Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity, with a focus on vulnerable and under-served populations.  Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world. 

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.    

EDC is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

We are looking for candidates who share EDC’s commitment and understand the importance of cultural responsiveness in today’s context.  

Project Description

The USAID South Sudan Youth Empowerment Activity supports South Sudanese youth and communities to develop, promote and strengthen the skills and assets of youth, and to create an enabling environment for the youth to be productive and positively contribute to their communities. The purpose of this activity is to support and empower at-risk out-of-school youth ages 15-29 with focus on developing the basic education and foundational skills of youth, strengthening employment skills for improved livelihoods, and supporting the creation of an enabling environment for improved youth productivity.  Gain the necessary skills they need to lead productive lives, gain employment, and positively contribute to their communities with the following intended results:

• Improved youth access to functional literacy, numeracy, soft and life skills
• Increase youth entrepreneurial, employment, and vocational opportunities.
• Increase behavior changes among youth to make positive adolescent reproductive health choices.
• Improve social cohesion among youth and their communities.

USAID/South Sudan also envisions that Youth Empowerment Activity will adapt and/or pilot a Youth Corps Service model as a modality to creatively achieve the activity's stated goal and integrated objectives. Unemployed South Sudanese youth who are graduates from high school and universities, and non-graduates of exceptional demonstrated ability, will be mobilized, trained, coached, and mentored to become Youth Corps Service members. They will deliver specific Youth Empowerment Activity -prescribed activities to disadvantaged targeted youth beneficiaries and their communities.

The activity will help leverage youth for the youth’s benefit, build a sense of belonging and solidarity, and help to promote peace. The Activity is implemented through a consortium led by EDC and comprised of at least 7 national and international NGOs. It supports service delivery via over 100 community-based organizations and entities.

The Livelihoods Officer (Intern) is a technical staff for USAID Youth Empowerment Activity-(YEA) at the state/county levels. The intern will support the EDC Juba intervention team on various activities that support the learning of the youth and specific identified interventions that support the income generating activities of the youths. The position will contribute to expanding the personnel capacity of the YEA in general and the Livelihoods team in particular in implementing Youth Empowerment Activity–(YEA) trainings and entrepreneurship skills building for the youth. The position holder will support in identifying youth interests in business and entrepreneurship, productive skills development of the youth, the position holder will work hand in hand with the strategic objective one team of the project and the civil society organizations to establish good relationship with various existing enterprises in around the youth training centers which can provide opportunity for work exposure and work-based learning for the youth.

This position will require potential and knowledge of youth livelihoods, youth entrepreneurship training, post training support, mentorship, and coaching. The holder will support linking youths’ entrepreneurship with labor market systems of various skills set, some understanding of small and medium business/enterprises development for the youth and general urban youth livelihoods

With the technical support of the private sector specialist and the SME specialist, The Livelihoods Officer (Intern) will work closely with the SO1 team in Juba to support the implementation of the results area two objective activities. Specifically, S/he will: -

1. Support mobilization of youth to participate in Work Ready Now training under objective one.
2. Support improvement of existing youths’ livelihoods or new youth’s livelihood entrepreneurship small businesses. Be responsible for building strong links between youths, CSOSs, the youths corps and livelihood support including strengthening relationship and work-based learning opportunities between youths participating in learning and skill training that results in improved Agro pastoral practices, smart climate change.

To achieve the objective of the position the Livelihood Officer (Intern) will perform the following tasks and undertake the following responsibilities.

General programming and program operations - juba intervention activities

1. Support youths’ engagement through youths’ mobilization, identification, and youths’ selection processes.
2. Contribute to program design, planning, and implementation through working with both administrative and technical supervisor.
3. Work closely with CSOSs trainers and youth corps leaders because this activity builds on the work ready now – WRN and be your own boss - BYOB training provided to youths. It takes place in classrooms and supports youths to implement learning in their communities.
4. With guidance from the private sector specialist and the SME specialist, support the identification of potential businesses in the training areas that can be used to support the implementation of the work-based learning - WBL for the youth.
5.  Guide and support the youth in the development and implementation of specific youth related livelihoods, business ideas/business plans
6. Support the team in facilitating business plans training to the youths and support youths in developing feasible and profitable business plans.
7. Provide coaching to youth on their business and livelihoods implementation maintain their work and in profitably and sustainably
8. Support the YEA team and partners in facilitating the implementation of business start-up kits in the USAID Youth Empowerment Activity- (YEA) operational areas within Juba.
9. Liaise with MEL to conduct post distribution monitoring to ensure that youth entitlements have been adequately accounted for and reconciled the documentation with those issued by finance and services providers.
10. With the guidance from the livelihoods technical team, submit high quality and analytical USAID Youth Empowerment Activity –(YEA) weekly, monthly, and quarterly progress reports against the work plan to technical supervisor with derivation from the work plans.
11. To increase learning, the intern has the responsibility to request for technical support on particular topics that supports his or her career development
12. Participate in any activity assigned by the livelihoods technical team

General programming and program operations, Juba and the regions activities

• With the support of the livelihoods technical team, the intern will wwork in collaboration with logistics and procurement team to receive agriculture inputs facilitate proper storage and dispatch agriculture inputs to various field location.
• Support livelihoods Juba team in documenting, managing agriculture inputs database
• File important documents for the objective area two activities
• Support in organizing livelihoods and agropastoral trainings that are implemented in Juba.

Coordination  

• Promote and always ensure a pragmatic and efficient dialogue as well as networking with local institutions, private sectors, national and international NGOs, and local authorities.

Capacity and technical support

The livelihood officer – intern will receive technical support and operational coaching from the livelihoods team, mostly the private sector expert, the SME specialist, the agronomist and the livestock production officer.

Reporting

The livelihoods officer - intern will report to the livelihoods and entrepreneurship coordinator

MEL

• Get support from the monitoring team on monitoring and evaluation tools for livelihood activities in coordination with MEL TEAM and line manager.
• Identify success stories for official documentation and communication purposes.
• Document lessons learnt and innovations for scaling up to improve programing and further intervention.

Representation

• If requested by zone supervisor, the livelihood officer intern may represent EDC in livelihood working groups or inter agency meetings at the partners or CSOs level.

The Livelihood Officer (Intern) shall have at a minimum of the following qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor's degree or Higher Diploma in Cooperative, Entrepreneurship Development, Rural development, agricultural science with specialized training in income generating activities - IGA.

Potential and technical competencies:

• Potential and desire in youth related economic empowerment in similar activities will be an added benefit.
• Potential in urban youth livelihoods development and small business coaching  
• Potential in business development, and livelihoods intervention using the value chains and value links approaches. 
• Capacity of working with multidisciplinary teams and effective coordination capacity with internal and external teams.
• At least 1 year’s hands on experience in urban youth livelihoods activities interventions.

Essential skills

• Very good analytical skills and communication skills
• Training and facilitation skills with very good understanding of adult learning approaches and principles
• Planning and report writing skills.
• Very good computer skills (excel, word, PowerPoint, outlook, Teams, zoom etc.)
• Excellent people/social skills at all levels with good cultural sensitivity and able to work in multicultural environments.
• Motorbike riding skills with valid riding/driving license

Language:

Fluency in English is required.  Working knowledge of Juba Arabic and local dialect is essential.

Application Instructions:

Job closing date:25th March 2024

To apply, Applicants are encouraged to visit the Careers Page at: https://go.edc.org/SouthSudanJobs listing “Job Title- Livelihood Officer,  USAID Youth Empowerment Activity -South Sudan” in the Subject Line

Only if technical difficulties occur, applicants may send their resumes to: [email protected] listing “Job Title- Livelihood Officer (Intern),USAID Youth Empowerment Activity -South Sudan” in the Subject Line.  

Applications will be progressively reviewed as they are received

Due to the volume of applications submitted, only finalists will be notified.  No phone calls, please.

EDC is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. EDC is a smoke-free workplace, and offers a supportive work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.