Youth Enterprise Development and Partnership Officer

The youth enterprise development and partnership officer for YES-Amhara II will have a strong thematic background in youth employability, youth enterprise development, as well as training, mentoring, and coaching youth enterprises and WASHCOs or water users’ associations/WUAs. Technical support will be provided to ensure the project is implemented successfully and that the project’s objectives, outcomes, and outputs are achieved, while adhering to the principles, working approaches, and strategies of HELVETAS and the YES-Amhara II initiative. For the delivery of project activities, it is expected that she/he will work with youth enterprises and youth structures, and WASHCOs/WUAs, as well as, local government structures, the private sectors, and other partners/stakeholders.

Main roles:

• Facilitate and coordinate the provision of trainings and formation of youth enterprises to meet the ultimate criteria regarding interest, commitment, and qualification, in collaboration with relevant government and other stakeholders in the zones and respective Woredas.
• Provide thematic, technical, and methodological support to the youth enterprises and key actors including project signatories at the zonal as well as youth groups for better achievement of the project outputs and outcomes.
• Support proper functioning of potential youth enterprises, encourage, and advise on additional business networks, learning, and experience sharing and spotting opportunities for income earning and enterprise sustainability.
• Provide technical support and advise to project implementing partners in the legalization and strengthening of WASHCOs/WUAs.
• Support the demand creation for operation and maintenance, training for water, sanitation and hygiene committees (WASHCOs) leaders and kebele leaders in order to define the roles and responsibilities of each stake holder (Helvetas, woreda water and energy offices, labor & training offices, youth enterprises, WASHCOs, and the community at large as well as to make clear that the operation and maintenance service is a paid service from water tariff as well as cash collection from community exclusively.
• Ensure functional linkage among youth enterprises, water users, and other potential industries using innovative approaches in line with the government youth employment strategies and policies.
• Collaborate with the zonal and woreda water, irrigation, and energy offices to establish an effective system for better community ownership and management so as to create willingness to pay for water and demand for service of the youth groups.
• Organize and facilitate a zonal multi stakeholders’ forums inclusive of all relevant partners to create common understanding and joint action on post-construction support for sustainable water supply service.
• With support and guidance from the project manager, prepare annual plan of operations, annual, semi-annual, and quarterly progress reports based on reporting templates, and prepare youth enterprises progress, market linkage and partnership related monthly progress report for team reflection.

  Specific Tasks: 

• Develop detailed implementation plan at site level based on the endorsed project agreement document and work plan.
• Facilitate carrier and employment counseling for youth enterprises with business development service (BDS).
• Facilitate the delivery of Business skill training, life skills and entrepreneurship including business plan development.
• Actively follow-up life-skill and entrepreneurship training and provide capacity building training for youth enterprises when needed.
• Actively follow-up youth enterprises training sessions and take feedbacks regarding the training quality and contents of training for future improvement.
• Support YEs to diversify their business;
• Coordinate and facilitate sensitization and awareness creation to WASHCOs and end users on community ownership and management and the need for payment of users’ fee.
• Facilitate training for zones and woreda water and energy offices experts’ on the procedures of WASHCO legalization.
• Facilitate woreda water and energy offices in the legalization of WASHCOs;
• Facilitate and follow WASH committee members capacity building trainings- water supply scheme operation, management, and maintenance, promotion of hygiene and sanitation, promotion of use of sanitary products, energy technologies, record keeping and financial administration.
• Continuous support, coordination, and networking between key actors to strengthen the link between youth enterprises and user communities (through WASHCOs).
• Facilitate the linkage of youth enterprises with MFIs and other supporting partners and access to the revolving fund to diversify business.
• Document and share learning and innovations and best practices through showcases, story clips, news articles to sensitize and mobilize water user communities.
• Document feedbacks from partners and look for alternative improvements on lessons learnt and better practices on youth enterprise mode.
• Support project manager and regional implementing partners in the development or review of directives, other rules and procedures, manuals etc that will contribute to influence policy issues;
• Monitor project activities in accordance with the project milestones, working collaboratively with government and other partners.
• Participate in regular project reviews and experience exchange meetings, share lessons learnt, and represent Helvetas’ views and roles.
• Plan and prepare TOR for different occasions, training and workshops related with youth enterprise capacity development and community ownership and management of WASH facilities.
• Work with MEAL officer on project monitoring activities, documentation and sharing of learning and innovations, regular project review meetings, and other related activities.
• Represent the YES-Amhara II project and/or Helvetas Ethiopia at zonal and woreda level in events or forums that will be held at zonal level.
• Interested and able to travel to rural areas to oversee project activities and provide technical support.
• Volunteer for temporary relocation in one of the project zones if the need arises.
• Works other activities that will be given by line project manager or supervisor.