In alignment with the youth-centric focus of the project, we encourage applicants with progressive and modernized thinking, and innovative and transformational approaches to required project deliverables.

Position Title: Lead – Youth Engagement and Advocacy

Department: USAID BIJOYEE Activity

Number of Position: 01

Location: Based at CARE Bangladesh Dhaka Office

Duration: Duration of the contract will be up to June 21, 2028

I. Job Summary:

CARE is one of the world's leading international humanitarian and development organizations, committed to helping people in poor communities improve their lives and alleviate poverty. Founded in 1945, CARE is working with over 121 countries to fight global poverty and marginalization. CARE has been active in Bangladesh since 1949 and is one of the largest programs in CARE confederation. Women and girls are at the core of all CARE programs because they represent half of the marginalized group, and it is not possible to overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE Bangladesh works to implement programs with long-term impacts that result in sustainable changes for the extreme poor and marginalized communities.

CARE, in partnership with a consortium of nine partners, is implementing the USAID Bijoyee Activity, a five-year project that aims to increase the meaningful participation of Bangladeshi youth within their communities and in the economy. This will be achieved through three objectives: 1) Promote equitable access to economic opportunities, 2) Strengthen youth leadership through targeted support of local youth-led and youth-serving organizations in order to promote youth participation as decision makers and key contributors to individual, household, community, and national well-being and 3) Strengthen youth systems, in partnership with youth, to provide more coordinated and effective services, practices, and policies that embody the principles of Positive Youth Development (PYD). Bijoyee will replicate proven best practices to scale up innovative and inclusive interventions that will empower people with disabilities, the indigenous population, the SOGI population and other marginalized groups. The project will be implemented across 18 districts.

CARE is inviting qualified Bangladeshi professionals to apply for the position of Youth Engagement and Advocacy Lead (YEA Lead ). The Youth Engagement and Advocacy Lead will be based in Dhaka and will report to the Chief of Party. S/he will lead a technical team of three, including Civic Engagement Specialist, Gender & Inclusion Specialist and Policy and Advocacy specialist. The YEA Lead will provide strategic guidance to the Bijoyee Project Management Unit (PMU) and the hub-level teams in the areas of policy and advocacy, youth engagement in civic actions and Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI). The YEA Lead will be responsible for program quality across various levels and ensuring that program objectives are met for objectives 2 and 3. The successful candidate should possess significant experience at the senior level with a particular focus on managing complex multi-year programs, especially with international donor-funded projects.

ii. Responsibilities and Tasks:  
Responsibility #1: Oversight and Strategic Management of Youth Engagement and Advocacy activities
30%
  • Develop strategies to increase youth leadership and sustain participation in political, electoral, and civic processes across Bijoyee.
  • Coordinate youth-centered initiatives such as youth advisory groups, knowledge dissemination, and events around international awareness days.
  • Provide strategic and technical backstopping to Bijoyee’s technical leads, supporting quality implementation of youth-focused project activities.
  • Deliver technical assistance to regional and administrative teams on promoting youth participation, empowerment, and mainstreaming youth considerations into Bijoyee’s project and CARE’s policies.
  • Guide the implementation of the Bijoyee youth political inclusion learning agenda and ensure alignment with USAID youth-centered priorities among partners, implementers, and Youth-Led Organizations (YLOs).

 

Responsibility #2: Oversight and Strategic Management of Government Relations and Youth Policy Advocacy

20%
  • Develop and maintain strategic relationships with the Department of Youth Development under the Ministry of Youth and Sports
  • Develop Bijoyee’s youth policy advocacy strategy, ensuring Bijoyee’s objectives align with national youth development priorities. Provide guidance to technical staff on strategy implementation.
  • Collaborate with government officials to co-design policy recommendations that support youth inclusion, skills development, and employability initiatives, addressing gaps in current youth policies.
  • Facilitate regular dialogue and consultations with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to promote awareness and adoption of Bijoyee’s innovative youth engagement approaches, ensuring government buy-in and support for sustainable impact at the policy level.

 

Responsibility #3: Oversight and Strategic Management of Gender and Inclusion Activities

25%
  • Ensure diverse youth participation and active engagement of youth from marginalized groups, including those with disabilities, Dalit communities, ethnic minorities, and SOGIES (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression & Sex Characteristics) in all Bijoyee activities.
  • Provide strategic and technical guidance to Bijoyee’s Gender and Inclusion Specialist to establish and implement diversity standards at the program and partner level, ensuring that project activities and engagement efforts are inclusive and accessible for all youth, with a strong focus on equitable representation.
  • Collaborate with partners to integrate inclusion principles across implementation phases

 

Responsibility #4: Collaboration, Reporting and Documentation

20%
  • Engage with key external stakeholders, including youth and inclusion points of contact at USAID, to keep up to date on emerging youth inclusion trends and to communicate key aspects of BIJOYEE’s youth practice.
  • Foster cooperation and drive consensus by ensuring buy-in on consortium-level decisions pertaining to youth civic participation.
  • Attend local and international industry events, conferences, and networking sessions to stay up-to-date with emerging trends and opportunities.
  • Oversee youth-related reporting and USAID requirements, including quarterly reports, annual reports, work plans, and data calls.
  • Coordinate with field partners to support documentation and submission of project deliverables, ensuring alignment with donor expectations and timelines.

 

Responsibility #5: Responsibilities on Safety and Security, Gender and Inclusion and Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults:

5%

As part of this role, the job holder must adhere to and support CARE Bangladesh’s Safety and Security policy and systems as part of their day-to-day duties and comply with safety & security protocols and directives, including reporting. Staff must maintain situational and self–awareness and be aware of the safety – security-related consequences of their actions upon themselves, their team, and the organization.

CARE is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity, and financial misconduct, and expects staff to promote the welfare of children, young people, and adults always.  CARE expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our Code of Conduct.  We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate this commitment are recruited to work with us.
Gender equality and inclusion are fundamental at CARE, promoting equal rights and challenging discriminatory norms to achieve social justice. We foster an inclusive workplace respecting diverse gender identities, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences through dialogue, training, and diversity initiatives. All CARE staff must uphold ethical standards, following codes of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation, and neglect. Regular monitoring ensures accountability to uphold these principles and support our mission of social justice and poverty alleviation.
III. Reporting:  

Lead – Youth Engagement and Advocacy will be directly reportable to CoP, will work closely with DCoP, Lead – Partnership and Workforce Development, implementing partners, CARE Mentors pool, peer colleagues, relevant consortium and implementing organization and project management unit.
IV. Working Condition:  

The incumbent will be based in Dhaka office, spend significant time in the field and maintain regular communication with partner organizations.
V. Qualification:  
  • Master’s / Bachelor’s degree in political science, International Development, Gender Studies, or related field.
  • 10-12 years of relevant experience including programs focused on youth leadership and engagement, youth economic empowerment, youth civic education, or civil society strengthening. USAID program management preferred. 
  • Proven leadership in management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic governance planning and thinking, management and supervision, and experience managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple program partner institutions.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated interpersonal and negotiation skills.
  • Experience in implementing a project’s vision, aligning key stakeholders with that vision and ensuring that vision is translated into achievable strategies.
  • Experience in managing required programmatic reporting. 
  • Demonstrated commitment to gender equity.
  • Demonstrated skills in adapting project team and scope to the rapid evolution of the context.
  • Required oral and written fluency in English. 
  • Ability and willingness to travel as required.

Candidates need to be highly motivated and committed to CARE Bangladesh’s vision, mission, and long-term development work to significantly improve the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalized Candidates must be capable of displaying great learning agility, support and encourage knowledge sharing across projects, for the ultimate benefit of all of CARE’s mission wide initiatives.
 
Compensation

Monthly gross salary: BDT 232,630 (Negotiable). In addition, CARE offers Provident Fund, Gratuity, Festival Bonus, Leave Encashment, Life and Health Insurance, Working Mother Benefits and Day Care Facilities etc.

Interested candidates meeting the above requirements should apply through CARE Bangladesh’s e-recruitment site: https://career.carebangladesh.org/ on or before November 23, 2024. 

Note:

  • CARE Bangladesh aims to attract and select a diverse workforce ensuring equal opportunity to everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, HIV status, class, ethnicity, disability, location and religion.
  • Women are particularly encouraged to apply.
  • Any personal persuasion/phone-call will result in disqualification of candidature. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.
  • CARE Bangladesh has a non-negotiable policy of ZERO TOLERANCE towards discrimination, harassment and abuse. All employees are expected to abide by the CARE International Safeguarding Policy.
  • Internal and external applicants shall be treated equally in the entire selection process.
  • To ensure transparent processes during recruitment, internal candidates should discuss potential applications with their Line Managers to ensure endorsement of their applications by respective Line Managers.
  • CARE Bangladesh participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from candidate’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All CARE Bangladesh’s offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
  • THERE IS NO COST INVOLVED WITH APPLYING FOR POSITIONS WITH CARE BANGLADESH. ANY SOLICITATION OF JOB APPLICATION COSTS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS FRAUDULENT.