share learnings across project partners and stakeholders.
• Work with the DREEM Senior MERL Officer, local communications experts, and WUSC Ottawa Communications staff to document and highlight refugee leadership programming; This includes documenting learnings, success stories, multimedia content, and other relevant information.
• Oversee funds given to RLOs
• Perform other duties as appropriate.

Line Manager

RLO Engagement Lead, DREEM

Qualifications:

The ideal applicant will combine technical expertise in one or more of DREEM’s sectors (higher education, durable solutions for refugees, vocational and technical training, support to entrepreneurs and businesses), a familiarity with the East African refugee context, an ability to get things done, and strong organization, coordination, and communication skills.

Specific competencies:

• At a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (International Development, Public Policy, International Relations, Refugee Studies);
• Two to three years of relevant working experience;
• Experience working on displacement issues in East Africa;
• Relevant experience on projects that promote inclusion for displaced/ refugee youth in tertiary or technical education;
• Experience providing technical support to partner organizations and a commitment to a participatory partnership approach to capacity development;
• Understanding of the higher education landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality and social inclusion, and knowledge of the specific constraints and realities of challenges faced by refugee and displaced groups;
• Complete fluency in English is essential, with the ability to write articulately and cogently, and to edit at a similarly high level;
• Fluency (or professional competencies) in French is strongly desired;
• Strong planning, organization, and problem-solving skills with the ability to work hands-on, independently, and within a team in a fast-paced work environment;
• Excellent interpersonal skills & demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations between programs & support;
• Commitment to WUSC’s mission of building a better world for all young people, particularly displaced and refugee youth.

Other requirements

• The headquarters of the DREEM project is located in Nairobi, Kenya; the officer is expected to be based on the African continent, and must already possess the relevant work authorizations in the country they are/will be residing in.
• The role may require travel to refugee communities across the continent.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule.

WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives, and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence, and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation, or abuse of any form. Successful applicants will be required to undertake an enhanced criminal record check where appropriate.