About VSO
VSO is an international development organization operating in 29 countries. We focus on creating a fair world with equal opportunities for everyone, irrespective of their background, gender, religion, or orientation. Our programs, powered by national and international volunteers, address local development issues, promoting access to healthcare, quality education, and sustainable income. Last year alone, VSO’s “Volunteering for Development” approach reached 8.2 million people.
About The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE)
The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed by Palladium, Randstad, and VSO, aims to generate employment opportunities for 230,000 young individuals, with half of them being women. This 6-year program supports private sector companies in over 12 African and Middle Eastern countries by providing co-funding and technical assistance, helping them create, match, or improve jobs for youth.
Role Description
As the Project Manager Technical Assistance for Youth Participation, Gender & Business, you will collaborate with the CFYE central and country teams to maximize the impact of the portfolio of around 100 private sector companies in their engagement with young men and women.
Your role will be part of the Technical Assistance, Strategy & Impact unit, primarily focused on offering guidance, analyzing company performance, and coordinating the delivery of suitable Technical Assistance. Also, you are responsible for day-to-day management of volunteer experts offering technical assistance to CFYE’s portfolio companies.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Day-to-day project management of CFYE’s Youth Participation, Gender & Business initiatives
- Coordinate the rollout of CFYE’s Youth Impact Growth Matrix self-assessment across the portfolio. This involves collecting data from Portfolio companies in 12 countries, analyzing the Matrix scores, and presenting aggregated insights to the CFYE team and the companies.
- Manage the coordination and delivery of Technical Assistance on Youth Participation, Gender, and Social Impact based on the Matrix scores. This includes arranging and coordinating the provision of expert assistance and ensuring learnings and knowledge products generated from the Technical Assistance is captured in a Youth Impact TA Toolbox.
- Deliver Technical Assistance on Youth Participation, Gender, and Social Impact when appropriate, and contribute to the development of knowledge products on Social Impact.
- Ensure high quality and integration of work related to Youth Participation, Gender, and Social Impact across all the Fund’s activities. Collaborate with the Data Analytics team and other members of the Technical Assistance, Strategy & Impact unit.
2. Support VSO’s technical assistance program for the CFYE
- Undertake the identification on how VSO can best deploy VSO volunteers in CFYE target countries.
- Support with managing the relationships with local VSO country offices and CFYE Country Teams.
- To work directly with VSO in-country coordinators to jointly manage all operational requirements of providing technical assistance within the Fund.
3. Volunteer management
- Oversee volunteer engagement during placement by conducting regular check-ins.
- Organize peer learning and exchange between volunteer experts.
- Ensure effectiveness of the volunteer deployment and address any issues with hosting portfolio partners.
- To ensure smooth implementation of duty of care, security & safeguarding procedures.
Location & reporting
This role will be based in Utrecht, Netherlands, working with the VSO Netherlands team (25 colleagues). You are part of the program team on the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment within VSO and the wider CFYE team including colleagues of Palladium and Randstad. You will report to the CFYE VSO Program Lead and the Social Impact Lead of CFYE, and will work closely with the Youth Participation Project Manager, as well as a pool of technical experts. You work directly with colleagues in the countries of implementation, with VSO global thematic specialists, with volunteers and the portfolio companies of the Fund.
Your profile
- Proven project management expertise in the youth and business sectors, with a focus on areas such as gender, youth leadership, social impact, social business, or related fields.
- Experience working directly in CFYE’s target countries, ideally with experience in the private sector.
- Demonstrated ability to remain organized, adaptable, and excel in a fast-paced international environment.
- Exceptional communication skills and a strong ability to build effective relationships.
- You are ambitious and find it a challenge to realise the ambitious goals of the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment.
- You are a fast learner, result-oriented, hands-on professional, who always seeks to find practical and client focused solutions.
- Proficiency in utilizing remote collaboration tools and comfortable with remote work.
- Academic level education is a prerequisite for all applicants.
- Minimum 5-10 years of documented and relevant work experience in international development or social investment.
- Genuine alignment with VSO’s mission and vision.
- Fluent command of the English language, both written and oral.
- Willingness and ability to travel to CFYE program countries across Africa and the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.
Our offer
We offer:
- Excellent working conditions; Collective Labour Agreement for Social Work.
- Salary: depending on experience, scale 9, € 3,226 – € 4,756 based on 36 hours. Starting with a one-year contract, with the prospect of a multi-year employment.
- A monthly accrued individual budget (IKB); made up of 18% of the gross salary.
- A personal training budget.
- Possibility to work (partly) from home.
- Good coffee and fresh fruit!
VSO is located in Het Nieuwe Kantoor (HNK), an inspiring and contemporary environment within walking distance of Utrecht CS.
Safeguarding
VSO has zero tolerance of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people. We will expect all our employees and volunteers to commit to protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm and abide by our Global Safeguarding Policy.
Safeguarding level 3: This post will have regular, direct and unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults either face to face or online or the post will have supervisory responsibility for people who have direct unsupervised access to children or post will have accountability at organisational level to ensure safeguarding policy is in place and implemented at all levels. A criminal background check (Enhance DBS check for UK or equivalent highest level of Police check) will be obtained for post holder at this level prior to their start date.
Apply now!
If you have a passion for driving positive change for youth and promoting inclusivity and equality in the business sector, this exciting opportunity at VSO might be the perfect fit for you. Apply now and become part of a dedicated team working towards a more equitable world.
VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.
Mail your motivation and CV in English no later than 27 August 2023, stating: vacancy Project Manager Technical Assistance: Youth Participation, Gender & Business to Anita van Dijk: personeelszaken@vso.nl. The first round of online interviews will take place in the first week of September, the second round will be scheduled in the week of 11 September.
If you would like to know more about this position, please contact Fiona Bailey, Program Lead: F.Bailey@vso.nl.
Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.
