Job Opportunity: Senior Program Lead
Y-ACT, Youth in Action (established in 2017) is an initiative of Amref Health Africa that mentors, supports, and increases the capacity of youth advocates to influence youth policy and resource priorities, focusing on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) at subnational, national and regional level. Y-ACT believes that Africa’s youth have a huge opportunity to shift policy landscapes to address challenges that the youth face and subsequently achieve their full potential. Y-ACT currently has a movement of over 3,500 youth advocates and over 700 youth organizations in Kenya. At the regional level, Y-ACT pioneered the Youth for UHC movement that currently has a following of 2,000 youth advocates worldwide. The Pan-African movement is currently
being steered by a regional council comprising of youth leaders from 8 countries in Africa. Further, YACT leads the #YouthPowerHub in partnership with UNFPA Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office and AfriYAN, that seeks to foster youth-led social accountability for ICPD+25 commitments in 20 African Countries. Since inception, Y-ACT has been funded at a total of US $5.4M from various partners, contributing to youth advocacy and capacity strengthening of youth in the region.
Job Purpose
The Senior Program Lead will provide overall leadership and coordination of Y-ACT’s initiatives in Africa, manage relations with partners and donors, manage an average annual budget of US $1.3M, and a team of 14 staff. The Senior Program Lead will support a Youth Steering Committee and will oversee and ensure the management and accountability of technical staff and consultants as needed.
Principal Responsibilities
Leadership
• Provide leadership and oversight for Y-ACT’s initiatives, while upholding its values of a youth-led, youth-driven approach to its operations.
• The main contact/focal point for Y-ACT, both internally and externally (strategic partnerships and interested parties).
• Lead and oversee the role of a Youth Steering Committee (external young experts in youth advocacy) actively engaging and consulting the members and other youth in project-related planning, priorities, and activities.
Youth Advocacy Leadership
• Provide leadership and expertise on youth advocacy, focusing on empowerment of youth, gender and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
• Provide leadership to the implementation of meaningful youth engagement in YACT’s work, while ensuring that youth across Y-ACT’s network are meaningfully engaged in the design, implementation and monitoring of Y-ACT’s products and initiatives.
Financial Management
• Monitor and manage the day-to-day program budget, revising projections and allocations to the program as needed, while ensuring highest standards of integrity and compliance with Amref’s finance standard operating procedures.
• Monitor and review the annual budget and operational plans to support the program.
• Ensure compliance with donor and institutional reporting, tracking, monitoring and documentation.
• Liaise with the Director of Finance – Amref USA and the Senior Program Accountant – ICD, to ensure adherence to the budget and financial commitments for efficient and effective implementation
Team Leadership
• Lead a team of 14 staff and consultants for high-performance and ensuring achievement of Y-ACT’s targets.
• Provide overall technical assistance, mentorship and support to team members in all aspects of the program.
• Overall accountability of Y-ACT staff and consultants in implementation of Y-ACT’s initiatives
Networking, Partnerships and Relationship Building
• Establish, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with stakeholders in Africa and across the globe on empowerment of the youth, and to effectively grow Y-ACT’s portfolio.
• Represent Y-ACT’s interests at national, regional and global convening and stakeholder engagement forums
Coordination of periodic planning & reporting processes to the donor
• Lead the coordination, input, review and submission of donor reports.
• Develop and submit timely reports to Amref USA through consultative processes.
• Provide leadership to the implementation of tracking systems for program and institutional management and oversight
Required Qualifications
Education and Knowledge
• Advanced degree in public health, social studies, public policy or other relevant field.
• Strong and passionate commitment to and knowledge of youth and adolescents’ policy and programmatic priorities in Africa.
• Results-based program management for (I)NGOs and donor-funded initiatives of similar scope.
• Team leadership and management of teams for high-performance.
Experience
• At least 5 years’ experience, including 3 years of leadership experience in results-based programming for donor-funded programs of similar scope.
• Experience implementing/leading successful youth and adolescents’ advocacy initiatives in the region (Africa).
• Experience in senior management/leadership roles will be an added advantage
Competences and skills
- Passionate about youth in all their diversity.
- Proven experience effectively leading and mentoring teams for high performance.
- Demonstrated experience fostering and strengthening relationships and partnerships with targeted stakeholders.
- Ability to exercise confidentiality, integrity, tact and discretion when dealing with diverse groups of people and processes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation and networking skills
- Ability to prioritize and multi-task.
- Demonstrated excellent decision making and problem solving skills
- Ability to work and report to multiple partners.
- Ability to work under minimal supervision
How to apply
Interested? Please visit our website www.amref.org to view the full Job description. You will be directed
to our online portal where you will need to create an account successfully in order for you to be able to
submit your application. Please note that you will receive an email confirmation for creation of account
and an acknowledgment email upon submitting your application. Deadline for submission of applications:
30th June 2021. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Duly note that Amref Health Africa does not require applicants to pay any fee at whatever stage of the
recruitment and selection process.
