PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR, YOUTH LIVELIHOODS AND ECONOMIC INCLUSION (REAP MODEL)

ABOUT BOMA’s RURAL ENTREPRENEUR ACCESS PROJECT (REAP) YOUTH PRODUCT:

BOMA is recognized for developing an innovative, gender-focused poverty graduation model for the extreme-poor women in the ASALs, the Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP). BOMA has developed an adapted program model that supports marginalized and at-risk youth to overcome challenges of unemployment and radicalization called REAP for Youth. For youth who are both out of school and out of work, BOMA supports their capacity to establish and grow businesses, provide them with capital to start sustainable enterprises​ and connect to new markets and financial services, and improve their employability by building work-readiness skills and increase youth’s participation in the workforce. REAP for Youth has tremendous potential to scale up across Kenya and beyond in all of ASAL countries in which BOMA is operating.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Portfolio Director, REAP for Youth, will lead BOMA’s entire portfolio of work related to youth entrepreneurship and employment. This includes the development and deepening of programmatic approaches, high quality implementation and partnership management and scaling of social and economic inclusion programming for youth across BOMA’s footprint in the ASALs.

The role will be BOMA’s highest level technical expert in youth development, and will represent BOMA in various conferences, events, workshops and other strategic working groups. The role involves collaborating with various governments, leading consortia development, engaging and building relationships with new partners as well as leading and developing a team of project managers.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Product Strategy and Leadership

• Set and lead BOMA’s intellectual and strategic vision, direction and priorities as they relate to REAP for Youth including setting and meeting annual targets for reach and fundraising.
• Engage as a leader in the global landscape of youth-focused work, especially collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to develop innovative approaches to engage and scale efforts that increase opportunities for young people to thrive.
• Set the pace for technical excellence in BOMA’s REAP for Youth product across the portfolio.
• Develop innovations to BOMA’s REAP for Youth approaches to meet the changing needs of vulnerable and marginalized youth in the African drylands, as they face unemployment, limited educational opportunities, economic exclusion and at times, radicalization.
• Map new potential partners and establish partnerships (technical, funding, implementation and research) to support BOMA’s efforts to support youth.
• Be a culture champion for BOMA, aligning with BOMA’s foundational and operational values.

Portfolio Impact and Performance

• Track and monitor portfolio performance through real-time and retrospective metrics and assessments to ensure continuous improvement in quality, effectiveness, and efficacy of the REAP for Youth product.
• Implement data-driven activities and initiatives to ensure a high-quality portfolio of learning experiences, including metrics specific for youth populations, and deliver on partnership excellence as drivers of success.
• Collaborate with Research and Learning to establish a product-specific research and learning agenda to drive the field – and BOMA’s work – forward.
• Inform the design of BOMA’s research on REAP for Youth, including impact evaluations.
• Collaborate with Monitoring and Evaluation to design, develop, implement, and provide technical assistance on M&E frameworks, evaluations and data collection tools.
• Document, disseminate/share lessons learned and best practices, including inputs for reports and technical publications to inform and shape the global dialogue on positive youth development.

Business Growth

• Collaborate with Sustainability and Impact to define and document BOMA’s 5-year approach to growth for the REAP for Youth product.
• Aggressively pursue business development opportunities to expand BOMA’s REAP for Youth in Kenya and new markets beyond Kenya.
• Track and target government, donor and partner interest and shifts as they relate to social and economic inclusion of young people in the drylands.
• Lead the design of new business development opportunities related to REAP for Youth.
• Grow existing REAP for Youth projects and partnerships through thought leadership and quality implementation.
• Identify and spearhead partnership development for expansion and growth opportunities for scaling REAP for Youth.

Oversee Project Management

• Ensure all projects in the REAP for Youth portfolio are being delivered on-time, on-budget and with quality, and on-time, on-budget and with quality, and tracking all KPIs for the product (including linkages)
• Ensure all projects are meeting BOMA’s standards for operational excellence and donor expectations.
• Retain and lead staff implementing existing REAP for Youth activities, including assessing and developing performance with the expectation of retaining highly talented Project Managers.
• Support all BOMA’s teams to build capacity and execute with excellence, and address any capacity gaps quickly and efficiently.
• Support the design and delivery of training to increase staff capacity, collaborating closely with the Training and Capacity Development team.
• Deliver high quality training and technical assistance to partners, where BOMA is not implementing directly, and provide support as needed to operationalize existing and new programs.
• Work with partners in the portfolio to replicate “best of” approaches.
• Lead the adoption and use of technologies such as Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and Taroworks to further BOMA’s efficacy.
• Develop monthly, quarterly and annual reports, per donor requirements and expectations, and track Portfolio Budgets.

Representation/Advocacy/Engagement

• Manage relationships with existing partners to build BOMA’s brand in the youth space.
• Recruit new partners and initiate new strategic partnerships, including hosting visitors and organizing exchange visits.
• Position BOMA as a leader in youth work, and related issues such education, gender and GBV, advocacy.
• Recommend conferences, networks, and other collaborative spaces for BOMA to explore to expand organizational presence in youth work.
• Represent BOMA wherever needed and as often as possible.
• Through representation, enhance BOMA’s own learning and promote sector-wide adaptations.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, international development, or another relevant field required (Master’s Degree is an added advantage);
• Demonstrate an understanding of relevant government policies on youth, entrepreneurship, social protection, economic inclusion, gender, climate and the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda;
• At least seven progressive years of experience in participatory program design, development, implementation, and budgeting of complex development programs required;
• Extensive expertise in positive youth development frameworks and approaches, entrepreneurship and pathways to employment, financial inclusion, and gender required;
• Sector experience or exposure to programming in support of youth, including TVET, girls education, social cohesion, SRHR, early marriage, radicalization, and targeting vulnerable populations (i.e. people living with disabilities, etc.);
• Experience developing relationships with government partners and NGOs, providing technical assistance and oversight to external teams to deliver programming;
• Experience managing a consortium of partners including government (both at national and county level), NGOs, private sector, and grassroot organizations;
• A proven track record in new business development with experience supporting project design, proposal development and fundraising efforts;
• Experience in curricula development, training, and facilitation preferred;
• Successful experience managing teams or individuals including mentoring, capacity building of staff in good project design and management tools to support excellent program execution;
• Willingness to travel and work (including outside of Kenya) up to 35%, sometimes on short notice; and
• Experience and understanding of drylands context is an added advantage.