About us:

Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana) is an ECOSOC-accredited NGO at the forefront of youth development policy, practice and research in Ghana. For more than 15 years, we have provided tailored skills training for youth, leading to improvements in their leadership, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and life planning skills. Through our service delivery, we have provided education, skills training, and technical support to thousands of youth and helped them transition to self and wage employment. Our research has contributed to filling the gap in youth data and the evidence base for public policy. And, we continue to use our national appeal and grassroots constituency, through our Voices of Youth Coalition, to advocate and campaign for youth-inclusive policies at all levels. We are entering an exciting phase of growth at YES-Ghana and are looking for new people to help take us forward.

Purpose of the role:

• As Senior Programme Manager, Advocacy & Engagement, you will play a central role in taking YES-Ghana’s work in advocacy, communications and stakeholder engagement to the next level.
• You will manage the organisation’s strategic and policy engagement in advocacy, and streamline advocacy efforts to remain focused on established priorities. Your day-to-day engagements will contribute to positioning, profiling and managing the reputation of YES-Ghana in the domains of government, development partners, and the media. You will also manage key national and international public engagements as they pertain to advocacy and engagement, and ensure that the views and perspectives of young people are fully represented.
• Ultimately, your work should enhance YES-Ghana’s influence and position as a leading youth focused organisation in Ghana and Africa.
• If you believe that young people have a critical role to play both as targets and agents in national and global development, and if you enjoy working in a fast-paced and creative organisation, then we would love to hear from you.

Responsibilities:

i. Advocacy

• Contribute to the development of an advocacy and campaign strategy, and policy agenda, that align to global, regional and national youth agendas
• Manage advocacy activities based on strategic priorities and campaigns, including advocacy for the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2063, and National Youth Policy
• Document best practices and evidence related to YES-Ghana’s advocacy and campaign activities
• Facilitate representation of young people and their voices at all levels of development, including through local level advocacy efforts and through local-national-global linkages
• Manage information gathering and analysis, through assessment and research activities, to inform policy and advocacy briefing documents, assessment reports, and research papers

ii. External engagement

• Contribute to building strategic partnerships with donors, governments, private sector, UN entities and other organisations to enhance collective response to young people’s issues
• Strengthen partnership and collaboration with other civil society organisations at national level in order to influence and monitor policy implementation to enhance young people’s wellbeing
• Contribute to business development and partnership efforts to pursue advocacy funding, by supporting the development and implementation of the external engagement plan as well as via identification of resources, key stakeholders and relationship building and management
• Support business development team to develop advocacy related capacity statements and funding proposals, with particular focus on amplifying youth voices in policy spaces
• Contribute to media engagement on pertinent youth issues which may require profiling and advocacy interventions

iii. Communications

• Contribute to the preparation and implementation of yearly communication and digital engagement strategy and action plan with deliverables in place
• Support other staff from the organisation to receive training that enables them to more effectively capture information and visuals that can be used across various communications platforms to tell the story from the field and ensure the voices of young people are heard; support the effective and coordinated use of relevant social media platforms
• Contribute stories and publications that effectively communicate “evidence of impact” in alignment with the organisation’s strategic priorities
• Engage local and international media around stories and issues that pertain to YES-Ghana’s core focus on youth development
• Contribute to a process of continuous learning on appropriate communication systems, processes and tools as appropriate for YES-Ghana

iv. Project management

• Manage planning and roll-out of our SDG Youth Action Campaign, the Voices of Youth Coalition, and Reposition Youth projects and other initiatives under the advocacy and engagement portfolio in accordance with the projects’ objectives
• Manage implementation of project activities, including tracking progress towards core indicators and learning objectives
• Manage project finance and expenditures on the basis of delegated authority and ensure timely payments in accordance with YES-Ghana’s financial management policy
• Manage YES-Ghana’s operational MEL system, or other MEL systems jointly deployed with partners, and support data collection and analysis as needed
• Work with project team to report to partners and donors in a timely manner and according to donor requirements and formats

v. Team management

• Contribute to guidance, coaching and mentorship to the Innovation and Skills team in the setting and achievement of team goals and individual professional development goals
• Contribute to team performance planning and appraisals
• Provide space and opportunities to promote team wellness and safety; report critical incidents to senior management
• Contribute to identification and recruitment of appropriate resource persons and service providers to support the team in the accomplishment of team objectives
• Support the team in promoting and practicing compliance with YES-Ghana’s core values, code of ethics and other standards
• Support the team in promoting and practicing compliance with YES-Ghana’s policies and procedures including those relating to finance, travel, procurement, IT, programmes and specific donor requirements

vi. Other duties

• Other duties may be required from time to time, including responsibilities which require work on weekends and holidays for which time off in lieu (TOIL) may be taken

Qualification Required & Experience

Person specification:

• Degree in communications, social sciences or related fields required
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in advocacy, campaigns, communications, and government and stakeholder engagement required
• Experience of working in similar role at an NGO or other development organisation essential
• Must have ability to manage a multi-disciplinary portfolio
• Advanced understanding of social accountability methodologies
• Ability to engage at a strategic level and build collaborative relationships with government, donors, media and civil society organisations
• Experience in developing an array of communication materials such as publications, video segments, web and other new media
• Strong track record of designing workshops and other training essential
• Experience in contract and budget management essential
• Experience in event organisation essential
• Strong facilitation and presentation skills essential
• Excellent planning and organisational skills essential
• Demonstrated team management and leadership experience
• Ability to support cross-organisational projects as essential
• Fluency in English required. Working knowledge of Twi, Ga and/or Ewe desirable

Salary & benefits:

• Competitive salary structure
• Accra Cost of Living allowance
• 13th month salary
• SSNIT contributions
• Medical and dental cover
• Group Personal Accident cover
• Time off in lieu (TOIL)
• Annual leave
• Sick leave
• Parental leave (maternal and paternal)
• 2 weeks Christmas and New Year break
• Professional development initiatives

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Please submit a one-page motivation letter and an updated CV to:

jobs@yesghana.org Please use Senior Programme Manager, Advocacy & Engagement as the subject line of your email.

Be sure to highlight in the motivation letter how specifically you meet the qualifications, skills and experience requirements for this role. Due to capacity constraints, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Closing Date: 09 February, 2020