Youth Outreach Coordinator, Mbarara

Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity, with a focus on vulnerable and under-served populations.  Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.

EDC is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.  

Project Description

The goal of the five-year, USAID-funded Integrated Child and Youth Development (ICYD) Activity is for Ugandan children and youth, especially the most vulnerable, to receive the support and services necessary to lead resilient, healthy, and productive lives. The ICYD Activity is expected to achieve the following:

1. Children and youth have improved learning outcomes;
2. Children and youth are safe and healthy in their community and learning environments; and
3. Youth practice positive behaviors and are able to make informed decisions about their lives and relationships.

Working in partnership with Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development (MGLSD), district and zonal officials, and other Ugandan government and civil society partners, ICYD will comprise a series of activities to: support improved basic education for Ugandan children; address school-related and gender-based violence; facilitate enhanced child protection and support for vulnerable youth; provide support to HIV-affected orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their caregivers/families; and support HIV care and treatment outcomes in close collaboration with clinical and community structures. ICYD will also contribute to improved systems within the MoES and MGLSD to promote Early Grade Reading (EGR) and child protection.

Reporting to the Youth Development Specialist, the Youth Outreach Coordinator will provide technical support and monitoring to youth-serving grantee organizations (YSOs). The grants will fall under two tracks:

·       Track 1: Alternative & Accelerated Education Grants: Focus on preparing out-of-school youth to return to grades 5-7 through accelerated catch-up programs.

·       Track 2: Workforce Readiness & Soft Skills Grants: Focus on out-of-school at-risk youth and OVC, youth transitioning out of pediatric HIV care, and HIV+ young parents/household heads, in alignment with USAID/Uganda’s youth strategy and other ICYD project objectives.

·       Support Youth Transitional Support with Private Sector Engagement (PSE). Link youth to trainings delivered in partnership with the private sector and help coordinate the delivery of targeted trainings in the assigned zone.

As a member of the ICYD Activity team at the zonal level:

·       Contribute to ICYD’s youth work by liaising with EDC’s Home Office Youth Technical Advisor, Youth Development Specialist, and ICYD Grants Manager at the national level and working closely with the Senior Zonal Managers at the field level to provide technical guidance and support to youth-serving organizations (YSOs) implementing activities under Tasks 1 and 2, including in planning and implementation of accelerated learning programs, work readiness training, financial literacy, VSLA models, Income Generating Activities (IGAs)/entrepreneurship, work-based learning activities and other support to help youth transition to livelihoods.

·       Conduct regular monitoring of all project activities implemented by YSO grantees.
·       Coordinate with ICYD’s monitoring, evaluation & learning team to monitor relevant project indicators.
·       Participate in surveys and impact assessments on youth return to school and/or work readiness preparation.
·       Conduct quarterly and yearly planning with YSO grantees and contribute YSO grantee plans and strategies to an integrated zonal-level project work plan.
·       Review progress against the work plan monthly and quarterly with national and zonal project teams.
·       Prepare written reports on project activities and results monthly and quarterly.
·       Document and share achievements and best practices to improve programming.
·       Liaise with and support the Private Sector Engagement (PSE) team to link youth to trainings delivered as part of partnership agreements and to help coordinate delivery of those trainings in the assigned zone;
·       In collaboration with M&E, other technical teams, and grantees, track youth outcomes post-training;
·       Conduct these and other tasks as required to support ICYD Activity goals.

The candidate for the position of Youth Outreach Coordinator shall have, at a minimum, the following qualifications:

Education

·       Bachelor Degree in Education, Social Sciences majoring in Sociology and Gender inclusion, and Secondary education and 4 to 5 years of directly relevant experience required;

·       Additional technical skills in Project Planning and Management and or Monitoring and Evaluation are an added advantage.

Skills and Experience

• A minimum of 4 years of experience in education, accelerated education, OVC work readiness training, entrepreneurship, financial literacy/VSLAs, youth livelihoods, youth development, and/or private sector engagement activities
• Experience building technical capacity of local youth-serving organizations through coaching and supportive supervision.
• Experience conducting training for YSOs and other stakeholders.
• Understanding of the Ugandan context for education, youth livelihoods, and out-of-school youth.
• Understanding of best practices in positive youth development approaches.
• Demonstrated experience monitoring project activities and managing for outcomes.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, prioritizing multiple tasks.
• Ability to communicate verbally in an engaging manner and write clearly and concisely.
• Ability to build effective relationships with all clients, peers, and stakeholders.
• Ability to work within a cross-cultural setting with tolerance and respect and negotiate diplomatically.
• Knowledge of/experience with USAID-funded projects preferred.

Language

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Runyakitara and Rutooro is strongly preferred.

Job application closing date: November 15, 2022

Applications submitted without a resume or CV will not be reviewed.

Due to the volume of applications submitted, only finalists will be notified. No phone calls, please.