Jobs Kenya

Program/Department Summary
Youth Empowered for Success (YES!) is a partnership with the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) and Harambee which seeks to enhance employment for 25,000 young people in six African countries by 2018, and 500,000 by 2022. Mercy Corps is the lead implementer in Kenya, Uganda, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tunisia. The program has three work streams:
Core YES! Model: Localizing the YES! model in 6 countries to improve the employment and entrepreneurship of 18,000 youth;
Innovation and Digital: Driving innovation in youth employment in Africa through the identification, incubation and scaling of breakthrough business solutions for youth employment;
Thought leadership: Research and learning on youth economic empowerment in Africa, building an evidence base enabling partnerships to scale to reach 500,000.
General Position Summary
YES!’s Innovation and Digital work stream was approved in December 2016, which seeks to identify, incubate and scale breakthrough solutions for youth employment in YES! target countries. Through the Innovation and Digital Coordinator, the program seeks to support two types of initiatives:
Core investments, which support the development and scaling of products and services in the Human Resource, training or job match sector, whose businesses are directly geared towards facilitating and enhancing employment and employability; and
Ancillary investments, which develop of new methods sales or business which have the ability to enhance youth employment and/or create jobs.
The YES! Program will support these initiatives through project-based financing, technical support, convening, and connection to youth within the program.
Essential Job Functions
Strategy Development
Lead the development of YES! Digital and Innovation Strategy, including pipeline development, contracting, technical support and more.
Revise strategy in line with emerging opportunities, including new funding and fundraising opportunities.
Work with Results, Learning and Research Coordinator to establish methods for measuring and evaluating investment impact.
Pipeline Development
Develop a pipeline of potential partnerships, covering a breadth of organizations including job matching, training and more.
Maintain strong connections with the regional start-up scene, maintaining responsiveness to opportunities.
Work creatively with target partners to ideate and co-develop concepts for new products and services.
Conduct Due Diligence, vet, and prepare documentation on longlisted and shortlisted partnerships.
Take a collaborative and supportive approach when working with private sector partners.
Contracting and Partner Administration
Work with Mercy Corps legal teams to develop suitable contracting mechanism and contracts for YES! Innovation and Digital partners.
Function as focal point for contracting and partner management.
Partner Support
Provide technical support to YES! Innovation and Digital partners, including on market research, product development, and human-centered design.
Convene different actors and stakeholders for collaborations, where appropriate.
As required, bring in external expertise to support partners.
Research & Thought Leadership
Work with the Results, Learning and Research Coordinator to ensure effective learning from YES! Innovation and Digital partnerships.
Participate in, and generate insights, for Thought Leadership events on innovation and business solutions to youth employment.