Description
Title: Youth Program Officer
Department: Youth Leadership Program
Reports to: Senior Manager, Youth Leadership Program
Matrix Management: N/A
Supervises: N/A
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Position Summary
The AWF Youth Engagement Strategy has 3 pillars, namely:
Leadership, Opportunities and Networks. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Youth
Leadership Program, this candidate will be responsible for coordinating the
alumni community of AWF while implementing emerging youth projects such as
the AWF GIS fellowship, b. We Are Nature:
Youth Biodiversity Challenge and c. Training,
innovation and growth opportunities for socially and environmentally impact
oriented start-ups
AWF has consistently trained youth conservation leaders in
different sectors. As of 2025, the number of current and alumni fellows of the
AWF-Wall Youth Leadership Program is 108. This is complemented by the alumni of
the African Conservation Voices initiative and will continue to grow, as the
foundation expands its portfolio of leadership initiatives. This role will
ensure that AWF alumni from various programs are engaged and empowered to
continue driving conservation action and policy. The role will also coordinate
emerging initiatives, ensuring timely and effective implementation.
The role will deliver its work while ensuring key focus to
overall AWF priorities and strategic direction.
The required capabilities for this position are a strong
commitment to the program and organization by being able to work with minimal
supervision, being a team player with interpersonal skills, the ability to
build communities and coordinate projects.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Program Development, Management and Training
- Design
and drive the AWF Alumni Community.
- Coordinate
the AWF GIS fellowship, we are Nature: Youth Biodiversity Challenge,
Training, innovation and growth opportunities for socially and
environmentally impact oriented start-ups and other emerging initiatives.
- Coordinate
the recruitment and supervision of experts/contract institutions as
required to undertake tasks of the implementation of the AWG GIS
fellowship.
- Coordinate
the recruitment of trainee candidates for the AWF GIS fellowship and
participants for the We Are Nature: Youth Biodiversity Challenge.
- Develop
workplans and deliver on the activities as scheduled.
- Maintain
records on technical and financial aspects of program operation, including
monitoring of project activities and their outcomes, as well as minutes,
decisions and recommendations of meetings and workshops.
Partnership and Communications
- Support
the establishment and maintenance of partnerships that can support the AWF
Leadership Community, AWF GIS fellowship and other emerging initiatives.
- Ensure
effective liaison and maintain good communication with relevant
stakeholders.
- Support
to generating ideas for products and initiatives that tell and communicate
the powerful stories of young people.
Measuring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
- Work
with the AWF M&E global team to ensure that MEAL tools are developed,
rolled out and analyzed according to institutional metrics; indicators are
tracked; and findings inform the Youth Programming.
- Coordinate
with communications and the Knowledge management department teams so that
most significant change stories are documented, filed, and disseminated.
Other
- Support
other administrative and other services as required.
Rights-based Conservation
Human rights are a guiding principle in the AWF Strategic
Vision 2020-2030, embedded in our core principles and core values. AWF’s
mission is to ensure that wildlife and wildlands thrive in modern Africa. AWF
understands a modern Africa to be an Africa in which human rights are fulfilled
and commits to respect, protect, and always promote human rights, irrespective
of ethnic group, gender, race, sexual orientation, age, or class by adopting a
rights-based conservation approach. The role holder will come into
contact with a wide range of stakeholders and will be required to demonstrate
commitment to and a good understanding of AWF’s Rights Based Conservation
approaches, values, and principles.
Requirements and skills
- At
least 3 years’ working experience in coordinating alumni programs and
coordinating projects.
- Experience
in facilitating in person and online discussions.
- A
bachelor’s in environmental sciences, conservation, business, or social
sciences. Experience in related disciplines (or) significant international
experience can be substituted for degree relevance.
- Extensive
experience in engaging youth via social media platforms, namely: LinkedIn,
Facebook, Instagram, X and tiktok.
- Strong
coordination and time management skills including ability to develop
workplans and oversee their timely implementation.
- Good
multi-cultural and interpersonal skills and experience in networking with
partners at all levels (ministry, donors, private sector, NGOs, and local
community-based organizations).
- Experience
working with or in international organizations.
- Keen
interest in Conservation and AWF’s mission.
- Proven
written, analytical, presentation and reporting skills and computing
skills.
- Fluency
in spoken and written English and French.
Application Deadline: August 5, 2025