MercyCorps Project Manager National Youth Bunge Association; Peace Concert

Project Manager

National Youth Bunge Association; Peace Concert
Mercy Corps has recently been awarded a 3-year program under USAID’s Yes Youth Can initiative, covering six regions in Kenya; Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Central, Nairobi and Coast.

The core of this program is a Youth Innovate for Change Fund (YICF), which will be a youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed financial facility to support local solutions for community economic development as it grows in value.

This program aims to appropriately empower Kenyan youth (15-35yrs) to strengthen their socio-economic and political stakes through youth-led and managed initiatives and institutions.

The YICF will in the first three years provide sustainable financial and skills development assistance to approximately 200,000 youth through a variety of youth-identified social and economic community development projects.

Program / Department Summary:

The Yes Youth Can initiative is an upcoming USAID program that focuses on building youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed institutional arrangements and capabilities at both national and county levels.

The Yes Youth Can Program has five objectives: 

(1) increase economic prospects for youth through skills development and access to finance to create: economically viable microenterprises; self-reliant community level economic development projects, and; employment opportunities

(2) improve youth voice in local, regional, and national policy dialogue through enhanced advocacy capabilities and inter-ethnic dialogue

(3) expand youth access to essential services that are more youth-friendly

(4) establish new institutional arrangements that can leverage public and private resources through youth-managed organizations; and

(5) create a new approach to empower youth through youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed actions.
Mercy Corps Kenya has been responding to the violence in Kenya following disputed presidential elections in December 2007 through the Local Empowerment for Peace (LEAP) program in Rift Valley province.

LEAP is working with communities especially affected by the violence to build the capacity local level Peace Committees and stimulate dialogue on the underlying causes of conflict.

The project has a strong Youth focus through cash-fork programming for at-risk beneficiaries and longer-term income generation activities for youth-led microenterprises.

The sister program, LEAP Sport is supporting more than 3,000 inter-ethnic sports teams with training in teamwork, cooperation, reconciliation, and non-violent conflict resolution.

General Position Summary:
The Project Manager will be responsible for project managing all technical, administrative, logistical and publicity leading to the successful implementation of the NYBA Peace and Unity Concert.

This position will provide direct support to the YYCN COP to coordinate stakeholders including the NYBA, government, private sector, other YYCR partners and youth and peace organizations.

The position will be responsible for ensuring that the concert is well planned and executed, that it is on budget and compliant with Mercy Corps procurement regulations.

The position holder will be expected to attend all project related meetings, follow up on required action in a timely way and keep the COP appraised if challenges and issues as they arise.
Essential Job Functions:

• Support the COP to further develop the concept, and market it to potential partners and stakeholders.
• Manage service providers (event managers, media, PR, etc) after procurement by Mercy Corps.
• Develop and manage the project budget
• Ensure that all procurement is within budget and compliant with Mercy Corps policy
• Manager relationships with stakeholders and potential partners including NYBA, YYC implementing partners, NCIC, Vision 2030, USAID etc.

Specific deliverable: A successful and well managed concert
Accountability:

Reports Directly To: Chief of Party

Works Directly With: Mercy Corps Concert Team
 

Knowledge and Experience:

• University degree in Business Administration, Marketing or other relevant field
• At least 7 years of experience in event  management
• Relevant professional experience conceptualizing, managing , fundraising for and implementing a youth concert or large public event in East Africa
• Good understanding of the Kenyan youth culture, attitude etc.
• Experience engaging with Kenyan entertainment  and media industry
• Experience working with donors/host governments on development programs;
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage a diverse team of youth, civil society and other alliances.
• Demonstrated ability to work to tight deadlines
• Kiswahili, Kenyan Sheng and English language fluency required.

Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experienceshould  submit on or before 28th January, 2013 at 4.00 p.m. a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org
Applicants must clearly indicate on the email subject;

“Application for the position of Project Manager, NYBA Peace Concert”

Applications without this subject heading will be disqualified.

Please do not attach any certificates.

ONLY Qualified short-listed candidates will be contacted