Country Manager Job Opportunity at YCI

Country Manager Job Opportunity at YCI

Position: Country Manager 

Company: Youth Challenge International (YCI)

Location: Unguja, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Contract Length: 1 year, renewable

Commitment: Full time, 40 hours/week

Compensation: 6,500,000 TZS/month + Health Benefits

Start Date: March 2025

About Youth Challenge International (YCI)

YCI is a leading global youth development organization that promotes youth innovation to drive positive change. Together with our partners we create market ready solutions that catapult youth around the world to succeed and prosper; we are driven by youth and their potential to affect positive change in the world. Our solutions are focused – always keeping the young people we are designing for and with at the center of the conversation. Our approach is rooted in creativity and constantly evolving to respond to changing needs and market realities. YCI is an organization where diversity and talent come together to shape a better future for youth around the world.

HerStart Innovate the Future

HerStart: Innovate the Future is an initiative developed by Youth Challenge International to propel sustainable economic development, entrepreneurship and social impact for women and their communities in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda.

The HerStart program is designed for aspiring women entrepreneurs, providing skills-based training, mentorship and funding to launch or scale a social enterprise. Canadian volunteers are recruited, trained and deployed to contribute their knowledge and skills towards the ambitious goals of YCI and our partners. The HerStart program is co-implemented with partner organizations in each country of operation, reducing silos and increasing community impact over the long-term. A wider supportive ecosystem is catalyzed to identify and address gendered barriers, fostering enabling environments for young women in each context.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Regional Project Manager, the Country Manager will bring leadership, initiative, and innovation to the management and growth of HerStart in Tanzania. This role is accountable for achieving project results and expanding YCI’s impact at the country level. The ideal candidate demonstrates people-centred leadership for staff, partners and volunteers, ensuring they are well equipped to apply YCI’s principles across all activities and deliver on organizational and program objectives.

We are seeking an experienced, creative, and passionate leader to deliver exceptional results. We are looking for people to join our team who believe in youth as powerful agents of change and are passionate about contributing to women’s empowerment through the advancement of both national and global gender equality agendas.

Responsibilities include:

• Program Management: Oversee the delivery of all HerStart program components through coordinated processes to meet goals and targets, including entrepreneur support, volunteer management and project grants for participants and partners;
• Manage country-level reporting and annual work planning activities; Drive the oversight and implementation of country level Human Resource Management, including recruitment, onboarding and performance management;
• Establish a thriving team culture by leading, managing and strengthening team capacity to deliver a high quality project;
• Collaborate on the design and lead the implementation of country-level Communication, Gender Equality and Climate Action Strategies.
• Finance, Operations and Risk Management: Monitor and manage annual and multi-year program budgets aligned with donor requirements and work plans;
• Ensure organizational compliance with country laws and regulations; Ensure preparation and submission of high quality financial documents and reports;
• Monitor and manage the program risk profile in country;
• Act as the focal point for all risk, safety and security incidents and ensure YCI’s Risk, Safety and Security protocols are monitored and implemented across the project.
• Partnership Development & Management: Manage local partnerships to ensure the effective delivery of collaborative project activities;
• Engage diverse ecosystem actors (including government, non-profit and private sectors) to build a multi-stakeholder network to support youth, women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship objectives;
• Ensure strong communication and relationships are established and maintained with all partners and YCI headquarters in Toronto, Canada;
• Remain well-informed about national and regional priorities and issues affecting women and youth, and where possible, position the project and partnerships to respond appropriately.
  Strategic Initiatives: Manage country team to develop and implement Annual Country Strategic Action Plans aligned with YCI’s Strategic Plan;
• Pursue and manage additional funding and public engagement opportunities aligned with Country Strategic Action Plan; Remain up-to-date on research, best practices and sector strategies to ensure relevancy and impact of strategic decisions;
• Expand YCI’s brand and presence through strategic engagements and relationship building;
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Regional Project Manager or CEO.

Skills and Experience:

• You are an experienced leader with a minimum of 8+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience at a management or director level;
• You have a successful track record in co-designing, managing and implementing donor-funded projects, with a demonstrated commitment to team management, mentoring and supervising teams; you can demonstrate how you have built effective teams and partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including government, community leaders, donors, private sector and other NGOs;
• You exemplify a strategic mindset and are skilled at designing and implementing effective work plans;
• You have sound financial planning and budget management skills;
• You have strong experience leading effective community development;
• You are passionate about investing in women and youth livelihoods and are inspired by innovation and entrepreneurship;
• You know the impact of volunteerism and ideally have experience working with volunteers;
• Ideally you demonstrate an integrated understanding of economic inclusion, gender equality and climate action;
• You are an effective communicator with excellent written and verbal English and Swahili proficiency; and you are a permanent resident or a Citizen of Tanzania with availability to live and work in Zanzibar.

Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Youth Challenge International (YCI) commits to a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and considers any such acts a gross misconduct and grounds for dismissal. YCI recognizes the unequal power dynamics inherent in international development work and our responsibility to protect the human rights of the communities we serve and provide an environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse. Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) is everyone’s responsibility, and all employees are required to sign and adhere to the PSEA Policy and Code of Conduct, at all times. All employees must ensure that they understand and act in accordance with this clause.

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How to apply:

Link to application can be found here. Please submit your CV as a single PDF document, maximum 4 pages, saved in the following format: “First Name Last Name_ Country Manager”.

The deadline to apply is 5:00pm EAT on February 24, 2025, however applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we strongly encourage early submissions.

YCI uses a people-focused approach to evaluating applicants. We do not utilize artificial intelligence during the recruitment process.

YCI encourages applications from all backgrounds. To achieve our mission, we rely on the unique experiences and viewpoints of our staff, volunteers, and partners. We understand that diverse perspectives require an inclusive culture in order to thrive – a culture that is respectful and welcoming to all.  We are committed to creating a place of inclusion for employees, candidates, volunteers, partners and visitors of all backgrounds, ages, religions, races, gender identities, physical abilities or sexual orientations; a place where one can be their whole self, and where that whole self feels celebrated.

If you require accommodation for the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.  We sincerely thank all candidates for their interest in working with us. Only those who have been selected for an interview will be contacted.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY