Senior Technical Advisor (STA)

Job Description

The IRC began working in Mali in 2012 in response to the political crisis. The IRC has provided lifesaving assistance to over half a million displaced Malians displaced by conflict and facing severe food shortages. The crisis in Mali has also led to a collapse of basic public services such as health care and education.

To help the country recover, the IRC is focusing our efforts by providing emergency relief; supporting village savings and loan associations and income-generating activities, especially for women; providing clean drinking water, water treatment kits, water-point rehabilitation, and health care supplies; providing vital health care services and training community health workers; providing children and parents with psychosocial support to help them heal from trauma; and training teachers and reopening schools for children affected by conflict.

Scope of work

The IRC seeks a Senior Positive Youth Development (PYD) Technical Advisor (STA) for an anticipated five-year USAID Cross-Sectoral Youth activity in Mali. The project will enable vulnerable and marginalized 15–29-year-old Malian youth in the regions of Bamako, Mopti and Segou to become educated, healthy, and productive citizens while building their resilience to recurrent crises. The $25-$50M Cross-Sectoral Youth Activity will focus on an integrated program that includes basic education, workforce development, media literacy to counter disinformation, youth entrepreneurship, and reproductive health.

The Senior Positive Youth Development Technical Advisor will manage overall technical program work and provide expertise on the Integrated Youth Support Activity. S/he will be responsible for integrating PYD approaches and principles throughout the cross-sectoral project, and serve as the technical lead on foundational skills development (literacy, numeracy, social emotional learning, media literacy, youth community engagement), sexual and reproductive health interventions, workforce readiness, vocational and entrepreneurial skills development interventions for youths for this project. This position is contingent on the IRC being awarded funding and is anticipated to begin in 2024. The position will be based in Bamako, Mali.

Job responsibilities

· Provide technical leadership on foundational skills development (literacy, numeracy, social emotional learning, media literacy, youth community engagement), sexual and reproductive health interventions, workforce readiness, vocational and entrepreneurial skills development interventions in the targeted geographies;

· Manage the Cross-Sectoral Youth activity technical team and strengthen the technical capacity of staff to implement a high-quality youth program in line with PYD approaches and IRC and USAID standards;

· Support the M&E team in refining and developing core indicators and relevant data collection and analysis tools to support use and uptake of data to course correct programming;

· Regular communication and coordination with the Chief of Party and Deputy-Chief of Party, and key home office staff on technical and project management issues;

· Conduct regular visits to project sites, as possible, to provide technical assistance and ensure proper implementation and monitoring of project activities;

· Oversee production of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports for the Chief of Party and donors, as needed;

· Support project staff by creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take responsibility.

Requirements

· Advanced degree (PhD or MA) from an accredited university in a related field;

· At least 10 years’ experience managing technical assistance for Youth Foundational Skills Development, Enterprise Development and Employment, Youth Livelihoods , Youth & Adolescent Education, and/or Youth Protection & Empowerment, with at least five years of experience with work specifically in crisis or conflict-affected contexts, preferably in the West African region and/or Mali;

· Significant prior experience with integrating Positive Youth Development concepts into technical approaches, tools and materials, monitoring and evaluation, and research, preferably within previous USAID-funded programs..

· Experience in strategy development and working across sectors or disciplines is highly desired;

· Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with a wide network of partners and stakeholders;

· Strong communication skills, both oral and written;

· Capacity to work well under pressure, and the ability to communicate appropriately and effectively cross‐culturally is critical;

· The candidate must be fluent in English and French.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Women, minorities and people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications