DREEM Deputy Project Director

DREEM Deputy Project Director

Start date: June 15, 2026

Supervisor: DREEM Project Director

Location: Preference for Nairobi, Abidjan, Accra, Kigali, Addis Ababa, or Lagos

Languages: Fluency in both English and French is required

Background:

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization driving positive education and economic change for young people around the world. Our vision is a world where every young person thrives and belongs. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to fulfill their aspirations and create their own futures. To help achieve this goal, we develop initiatives that: deliver lasting, measurable impact; are powered by partnerships across the globe; stay true to our core programming principles; and respond to the priorities and aspirations of the people with whom we work.

WUSC is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has offices across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. Our global team of development professionals bring deep expertise and open minds to identify new solutions to old problems and create a better world together. WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in the communities they serve.

Project Description:

In January 2026 WUSC had launched the second phase (2026-2031) of an exciting initiative, which aims to significantly expand efforts to help refugee, displaced, and host community (RDP) youth, particularly young women, secure dignified and fulfilling work and access education opportunities across Africa. Building on prior successes, this Phase II will deepen engagement in new geographies, strengthen local ecosystems, and equip partners with necessary knowledge and tools for lasting change. A core strategy is emphasizing the engagement and strengthening of Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) to provide sustainable, locally-led technical assistance.

Over the next five years, Phase II’s ambitious goals include indirectly enabling one million RDP youth to secure dignified work and 35,000 to access education through the provision of expert technical assistance to a broad ecosystem of actors. Key implementation strategies involve working closely with RLOs through three pathways: providing financial access via an RLO Opportunity Fund, strengthening their capacity to provide technical assistance to partners, and embedding them across Phase II’s functional areas. WUSC will serve as a network orchestrator, facilitating connections for scale and training partners and other stakeholders on RDP inclusion. The initiative will achieve its targets by increasing knowledge among partners, enhancing capacity to develop innovative programming, improving collaboration and inclusive policies, and strengthening the institutional ability of RLOs to design, implement, and sustain RDP solutions.

Role Description:

The Deputy Project Director (DPD) supports the Project Director (PD) in ensuring that the DREEM project reaches its stated results and objectives. The DPD assists with strategy and work planning, coordination and management of project staff, and overall management and administration of the project at the Pan African level. More specifically, they will have responsibility for managing the three technical pillars of the program (RLO Engagement, Technical Assistance Mechanism, and Higher Education Inclusion), and supervising each pillar’s respective Senior Technical Managers, as well as the cross-cutting Training and Curriculum Development Specialist.

Under the supervision of the Project Director, the Deputy Project Director also will work closely with project leadership team – including the Heads of Operations, Finance, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL), and the Communications and GESI Officers, and other staff – to ensure that project activities are effectively planned, implemented, and monitored. The DPD will support project staff and partner organizations to develop capacity building and training activities, mentoring and coaching interventions and follow-up support in ensuring that refugee and displaced youth are meaningfully included in higher education, employment and entrepreneurship pathways.

Under the supervision of the DREEM Project Director, the Deputy Director will work closely in collaboration with the WUSC teams in Canada and across Africa, the DREEM Youth Advisory Board and Youth Technical Committee, and the donor team at the Mastercard Foundation. If/when necessary, the DPD will deputize for the Program Director and will represent the program on her behalf.

Responsibilities:

• Lead oversight of project activities, ensuring that commitments made under annual workplans are achieved or that adaptations/changes are adequately planned for and monitored for quality assurance;
• Supporting the Project Director in providing mentoring and coaching to project staff to ensure that they are building relevant competencies in partnership management, project management and in the inclusion of refugee and displaced youth in their respective areas of work;
• Overseeing the development of capacity building tools, training materials and other resources for a diversity of partners and clients;
• Supporting and supervising the recruitment and selection of program staff and/or external technical assistance to support various facets of the project;
• Working with project and donor staff to identify and assess partners, prioritize capacity needs, identify areas of intervention, develop action plans, and help implement those plans through gender and youth sensitive training, coaching and mentoring;
• Foster relationships with sub-contractors and consultants for the implementation of the project, ensuring strategic alignment, communication, and compliance with donor regulations and internal organizational policies;
• Participating in and leading regular meetings/events with Foundation staff and partners;
• Contributing to the development of the project’s reporting, budgeting and workplanning processes, in conjunction with the Project Director and other unit Heads;
• Consult regularly with the Youth Advisory Board to ensure meaningful input and governance of the project;
• Ensure quality, consistency, and timeliness of project communication, with the donor, government counterparts and HQ colleagues;
• Providing any other managerial, administrative, technical or advisory management support as requested by the DREEM Project Director.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is a strategic, bilingual leader who combines deep technical expertise in the African forced displacement context with a proven track record of strengthening local ecosystems and Refugee-Led Organizations through a participatory, capacity-building approach.

• Master’s Degree in International Development, Education, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP, Prince2) is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English and French is required, given the Pan African scope of the role and the need to engage effectively across East, West, and Central Africa, including Francophone countries within the WAEMU region.

• Sectoral Knowledge: Significant experience in international development, specifically within inclusive market systems, higher education, or forced migration sectors on the African continent.
• Specialized Experience: Proven technical expertise in at least one of the following areas:
  • Localization and strengthening the capacity of local organizations and/or Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs).
  • Social and academic inclusion of Refugee and Displaced Persons (RDPs) in higher or technical education.
  • The design and provision of high-level technical assistance to institutional partners.
• Social Inclusion: A deep understanding of the specific constraints and systemic challenges faced by refugee and displaced youth, particularly young women.

• Project Leadership: Extensive experience in project management within development cooperation or technical assistance frameworks, including budgeting and work planning.
• People Management: Proven track record of mentoring and coaching diverse, cross-cultural teams (including remote management) to build technical and professional competencies.
• Partnership Diplomacy: Exemplary ability to manage complex partnerships and sub-contractors with diplomacy, utilizing a participatory approach to capacity development.

• Strategic Mindset: Highly analytical with a proactive, learning-oriented approach and a high attention to detail.
• Adaptability: Curious, enthusiastic, and willing to innovate within a dynamic, pan-African work environment.
• Mission Alignment: A demonstrable commitment to WUSC’s mission of building a better world for all young people, specifically displaced and refugee youth.

Other considerations:

• While the headquarters of this initiative is located in Nairobi, Kenya, there is flexibility where the DPD is based, which can be in Nairobi, Abidjan, Accra, Kigali, Addis Ababa, or Lagos. Please note that the Deputy Project Director must already possess the relevant work authorizations for their country of residence, and no relocation allowances will be provided.
• The role may require occasional travel across the African continent;
• The DPD must have the ability/willingness to work a flexible schedule.

WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence, and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation or abuse of any form. Successful applicants will be required to undertake an enhanced criminal record check where appropriate.