Location: Zanzibar   

Contract Length: 1 year, renewable  

Commitment: Full time, 37.5 hours/week   

Compensation:  3,200,000 Tsh per month  

Start Date: September 2023 

About Youth Challenge International (YCI)  

YCI is a leading global youth development organization that promotes youth innovation to drive positive change. Together with our partners we create market ready solutions that catapult youth around the world to succeed and prosper; we are driven by youth and their potential to affect positive change in the world. Our solutions are focused – always keeping the young people we are designing for and with at the center of the conversation. Our approach is rooted in creativity and constantly evolving to respond to changing needs and market realities.  YCI is an organization where diversity and talent come together to shape a better future for youth around the world.  

HerStart: Innovate the Future  

HerStart: Innovate the Future is an initiative developed by YCI to catalyze and propel a more equitable and prosperous economy within Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda. By investing in locally driven solutions and integrating the skillsets of 310 Canadian Fellows, HerStart aims to engage 10,000 young women to participate in the design and development of innovative solutions to the challenges that their communities face.  

The program includes training and support for aspiring entrepreneurs in social enterprise, gender responsive business planning, social impact measurement, and access to finance. Canadian volunteers will be engaged in providing human capital support for activities through on-site placements and capacity building initiatives with partner organizations. This initiative provides programmatic support for organizations to more effectively deliver environmental and gender-responsive activities that drive sustainable and equitable business ventures. The entrepreneurial ecosystem in each country will be further catalyzed to identify and reduce gendered barriers, which will foster more enabling environments for young female entrepreneurs. 

Training Materials   

HerStart offers participants three levels of programming and training to support in the following areas: gaining awareness of their own self-development and building leadership skills and confidence; increasing understanding of the potential of social impact through business; identifying opportunities in the green economy and gaining relevant green skills; and developing the knowledge and skills needed to bring an innovative business idea to life.

Position Summary  

Reporting to the Project Lead in Zanzibar, the Social Entrepreneurship Manager will play a key role in supporting young women entrepreneurs to refine and implement their micro and small businesses. Utilizing a participatory approach, the Social Entrepreneurship Manager will bring expertise and creativity to the sustainable development of micro and small business to HerStart participants and will explore opportunities to contribute to and strengthen an inclusive environment for young women starting or growing their business in Zanzibar. Collaborating with partner organizations, the YCI team and Canadian volunteers, the Social Entrepreneurship Manager will coordinate activities related to coaching, mentorship and funding for HerStart participants, including the HerStart Catalyst Fund and the Technology Accessibility Resource Allocation (TARA). 

We are seeking a passionate, skilled, and creative candidate with social entrepreneurship experience to deliver exceptional results.  We are looking for people to join our team who believe in youth as powerful agents of change, and those who are passionate about contributing to women’s empowerment and advancing both national and global gender equality agendas.  

Responsibilities Include:  

• Social Enterprise Development: Design and manage the HerStart coaching program to inspire a culture of entrepreneurship across the program in Tanzania; Provide direct one-on-one coaching and technical assistance to HerStart entrepreneurs, including new start-ups and established enterprises; Utilize tools such as the Business Model Canvas to inform participants enterprise research, prototyping and planning, and market appropriate value chain opportunities; Lead coaching and support for HerStart participants to access the Catalyst Fund and Technology Accessibility Resource Allocation (TARA) processes; Provide partners, staff and volunteers with coaching on how to effectively support small business development; Engage skills-based Canadian volunteers and leverage their expertise in the development and delivery of initiatives; Record business successes and activities and maintain participant data records and capture and facilitate shared learning between project stakeholders.
• Technical Assistance:Lead capacity assessment to address capacity building needs of stakeholders, women entrepreneurs, trainers, facilitators, mentors and business coaches to better meet the needs of HerStart entrepreneurs; Develop and oversee the technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to HerStart partners and facilitators; Monitor and support HerStart entrepreneurs’ Catalyst Fund financial proposals to ensure adherence to delivery of targets; Identify and share best practices and lessons learned to guide small enterprises improvement and strategy growth planning.  
• Ecosystem Development: Grow and maintain a network of robust mentors who can tangibly support enterprise development; Refer entrepreneurs to resources necessary to maximize business growth including funding opportunities, networks, professional services (legal, accounting, planning department) and mentorship opportunities. 
• Training and Support: Provide technical support in the preparation of training modules and learning materials on main project themes, including social entrepreneurship, green business and women’s leadership development and contribute to ongoing quality improvement of training materials and processes.
• Volunteer Management: Supervise an international and/or national volunteer in their professional deliverables that advance the goals of HerStart, and/or partner organizations; Provide coaching and mentorship to ensure their meaningful engagement and integration into the HerStart program. 

Skills and Experience:    

You are a self-starter with 5+ years of enterprise development experience in Tanzania, preferably in Zanzibar; you are passionate about investing in women and youth livelihoods and inspired by the potential of innovation and entrepreneurship; you have a talent for fostering relationships with young people and diverse stakeholders; you are aligned with the Lean Startup approach and familiar with design thinking; you have demonstrated the ability to mentor and support ventures at both the start-up and growth phase, informed by a strong network and keen understanding of the Zanzibari entrepreneurial ecosystem; you possess a learning orientation and willingness to participate in ongoing professional and personal development; you thrive as a team member and work respectfully and inclusively with diverse stakeholders, including international volunteers; you are passionate about participatory approaches to training and learning and have experience in facilitation; you demonstrate an integrated understanding of the principles of gender equality and the empowerment of young women, including a familiarity with the socio-economic profile of young women in Zanzibar; you should demonstrate commitment to issues and programs in gender equality and women’s empowerment, and experience with new business development and implementation. Ideally, this person should have field program experience with gendered approaches to small enterprises development and climate issues. 

Language:  

You are an effective communicator with excellent written and verbal English and Swahili proficiency. 

Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation  
YCI recognizes the unequal power dynamics inherent in international development work and our responsibility to protect the human rights of the communities we serve and provide an environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse. Youth Challenge International (YCI) commits to a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA).  

How to apply:  

Link to application can be found by clicking the apply button. Please submit your CV as a single PDF document, maximum 4 pages, saved in the following format: “First Name Last Name_ Social Entrepreneurship Manager”
 

Deadline to apply is 11:59 EAT (East African Time) on August 18, 2023, however applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage early submissions. 

Youth Challenge International provides equal employment opportunities regardless of gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, or marital status. As such, we encourage groups who have been historically disadvantaged with respect to employment to apply for positions at Youth Challenge International.