Head - Youth Development & Engagement Division at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head - Youth Development & Engagement Division

Requisition ID: 1879
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Contract Type: Regular
Reports to: Director, Woman Gender and Youth Development 
Directorate/Department/Organ: Woman Gender and Youth Development
Number of Direct Reports: 3
Number of Indirect Reports: 5
Job Grade: P5

Purpose of Job

• To provide strategic leadership for the design of strategies and policies relevant to youth development at the AU. 

Main Functions

• Manages the work of the Division and supervise direct reports to ensure their effective performance as per organization’s performance management policy and system; 
• Designs strategies and policies consistent with the Department’s goal in order to address the pertinent issues in the relevant area.
• Contributes to the development of the departmental business continuity plan and ensure implementation at division level.
• Manages risk within the division and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Designs and plans policy programs to achieve the strategies.
• Develops new and review activities as components of the strategies and policies.
• Addresses problems in arising to current approaches to relevant area; 
• Engages stakeholders within Members States and RECs in designing and implementing strategies.
• Represents the organisation and explain its position at conferences;  
• Mobilises funding from all donors to use to execute strategies and activities; 
• Contributes to the preparation of periodic financial and budget execution reports and monitor budget execution at division level.
• Creates an inspiring work environment to enable staff development and professional progression.

Specific Responsibilities

• Develops and reports on youth development strategies, frameworks and work plans;  
• Engages AU Members states, AU organs, AUC Departments and partners to agree on priorities and accelerate mainstreaming youth development in Africa; 
• Mobilizes and engages youth in AU youth development activities including building the capacity and providing opportunities for youth engagement and development in Africa; 
• Establishes partnerships and institutional linkages to facilitate promotion, adoption, and implementation of the relevant youth development frameworks; 
• Organizes meetings, conferences in all aspects with members States, RECs, Partners, including the monitoring of periodic reports (national and regional) on the implementation of the recommendations, decisions, plan of action and other policy frameworks; 
• Mobilizes resources for accelerated implementation of innovative youth programmes in Africa  
• Provides information, evidence and tools to catalyse actions of Member States and partners in Youth Development in Africa; 
• Implements a continent-wide communication, advocacy and dissemination programme to ensure publicity and widest dissemination of adopted continental frameworks, decisions, plan of action related to African Agenda for Youth Development; 
• Manages and coordinates the work of the youth division team including supervising work of consultants, coaching and mentoring the Youth division team; 
• Contributes to the planning, recruitment development and performance management of the division’s human resource. 

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Must have a Master's Degree in Youth Development or related Social Sciences field of study with 12 years of relevant post qualification working experience, 7 years of which should have been served be at managerial level and 5 years at supervisory level.   

Required Skills:

• Leadership skills  
• Problem solving and analytical skills  
• Organisational and planning skills  
• Interpersonal and communication skills  
• People management and team building skills 
• Managerial Skills  
• Knowledge and understanding of AU policies, regulations and programs 
• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages, fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Perspective
• Developing Others
• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies:

• Building Relationship
• Foster Accountability Culture
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with impact.

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual thinking.

Tenure of Appointment

• The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period.
• Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

Gender Mainstreaming:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Remuneration

• Indicative basic salary of US$  50,746.00 (P5 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 26,208.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Application Closing Date
21st July, 2023 at 11h59 p.m. EAT.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.
• Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as diplomas, Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.
• The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates from less represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles. These countries include Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe., Seychelles, Somalia and Tunisia.