Community Manager for the Leadership and Democracy Fellowship – Youth Leadership for Development (Youthled) Program

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Position: Community Manager for the Leadership and Democracy Fellowship

Program: Youth Leadership for Democracy (YouthLed)

Reports to: Youth Leadership Component Program Officer, YouthLed

1. Project Background and Rationale

The Asia Foundation is in search of a Community Manager for the Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Fellowship under the “Youth Leadership for Democracy” program also known as YouthLed, a USAID-funded initiative. The YouthLed program aims to strengthen youth participation in democratic governance. It promotes youth leadership as an important element of representative democracy and the youth sector as a core actor and concern in vibrant and resilient democracies. The program will advance youth leadership and youth sector political engagement in the Philippines through three interrelated components: increasing the leadership capacity of youth; strengthening networks for youth participation in governance; and translating civil education into civic engagement.

In close liaison with the Chief of Party (COP), the Senior Youth Leadership Development Specialist (SYLDS), and the Program Officer (PO) of Youth Leadership component, the Community Manager for the YouthLed LEAD Fellowship will be responsible for the development and implementation of a community development and management program for YouthLed LEAD Fellows.

The community development and management program will consist of formation of support groups and regular mentorship from experienced leaders that can relate to their experiences. Activities to foster camaraderie and deepen their journey will be co-designed and implemented with selected fellows. This community management program will also be designed to ensure that the collaborative and sustained networks transcend batches of cohorts.

Internal

Regular interaction with YouthLed Project Team members, YouthLed LEAD Fellows, and potentially staff from other programs of The Asia Foundation and USAID, Country Representative, Deputy Country Representative, Grants and Finance staff.

External

Maintains regular contact with YouthLed LEAD Fellows and other industry experts that YouthLed may engage for the Community Development and Management Program. Attendance in coordination and updating meetings and mentoring sessions with the Fellows.

2. Job functions

Development of YouthLed LEAD Fellowship Community Program:

• Recommend design and strategy of YouthLed LEAD Fellowship Community Program
• Assist the Program Officer in the development of the YouthLed Community Program
• Identify key partners in the implementation of the YouthLed LEAD Fellowship Community Program
• Assist in developing operating plans for the YouthLed LEAD Fellowship Community Program, including plans for activities and initiatives to increase collaboration and conversation, relationship-building efforts, etc.
• Help promote awareness of the YouthLed LEAD Fellowship Community Program to relevant community groups
• Actively connect and involve Batch 1 of LEAD Fellows with the upcoming batch and other youth leaders in the 12 youth clusters.
• Help adaptively manage the YouthLed LEAD Fellowship Program such as making recommendations to improve delivery and connect to related activities in the Annual Implementation Plan.

3. Requirements

Experience

• Experience in mentoring youth leaders, community leaders, young public officials, Sangguniang Kabataan officers, startups, social entrepreneurs, or MSMEs is an advantage
• Experience in community organizing and management, particularly of young leaders.
• Strong program and organizational development and management skills, with a proven background in problem-solving
• Solid knowledge and familiarity of the youth sector, democracy initiatives, youth coalitions, local and national government agencies, business industry, civic education, and civil society.

Education

• Degree in social science, development communication, public administration, economics, or other relevant fields.

Other

• Ability to work constructively with persons of diverse religious, cultural, and social backgrounds.
• Ability to work impartially with sectors involved in youth development.
• Must have a strong track record of working independently and in a diverse team environment.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to multi-task; highly organized and efficient;
• Superior spoken English, writing skills, time management, and organizational skills;
• Basic knowledge in a spoken and written regional languages such as Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Bicolano, and/or other Philippine languages is an advantage:
• Excellent capacity to handle confidential information.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications, especially Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in GSuite applications, especially Sheets, Docs, and Slides.
• Familiarity in using online collaborative processes (Cloud documentation, Sharing working documents)
• Knowledge of the programs and operations of The Asia Foundation, USAID or similar international development organizations is helpful.

4. Duration

The consultancy is expected to run for eight (8) months from Feb 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023, with the possibility of extension depending on the project scope of work and deliverables.