Programme Officer-Chihuahua

JOB TITLE
Programme Officer-Chihuahua

SUPERVISOR
Programme Director Skills for Prosperity Mexico

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FOUNDATION (IYF®)

For more than 25 years and in over 100 countries, the International Youth Foundation (IYF®) has focused exclusively on helping young people succeed. A global nonprofit organization, IYF believes that there are three keys to achieving this success: learning skills that will endure, earning a livelihood, and growing as an engaged citizen. IYF supports youth in choosing a career path and landing a first job, and in deciding to start their own small business or social venture. At IYF, we find inspiration and purpose in the resilient spirit of young women and men. We forge partnerships to deepen investment and impact in youth employment and engagement. In cities and towns across the United States and around the world, IYF empowers young people to lead productive, fulfilling lives. For more information please consult www.iyfnet.org.

IYF is part of the "Skills for Prosperity Mexico" (SFPMx) consortium, which aims to increase Mexico’s capacity to build an inclusive education-to-employment ecosystem that generates more productive and equitable skills sectors improving employability, employment opportunities and earning potential of youth beneficiaries including the most marginalized populations. Achieving inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction will require changing the way government, private sector, and education and training providers work together to make skills investments up and down the talent pipeline, enabling all young Mexicans to benefit from shared prosperity.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The Program Officer will be responsible for supporting the implementation the SFPMx's program in Chihuahua. The ideal candidate will be an experienced program manager, a self-starter with excellent relationship and negotiations management skills, and a commitment to youth development. This full-time position will be located in the Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. In addition, the Program Officer will provide technical and managerial support for project development, implementation; relationship cultivation and management; activity design and implementation; and, contracts and logistics management. The Program Officer will coordinate with SFPMx’s Mexico City-based IYF staff to ensure the successful delivery of the program.

CORE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Provide technical and project management support to SFPMx staff, to ensure agreements and work plans are developed and managed in a highly effective manner.
  • Identify key regional stakeholders and cultivate and maintain relationships with them. Organize, plan and participate in meetings and events with key stakeholders to ensure buy-in and effective coordination.
  • Develop and utilize tools to synthesize data related to program implementation, including the detection and resolution of any obstacles for reaching project targets so that goals are met. 
  • Develop work scopes for consultancies and process coordination related to scoring proposals and preparation for candidate selection.
  • Coordinate planning and delivery with local partners and consultants of all capacity building activities including workshops.
  • Produce reports for internal and external stakeholders and prepare and deliver presentations as assigned by the Program Director.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

  • A Bachelor’s degree in relevant field or equivalent standard of political sciences, economy, psychology, talent management; advanced degree is a plus.
  • Ability to exercise sound judgment and diplomacy, particularly related to negotiation and conflict management in a multi-stakeholder environment is required.
  • Willingness and ability to work independently while coordinating with a remote team of colleagues.
  • Strong program management, team-building and interpersonal skills, as well as an analytical ability to identify and establish priorities and attend to all details in a professional manner. Advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • Excellent written and oral English and Spanish language and communication skills with a variety of audiences including business, government, the general public and the media.
  • Strong computer skills in MS Word, Outlook PowerPoint.  Excellent knowledge of and experience using Excel.
  • Ability to travel up to 50% of time within Mexico, with frequent in-state travel as well as occasional travel out-of-state.
  • Minimum 3 years’ experience managing and providing technical support to international development, youth development, education or workforce development programs.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of Mexican education policies, labor market, and/or programs that support youth employment and/or social services (e.g. education, health) preferred.
  • Proven capacity to work on multi-cultural and/0r multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Experience working with at-risk youth in Mexico.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of gender principles, awareness and equity approaches is preferred.
  • Experience conducting assessments and using qualitative and quantitate tools (focus group discussions, surveys, interviews) preferred.
  • Commitment to youth development and a values-driven work environment.

JOB LEVEL
Officer

LOCATION
Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico

TO APPLY
Please submit the following documents in English via email to [email protected] by *August 31th 2020 with “Chihuahua Program Officer, - followed by your name” in the subject line:

To be eligible for this position, applicants must have the legal authority to work and reside in Mexico; this position is a local hire position in Mexico.

Please note only finalists will be contacted.  No phone calls please.  International Youth Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.