YES Project Manager, 'Voices of Youth' Job Vacancy in Accra, Ghana

Youth Empowerment
Synergy <www.yesghana.org>

Type of Contract:
Fixed Term

Location: Accra,
Ghana

Reporting to:
Executive Director

Start Date: February
2012

Duration of Contract:
One year (renewable)

Salary and
conditions: Negotiable, with benefits

Summary:

Founded in 2001, the
Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana) brings together innovative and energetic
young professionals who work with relevant stakeholders to lay the foundation
for the promotion of a sustainable and productive future for the youth in
Ghana. At YES-Ghana, we work to realise a vision: a world where every young
person has a real chance to benefit from and participate in the development
processes at local, national and international levels. Our mission is to
promote policies and develop initiatives that help youth succeed in becoming
life-long learners, productive members of society, materially sufficient, and
self-respecting citizens. Our core areas of competency include youth employment
and entrepreneurship; youth leadership and capacity development; youth policy
and advocacy; youth participation and active citizenship. YES-Ghana operates as
a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation incorporated according to the
laws of Ghana. For more information on YES-Ghana, see www.yesghana.org.

Starting January
2012, YES-Ghana is rolling out a new project dubbed ‘Voices of Youth’. The
overall development objective is to increase attention and investment on
critical youth issues in Ghana’s development agenda. More specifically, the
project seeks increased youth participation in public policy decision-making in
the country. These will be achieved through the development of a ‘Youth
Manifesto’ – a comprehensive compilation of youth policy options and proposals
to place youth issues and perspectives at the heart of Ghana’s 2012 elections
agenda. The ‘Youth Manifesto’ will be developed by youth themselves through
broad consultation with and participation of other stakeholders under the
umbrella of a ‘Youth Manifesto Coalition’ to be established. Other major
activities of the project include: youth dialogue with presidential and
parliamentary candidates; youth conference on oil and gas; national ‘Voices of
Youth’ conference; national youth policy dialogue; high-level meeting on
financing youth development in Ghana; among others. Members of the Youth
Manifesto Coalition will benefit from capacity building training and action in
youth advocacy and active citizenship, participatory community radio and social
media production, peace-building and conflict prevention, as well as listing in
a new directory for youth development.

YES-Ghana is seeking
a highly motivated and capable Manager for the ‘Voices of Youth’ Project. We
are particularly looking for qualified persons interested in a long-term career
in youth development at YES-Ghana.

Duties and
Responsibilities:

Overall project
management and technical guidance

Ensure sound project management of
and take full responsibility for the implementation of the ‘Voices of
Youth’, as per the project document and donor regulations;
Develop implementation plan and
budget based on expected project outputs, ensuring close monitoring of
activities and delivery;
Provide direction and guidance to
the Project Team and responsible parties where applicable;
Liaise with the Project Advisory
Committee to assure the overall direction and integrity of the project;
Identify and obtain any support
and advice required for the management, planning and control of the
project;
Manage financial allocations and
expenditures according to delegated authority and ensure timely payments
in accordance with YES-Ghana’s financial management policy;
Coordinate activities of the
project, including those financed through pooled and parallel funding, to
deliver indented outputs and achieve desirable impact of the project;
Ensure proper use and maintenance
of project equipment and office records and any other documentation by the
project personnel;
Oversee and monitor work plans and
budgets for all project activities;
Ensure gender mainstreaming within
all project activities;
Perform other duties as requested
by Executive Director.

Effective
leadership towards project implementation processes

Establish and maintain good
working relations with relevant stakeholders from government, civil
society, international agencies, religious and traditional authorities,
private sector, and the youth front;
Build, motivate and lead a high
performing team consisting of project personnel, expert consultants,
service providers, etc.;
Provide strategic leadership and
steer the realisation of the project components, with particular focus on
the effective and broad base process of mobilising youth input into
national development agenda;
Facilitate the work of the Project
Advisory Committee, including meetings, reporting, and follow-up
activities;
Guide and oversee the process of
delivery of assistance and interaction with youth groups and associations
across the country, as per the planned activities within the project
document;
Review on a regular basis project
details, schedules, deliverables and budget as articulated in the
implementation plan (evidence of progress towards expected outputs,
according to schedule, within budget) with the project team;

Project
monitoring, reporting and quality assurance

Manage and monitor the identified
project risks and issues; submit new risks and issues to the Project
Advisory Committee for consideration and decision if required; update the
status of project risks and issues;
Oversee and ensure timely
submission of the Project Narrative and Financial Reports as required by
YES-Ghana, the Project Advisory Committee or donor for review and
approval;
Monitor and analyse the project
environment and progress, using applicable monitoring and evaluation and
risk management tools where relevant, and advice on timely readjustment of
project strategies and corrective actions as necessary;
Conduct field visits and quality
checks of project events, sites and activities;
Prepare reviews and capture
lessons learnt from the project implementation; identify follow-up actions
and submit them for consideration to the Project Advisory Committee.

Knowledge
management

Ensure wide dissemination and
visibility of project achievements, including through the project’s
communication tools, and where possible, participation in national and
international forums, making substantive contributions as appropriate;
Ensure dissemination of
information and knowledge management within the team for effective project
implementation;

Partnership
and advocacy

Liaise with donors, relevant
government agencies, and all project partners, including youth groups and
associations for effective coordination of all project activities;
Actively participate in resource
mobilisation efforts in close consultation with Management;
Identify and support the
realisation of synergetic initiatives and/or contribution from various
stakeholders, which would add value and maximise the project results;
Ensure regular communication and
coordination with project partners and develop and maintain effective
mechanisms for integrating and responding to their feedback and insights;

Competencies:

Knowledge of issues of youth
development, participation, public policy and related concepts at global,
African, and national levels;
In-depth knowledge and experience
in youth development in Ghana, including youth policy, programming, and
mobilisation;
Demonstrated experience in
planning and managing development projects at the national level,
including results-based management;
Demonstrated writing skills,
including ability to prepare reports and conduct presentations by clearly
formulating positions on issues, articulating options concisely, making
and defending recommendations;
Sound political judgment,
impartiality, diplomacy and discretion;
Proven ability to provide
effective leadership and transfer advice and knowledge to team members
from different backgrounds;
Proven effective supervisory
skills;
Proven ability to establish
priorities and to plan, organise, coordinate and monitor own work plan and
provide advice and guidance to others;
Resourcefulness, sound judgment
and decision-making skills; demonstrated sound judgment in resolving
issues/problems;
Excellent and effective
communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to establish and
maintain effective working relations with young people and others in a
multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for
diversity;
Ability to work under pressure and
target-driven conditions;
Self-starter, self-motivated; able
to take initiative and bring innovation to project implementation;
Professional demeanour; able to
present a professional image of the organisation at all times;
Excellent computer skills
(especially internet and Microsoft office applications) and ability to use
information technologies as a tool and resource.

Education
and Experience:

Education

Minimum Bachelor’s degree in
development studies, social sciences, or equivalent.

Experience

Minimum of three years’ experience
in similar position;
Previous experience as team leader
planning and managing programme/project at national level is an asset,
including financial management of projects, reporting, and M&E;
Practical experiences running
youth programmes in Ghana would be an added advantage;
Understanding of the overall
political, administrative and institutional set-up of governance and
participatory development in Ghana;
Familiarity with key public
documents, strategies and trends related to youth development and
democratic governance in Ghana, as well as global and regional frameworks
for youth development;

Language:

Fluency in English with excellent
drafting and presentation skills;
Working knowledge of one or more
Ghanaian languages desirable.

How to apply:

Please submit a
one-page cover letter and a recent CV bearing your contact details and two
references to jobs@yesghana.org . Due to capacity constraints, only shortlisted
applicants will be contacted.

Application deadline:
Monday, 9 January, 2012