Technical Associate II – Youth Platform At Catholic Relief Services

With the launch of its Vison 2030 Agency Strategy, CRS seeks to catalyze development and humanitarian outcomes at scale. To this end, CRS is investing in six Strategic Change Platforms (SCPs) of which SCP6 is focused on scaling youth livelihoods and leadership opportunities to young people. Our vision is to transform employment and entrepreneurship systems to be more responsive to the needs of young people, thereby resulting in sustained impact on the lives and livelihoods of 5 million Opportunity Youth.
The goal of this strategic change platform requires us to support and invest in initiatives that focus on scale and that address the barriers young people face. It further compels us to apply a systems lens, which requires understanding the ecosystem and working in close collaboration with the actors, including young people, who are part of these systems. By taking this approach, our efforts will ultimately contribute to changing practices and policies that af fect young people, and in particular Opportunity Youth, and permanently change the systems that serve them. Lastly, to scale and sustain youth livelihoods pathways, CRS will invest in alternative financing and business models.
One of the scale initiatives CRS is supporting is the Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN) is a multi-sector collaborative network committed to creating economic mobility for “Opportunity Youth” — young people between the ages of 15-29 who are out of school, unemployed, or working in informal jobs.
Job Summary:
You will provide technical analysis and support in the area of Youth Programming focusing on scale, in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practice to technical staff, and Country Program (CP) staff to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. Working closely with te chnical experts, your skills and knowledge will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive and innovative CRS’ scaled initiatives focusing on youth are across the globe.
Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Research and analyze technical information from a variety of sources for technical problems to support CP teams in achieving technical excellence in ongoing Youth Programming focusing on scale, including GOYN.
• Support the development of program/project documents and tools, as well as technical manuals or guidance, training materials, and quality improvement and assessment guidelines, focusing on scale initiatives.
• Prepare presentations and coordinate project communication needs through writing and editing communication resources, such as case studies, brochures, briefs, peer-reviewed articles or reports, for both internal and external audiences.
• Coordinate and/or perform various activities in support of program/project design and implementation, with a focus on the scale initiatives, including but not limited to needs assessment, strategic planning, program design and proposal writing, monitoring and evaluation, and technological solutions.
• Collect and disseminate Youth Programming focusing on scale related information and resources to CRS staff and partners and assist with organization, design and coordination of training workshops to support capacity building efforts, including in the areas of scale. Identify new approaches and methods for online learning.
• Contribute to the learning agenda by researching and analyzing information, conducting literature reviews, mappings or information gathering from various internal and external sources on assigned topics. Coordinate maintenance of virtual resource and documentation databases. Support Learning activities, including develop learning briefs on GOYN and manage CRS GOYN Communities of Practice.
• Contribute to internal and external communications efforts. This includes the reorganization and maintenance of the Youth Sharepoint site.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s in international development, or related social sciences required.
• Minimum of two to three years of relevant work experience with an international NGO, with at least of field-based programming experience on youth programming. 2-3 years of field based programming preferred.
• Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• General knowledge of technical principles and concepts in Youth Programming, including Positive Youth Development (PYD).
• Knowledge of program design requirements and regulations of major donors.
• Knowledge of project design and proposal development.
• Knowledge of latest technological tools that have the potential to be applied in Youth Programming.
• Strong English writing skills.

Required Languages: French required, Spanish desirable.
Travel – 25%

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, knowledge-sharing networks
• Experience working on GOYN strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting scale initiatives a plus.
• Prior experience with CRS a plus.

*Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
*CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer*

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.