Programme Coordinator – YouthConnekt Malawi

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

In May 2022, Malawi was admitted as the 28th member of the YouthConnekt Africa (YCA) network. YouthConnekt Africa (YCA), currently with a presence in thirty-one (31) country member states, is an African home-grown youth empowerment platform that promotes skills development, job creation, entrepreneurship, access to finance and builds awareness on issues related to youth development on the continent. The platform is positioned to provide relevant solutions for the global South and to support the implementation of relevant South-South initiatives to empower youth. In 2018, the Executive Council of the African Union endorsed the initiative to accelerate implementation of the AU Youth Charter. YouthConnekt Africa is also being promoted as a corporate brand by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The vision of the network is to connect African youth for socio-economic transformation by primarily strengthening the African youth empowerment ecosystem and supporting already existing initiatives with technical and financial resources for scale up. The YCA hub is fully established and registered as an International Organization in Kigali, Rwanda. The hub provides ex-tensive technical support to national YouthConnekt chapters as they design and operationalize interventions, and develop institutional capacities, including implementation mechanisms. The YCA hub has guidelines that support establishing country chapters among its members. In keeping with the YCA hub guidelines, the Government of Malawi through the Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with UNDP Malawi country office is in the process of establishing the YouthConnekt Malawi Chapter and therefore seeks to hire the services of a Programme Coordinator.

The YCA Programme Coordinator will sit in the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The overall purpose of this position is to provide strategic guidance, coordination, partnership building, high-level oversight, technical assistance, capacity development and quality assurance in implementing the YouthConnekt Malawi chapter strategy and initiatives.

The YCA Programme Coordinator shall be under the direct Supervision of the Secretary for Youth and Sports with a matrix reporting line to the UNDP Youth Focal Person. Periodically, the coordinator will give updates to key stakeholders through the steering committee meetings, technical meetings etc. that will be part of the initiative through the Secretary for Youth and Sports on any matters related to the YouthConnekt Malawi chapter operations.

The Volunteer will be expected to:

Coordinate the implementation of the YouthConnekt Malawi strategy

Provision of top-quality policy advice services rooted in concrete analysis to the Ministry of Youth and Sports on Youth Engagement and Empowerment

Coordinate gathering of information and opportunities for youth

Devising engagement strategies, outreach activities, workplans and budgets

Manage and implement the liaison function for all stakeholders.

Maintaining youth database

Mapping key stakeholders and youth initiatives in the ecosystem etc.

Convening YCA technical and steering committee meetings including joint reviews and planning

Managing YCA Malawi visibility activities in collaboration with UNDP and Ministry of Youth Communication teams

Engaging in partnership building and resource mobilization

Producing knowledge products and progress reports including documenting best practices/human change stories

Demonstrated ability to design and manage initiatives, including the ability to plan own and others' work, develop accurate implementation timelines, identify risks and incorporate risk mitigation strategies in implementation

Effective organizational skills and ability to multi-task and handle work in an efficient and timely manner. Demonstrated ability to coordinate tasks to meet deadlines necessary

Demonstrate/safeguard ethics and integrity

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment

Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking

Is a facilitator/integrator, brings people together, builds/maintains coalitions/partnerships

Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently with limited supervision

Must be able to work in a team and to impart skills and knowledge on team members

programme support, management or coordination.

Certification in project management-related fields will be an added advantage

Knowledge of Malawi's youth development landscape and major youth interventions (ideal)

Previous experience of producing reports and publications for print and/or graphic design skills is an advantage

Previous experience of working with a complex range of stakeholders including government, development partners, NGOs and private sector is an advantage

A 12 months contract; with subsequent contract extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance.

Travel to duty station (if applicable) and a Settling-In-Grant will be provided in the event duty station is not within commuting distance from the place of recruitment. A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is provided annually to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as final repatriation (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.

Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as return travel of (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.