Location: Kenya, Ghana, Senegal or South Africa

 

SUMMARY

 

Arizona State University seeks qualified candidates to serve as Chief of Party on an anticipated USAID project supporting the next-generation expression of the Regional Leadership Centers (RLC) component of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI), the United States’ premier investment in young African leaders. As the on-continent component of the YALI program, in 2015 USAID launched four YALI RLCs at higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa. The RLCs have provided access to leadership and functional training to 22,000 young leaders aged 18–35 from 49 sub-Saharan countries in three tracks: business and entrepreneurship, public management, and civic leadership. YALI 2030 will build on the RLC foundation to create an expanded pan-African youth development model that will harmonize training curriculum, serve underrepresented/underserved youth, build alumni network capacity and professional development opportunities, and develop new program-related partnerships with the private sector and other stakeholders and donors. The COP of YALI 2030 will be based in an African country and provide overall project leadership and oversight. ASU has hosted YALI Mandela Washington Fellows annually since 2014, led public management cohorts at the East Africa Regional Leadership Center, collaborates with the Mastercard Foundation on an eLearning Initiative with African universities, implemented higher education projects for USAID with multiple universities on the continent, and maintains an African hub and a network of alumni through ASU-Thunderbird School of Global Management

 

This position will be based in Kenya, Ghana, Senegal or South Africa and is contingent upon award funding.

 

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversee technical and operational management of the project, directing a dispersed regional technical team and liaising closely with ASU leadership and faculty.

• Drive an overall strategic vision and unified culture among YALI 2030 implementing hubs that fully engages and adapts to the diverse stakeholders in African regions.

• Develop and strengthen effective relationships with YALI’s wide range of stakeholders, including private sector actors, NGOs and civil society, other USAID and development donors’ programs.

• Act as the primary point of contact with USAID’s project AOR ensuring close collaboration in adaptive management of the project and timely reporting on activities and results.

• Recruit, motivate, mentor and supervise technical and operations staff.

• Oversee project budgeting and forecasting, financial management, and awards and implementation of subawards and grants.

• Oversee a robust communications strategy.

• Develop and oversee a private sector engagement strategy to support sustainability of the YALI development model.

• Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion principles as well as those of USAID’s Positive Youth Development approach in all aspects of the project

• Oversee monitoring, evaluation and learning activities.

• Other related duties as assigned.

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Qualifications

• Citizenship or residency in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal or South Africa and work authorization in those countries strongly preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field required (leadership development, higher education, youth development, economic development); master’s degree highly preferred

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive professional experience in implementing similarly complex programming, including at least 5 years’ experience leading USAID projects

• Demonstrated understanding of sub-Saharan Africa and recent developments required

• Demonstrated diplomatic and communications skills and ability to establish effective relationships with senior government officials, higher education leaders, and officials of civil society and donor organizations

• Fluency in spoken and written English required; working proficiency in French highly preferred

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ABOUT ASU

Arizona State University is a public learning enterprise, and our mission is to collaborate with higher education and youth development systems around the world to transform the model for preparing learners to create solutions for global challenges. ASU began its own intentional redesign for access, excellence, and impact in 2002. Six years later, Newsweek hailed ASU as “one of the most radical redesigns in higher learning since the modern research university took shape.” By 2016 and again for the following seven years, U.S. News and World Report has named ASU the #1 innovative U.S. university. ASU ranks #1 in the U.S. and #2 globally for university impact on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Times Higher Education, 2022). ASU is eager to collaborate with and learn alongside youth development enterprises in emerging economies to meet shared and escalating challenges young people face globally. Since 2010, ASU has successfully implemented projects in the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean for USAID, the State Department, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Inter-American Development Bank, and private sector donors including foundations such as Mastercard and Gates. Through its University Design Institute, ASU is partnering with 90 institutions in 20 countries to assist universities that seek to catalyze lifelong learning and professional development for young leaders. Deriving from our call to “measure us not by whom we exclude but by whom we include and how they succeed,” positive youth development is core to everything ASU does to prepare young people to impact the equitable governance, prosperity, and resilience of their societies.

 

This job description summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. ASU reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

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ASU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

 

How To Apply: Qualified applicants should submit a CV and cover letter highlighting fit for the position to recruitment@broderickhaightconsulting.com with the subject line "ASU YALI 2030 COP”

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