Project Specialist, Youth Inclusion and Employment

Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organization working for better lives for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Our global strategy has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalized and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over 5 years, to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to reaching the sustainable development goals, and in particular the goals on gender equality. Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need bold, forward-thinking and innovative individuals to lead our country operations, driving change and delivering results that will allow us to have Girls Standing Strong for Global Change.  
 

Plan started working in Egypt in 1981 and has a presence in five of the 27 governorates in which the country including Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, Assuit and Aswan. Plan international Egypt implements programmes designed to enable communities to improve the lives of the most marginalised children and their families. Plan Egypt’s Country Strategy focuses on five strategic objectives.

Through a five-interconnected, gender transformative and context-fit country objectives, PIE intends along with the various stakeholders at all levels to continue delivering positive and transformative changes so that “Children, especially girls, and young people grow up in an enabling environment, realizing their rights and contributing in both development and humanitarian settings as active agents of change”.

Driven by the overall purpose of PII and anchored on Plan International core values, bolder commitment to gender transformation and feminist leadership, program quality and influencing and a more vibrant and efficient operating model.

The post holder reports to DAPP country expert and is responsible for providing top quality technical advice and program development approaches in the area of capturing and generating learning, private sector engagement and job placement towards youth inclusion and employment.

Role Purpose

The post holder reports to DAPP country expert and is responsible for providing top quality technical advice and program development approaches in the area of capturing and generating learning, private sector engagement and job placement towards youth inclusion and employment

Background of the Project

The project focuses on enabling young people to be inspired and included in economic life. Both burgeoning entrepreneurs and youth in search of employment are targeted. Upcoming entrepreneurs will be supported through the building of life skills and inclusion into relevant business ecosystems in order to establish themselves and make a living by bringing their ideas to life. Youth in search of employment will build technical skills to ensure that they have the qualifications needed in the labour market. All of this will aim at ensuring that their employability is enhanced at the same time as their own capacity to secure a job is enhanced.

The main outputs of the project are:

1. Inclusion: Inclusion of youth to engage productively in society.
2. Skills development: Technical skills development for increased capacity and employability.
3. Enabling entrepreneurs: Access to business development services and mentoring for entrepreneurs. 
4. Access to Finance: Better access to finance for entrepreneurs.
5. Business environment: Improved business environment for entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Management scope, reporting lines, key relationships

Scope:

The post holder reports to DAPP Senior country expert and is responsible for providing top quality technical advice and program development approaches in the area of capturing and generating learning, private sector engagement and job placement towards youth inclusion and employment.

Direct reports: No

Key relationships

Internal

• Program Implementation (High Contact)
• Program Strategy team (high contact).
• Support Services team (high contact).

External

• Respective project’s partners (CSOs and other stakeholders as relevant) to ensure their best engagement in the program implementation. 
• Respective National Office (DNO) for frequent support, coordination and follow up.
• Respective donor’s representatives during field visits.

Level of contact with children

• Low level of contact with children

Physical Environment

• Typical Office environment with 30% field work.

Accountabilities and main work activities

Technical Role

• Provide technical input and guidance to the project’s team to achieve the project’s targets.
• Provide day to day Technical support to the team.

Program Delivery

• Support and facilitate work related to relationship management with the private sector companies, financial/non-financial institutions and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate networking and partnership opportunities with different relevant stakeholders, including women’s networks, training institutions, business incubators as well as provide access to business development services.
• Capture learnings and generate evidence (focusing on youth inclusion, life and technical skills, entrepreneurship, job fairs and financial assistance - grants/ loans - for entrepreneurs) to set the course of action and guide the project evolvement towards achieving the overall objective and outcomes.
• Provide the project team with useful data and information on the socio-economic issues that affects youth inclusion and employment in Egypt.
• Provide regular analysis of the economic environment in Egypt, identifying the implications on the project and providing suggested maneuvers/solutions for readjustment of the project interventions if feasible.

• Support in identifying the opportunities for youth entrepreneurs to benefit from funds provided by different institutions and the private sector and other donors.

• In collaboration with and guidance of the Youth Economic Empowerment Advisor, support in the implementation of relevant impactful advocacy activities and campaigns with key stakeholders for supporting the realization the project goal.
• In collaboration with and guidance of the Youth Economic Empowerment Advisor and Gender Advisor, support the project team to build the capacity of partners for mainstreaming gender transformative approaches in their activities.

• Support the country expert in mobilization and assessment of the project target groups.
• Support the country expert in capacity building of project team as needed.
• Support the country expert in overseeing the process of creating young entrepreneurs: throughout the whole process of development of business plans, mentorship, identification of challenges and mitigation strategies…etc. 
• Promote green technical knowledge and skills that can unleash the economic potential in the green transition.
• Facilitate access to online training opportunities.

Networking

• Establish a strong network and partnerships with private sector companies, financial/non-financial institutions, business incubators, training institutions e.g. TVET and other relevant stakeholders as needed.
• Capture learnings and generate evidence (focusing on youth inclusion, life and technical skills, entrepreneurship, job fairs and financial assistance - grants/ loans - for entrepreneurs) to set the course of action and guide the project evolvement towards achieving the overall objective and outcomes.
• Provide high technical support and capacity building to DAPP project team in his areas of expertise as required.
• Facilitate knowledge building through developing, implementing and monitoring the capacity building initiatives in the area of youth inclusion and employment.
• Identify funding opportunities for youth entrepreneurs through different institutions, private sector companies and relevant donors.
• Link youth with financial and non-financial institutions.

Advocacy, Influencing, and Visibility

• Represent Plan International Egypt at the governorate and national level to implement the advocacy activities as stated in the project.  
• Support with technical documentation of evidence from the project and write stories of change when required.  

Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)

• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in project design, during implementation and as principles applied in day-to-day work of Programme team;

Leadership Competencies

• Setting and communicating ambitious but realistic work goals and priorities, explaining how these contribute to Plan International's purpose.
• Holding self and others to account for what we have agreed, dealing with poor performance quickly, firmly and constructively.
• Creating a positive team spirit, helping people work well together, to reflect and continuously improve the efficiency and quality of what we do.

Business Management Competencies

• Aware of partner relationships effectively by: anticipating future need; appointing based on programme and organisational needs; communicating Plan International’s core standards; undertaking assessments and reviews.
• Aware of the programme and project management procedures relevant to their role.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Qualifications / experience essential:

Education:

Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in economics, business administration, International Development, or in other related Social Sciences

Preferred: Master’s degree in Economics or business administration.

Experience: Three years, including:

• Entrepreneurship, economic empowerment, manual development, business, gender development, research, mentoring, coaching, training and stakeholders’ relations.
• Experience in working with, and building partnerships with private sector and civil society organizations at different levels (community to international).
• Knowledge of best practices and specific challenges around engaging youth in entrepreneurship and employment.

Knowledge and understanding of the local context and of interaction with local development actors and communities.

• Understanding of and commitment to the promotion of gender equality, child protection and inclusion of the most vulnerable.
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and team work abilities.
• Ability to work under stress and pressure and to meet multiple deadlines and targets.
• Experience in planning, budgeting, work plans development, projects implementation, monitoring, and reporting and evaluation.

Technical competencies

Knowledge:

• Advanced understanding of the development needs with extensive knowledge of the techniques of youth economic empowerment and their vulnerability from birth to adulthood, the root causes of the issues affecting them, and the key actors most relevant to their interests and therefore to our work
• Advanced knowledge of the rationale and practical implications of being rights-based, gender transformative, participatory, working in partnership; evidence-based and working to strengthen civil society.
• Knowledge of development issues in general and youth issues in particular including but not limited to respective trends, challenges, opportunities and implications to community development.

Skills

• Providing clear direction and support to team members.
• Using on-going and effective monitoring and assessment techniques, working closely with project team to improve the quality of implementation.
• Interpreting and contextualising data, assesses results and draws conclusions to inform initiatives and clearly communicating the results of evaluation and lessons learned as appropriate.
• Numeracy and the ability to interpret financial data, in order to provide management support to budgetary processes including planning, monitoring and reporting.
• Ability to communicate effectively and build high performance teams in support of achievement of organisational objectives.
• Ability to interact and work effectively with others at all levels.
• Extensive project management skills including efficient budget management skills.
• Excellent analytical, financial and administrative skills.
• Strong skills in leadership, facilitation, negotiation, problem-solving, and decision-making.
• Team player with ability to manage team members remotely.
• Fluency in communication in English both verbal and written.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Time management skills.

Behaviour

• Promotes and guarantees safety and security behaviours and procedures for self and the team.
• Takes the time and patience to understand the concerns of other people and takes care of them as individuals.
• Avoids any negative impact of implementation – Do No Harm

Job Location: Greater Cairo Program Area, Maadi

Type of Role:  Fixed-term contract

Reports to: Senior Country Expert, DAPP  

Work mode: On-site

Closing Date: 10/04/2025

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.