Senior Associate,Youth Engagement (East Africa Regional Advisor)

Location: Flexible, but East Africa Region highly preferred, must have the ability to work core hours (2-5pm UTC) as established by Women Deliver  

Status: Temporary Full-Time Employee (September 2, 2024 – December 31, 2026)

Salary: $68,000 - $74,000 USD + Full Benefits

Posted: July 1, 2024

Priority Deadline: July 19, 2024 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis)  

Please note: This role is dependent on funding.  

WOMEN DELIVER

Women Deliver is a global feminist advocacy organization with a clear mission: to ensure that every self-identifying girl and woman can exercise full control over her body and life. We believe sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are the cornerstone of bodily autonomy and have convened

gender equality advocates from all levels of power for almost two decades to advance this cause. While we are best known for our convening power, our expertise extends beyond the Women Deliver Conferences to global advocacy for gender equality. Specifically, we have extensive experience in navigating and leveraging global spaces, in equitable youth engagement and co-leadership, including resourcing young people working for change in their communities, countries, and regions, and in supporting and strengthening coalitions and collective movements.  

Women Deliver recognizes that our sector and work is deeply embedded in and tainted by colonial and racist power structures, ideals, and practices, and that we, ourselves, have benefitted from and perpetuated these practices. We are steadfast in our commitment to shaping a future where our work not only reflects our feminist and anti-racist values, but also actively contributes to dismantling the systems that oppress girls and women in all their diversity. 

EMERGING LEADERS FOR CHANGE

The Emerging Leaders for Change Program (Emerging Leaders Program) is a dynamic, multi-leveled program that is grounded in the belief that investing in Emerging Leaders, who are most proximate to their communities and the needs of adolescent girls, is critical to ensuring that solutions to the challenges in SRHR, faced by adolescent girls, are youth-centered and address the specific needs and

nuances of their local contexts. We believe this approach leads to more resilient outcomes.

The Emerging Leaders Program also aims to bring forward the voices and solutions of adolescent girls and their advocates, to global spaces, where they have been traditionally ignored or misrepresented.

These Emerging Leaders are the driving force behind addressing these critical challenges in SRHR and it is essential that global spaces benefit from their perspectives and voices.

Using Women Deliver’s convening power and collective action approach within our three issue areas, the Emerging Leaders Program will form a vast movement of Emerging Leaders, Young Leader Alumni, and youth advocates that can advance and carry forward the fight for bodily autonomy – in the face of the climate crisis, rising anti-rights movements, and in the 2030 global development agenda and

beyond.

Working at the national, regional, and global level, these youth leaders will hold their governments accountable to deliver on Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR) in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) plans, ensuring a gender just approach in climate adaptation measures, and safeguard SRHR. Lastly, the Emerging Leaders Program will provide funding, resources, supportive ecosystems, and leadership opportunities that Emerging leaders they need to achieve their gender equality and SRHR advocacy goals.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE, EAST AFRICA REGIONAL ADVISOR

The Senior Associate, East Africa Regional Advisor will manage the overall Emerging Leader experience for the East Africa cohort by serving as the Emerging Leaders first point of contact and developing a supportive relationship with each Emerging Leader. Along with Emerging Leader Mentors, the Senior Associate will provide context-specific technical assistance to Emerging Leaders and support Emerging Leaders in developing strong local, national, and regional connections, as relevant for their project or advocacy. As such, this role will serve as the main liaison with a team of six Emerging Leader Mentors, who are Alumni of Women Deliver’s Young Leaders Program. The Senior Associate will also advise Women Deliver on necessary program and advocacy adaptations to be most appropriate and effective operating in East Africa. This role will report to the Senior Manager, Youth Engagement, responsible for directing the Emerging Leaders work stream.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

• (25%) Oversee the Emerging Leader Experience through the cultivation of relationships with each Emerging Leader, which entails: 

o Project managing all aspects of the Emerging Leaders’ Journey creation (a process in which Emerging Leaders design their grant projects, identify key global spaces in which they want to engage, develop learning goals, and identify ways collective action can support their work) by coordinating with Youth Engagement Team members on different components of that journey they are managing and guiding Emerging Leaders through that process

o Serving as the main point of contact for Emerging Leaders, and maintaining regular individual communications with Emerging Leaders as defined by the Youth Engagement Team and at the request of Emerging Leaders

o Manage Program-related communications to Emerging Leaders, including monitoring the Emerging Leaders Program email inbox and WhatsApp Groups, and sending regular communications through these channels about program opportunities and offerings

• (35%) Coordinate and support the implementation of the Emerging Leaders Mentor Program, comprised of six Mentors (Consultants), and partnering with Youth Engagement Team members on learning and capacity-strengthening opportunities, such as trainings, workshops, and the creation of resources

• (20%) Contribute context-specific guidance and expertise to Emerging Leader Program activities; this may include:

o Supporting the Emerging Leaders East Africa cohort kick-off convening (February – March 2025) by working with convenings team to provide local logistics support and connections, and recommending relevant partners and speakers 

o Strengthening and maintaining Women Deliver’s networks and partners in East Africa to facilitate collective action and collaboration for Emerging Leaders in support of their advocacy projects

o Serving as the focal point in engagement with stakeholders in East Africa including peer organizations and potential partners; relevant coalitions, alliances and networks; government stakeholders at the national and regional levels

o Supporting Emerging Leaders’ training and preparation for travel to advocacy spaces, convenings, and other regional or global spaces, in partnership with the Manager, Youth Engagement (Political Engagement & Influencing Lead)

o Providing technical assistance to Emerging Leaders on their grant projects, in collaboration with Mentors and the Senior Associate, Grant Management

o Collaborating with the Senior Associate, Grant Management, as needed, to adapt and redesign the Emerging Leaders program components to be contextually fit to the Emerging Leaders and region’s needs and opportunities.

• (10%) Support the Women Deliver Safeguarding Lead in implementing the Emerging Leaders Program Safeguarding Approach by delivering relevant trainings, liaising with Emerging Leaders’ parents and guardians, and implementing other safeguarding risk mitigation measures in partnership with the Women Deliver Safeguarding Lead

• (10%) Support on other Emerging Leader Program initiatives as required, including:

o Partnering with the Senior Associate, Youth Engagement (Learning & Capacity-Strengthening Lead) on designing and implementing Emerging Leader Program trainings, workshops, and resources in response to the needs Emerging Leader identify during the program onboarding

o Provide travel support to Emerging Leaders by booking flights and hotels, troubleshooting travel logistics issues, and providing travel briefings and developing logistics notes

o Co-create with Emerging Leaders how collective action will be part of their Emerging Leaders Program Journey during the journey creation phase

QUALIFICATIONS

• 4-6 years of experience in program management for adolescent or youth-serving programs in advocacy, sustainable development, gender equality, or sexual and reproductive health and rights in East Africa or globally required. 

• Experience working with and for adolescents and young people in East Africa, including those from diverse backgrounds, on social change-focused campaigns, programs, or initiatives, and utilizes ways of working that embody equitable youth engagement and co-leadership required. 

• Robust project management skills, including managing complex projects requiring engagement of staff across different teams, required.

• Strong written and verbal communications skills, including communicating with adolescents and youth, required. 

• Familiarity with youth leadership and empowerment, advocacy, sustainable development, gender equality, or sexual and reproductive health and rights networks, organizations, and initiatives in East Africa required. 

• Knowledgeable in any of the following: sexual and reproductive health and rights, Women Deliver’s three issue areas (Climate Justice, Countering Anti-Rights Actors, and Universal Health Coverage), and/or adolescent girl issues and rights strongly preferred.

• Understanding of child and young person safeguarding best practices preferred.

• Commitment to fostering an anti-racist, global, and inclusive workplace required. 

• Able to travel within the East Africa region and globally as requested.

Work authorization is required for the location in which the selected candidate is based.