Position Summary:
The Youth Training and Employment Specialist will be responsible for overseeing the technical quality and delivery of our results-oriented program activities and providing leadership in developing, managing, and implementing the technical aspects of technical, vocational, or entrepreneurial training interventions with a specific focus on adolescent girls and vulnerable women.
Essential Responsibilities:
The Youth Training and Employment Specialist’s specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Provide strategic leadership of all programmatic activities concerned with training and employment opportunities, income generation programs/opportunities, youth entrepreneurships, life skills trainings, and internships.
- Develop and oversee implementation of youth training and employment work plans/targets, curriculums, training materials, budgets, and reports.
- Coordinate strategy and activities with any implementing partners, national and local government authorities involved in and responsible for education and economic development.
- Manage and mentor staff in workforce and employment readiness, entrepreneurship trainings, and connecting adolescent girls and vulnerable women to market opportunities and networks.
- Coordinate closely on data collection to measure impacts as well as track program graduates and employment opportunities.
QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND:
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree required (master’s degree would be a distinct asset) in economics, education, gender in development, or related discipline.
- Supplemental training in workforce and employment readiness, youth training, entrepreneurship training, monitoring and evaluation, gender analysis/mainstreaming strongly preferred.
Work Experience:
- Minimum of five years of experience in a leadership position for developing, managing, and/or implementing technical, vocational, or entrepreneurial training interventions, preferably for youth.
- Minimum of three years of experience working on the technical training strategies, including individualized training plans, skills assessments, life-skill, technical, and entrepreneurial materials/curriculum development, training management, and training monitoring and information systems.
- Experience in performing training needs assessments, developing corresponding training programs, evaluating training, and evaluating the impact of training on skills acquisition and employability.
- Understanding of exploitive labor issues, including child labor and the special education and training needs of children and youth removed from exploitive labor conditions.
- Experience working successfully with government agencies, network of vocational training associations, employers’ organizations, and trade unions or comparable entities.
- Experience developing mechanisms and tools to accurately determine market needs, and utilizing the results to contribute to the creation of market driven technical or employment training programs.
- Experience working successfully with government agencies and employers to promote employment opportunities for youth, preferably in Zambia.
- Experience working with employer’s organizations, trade unions or other civil society organizations on issues related to employment opportunities for at-risk youth.
- Understanding of labor issues and local labor regulations, including those related to securing non-hazardous, non-exploitive employment opportunities for youth of legal working age.
- Experience managing and monitoring integrated US Government programs and budgets strongly preferred.
Skills:
- Strong skills in financial management, writing, monitoring and evaluation required.
- Proficiency in one or more of Zambia’s major languages (Bemba, Kaonde, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga) is required. English proficiency is recommended.
HOW TO APPLY: