Job Description

Background:

The NYOTA Business Development Services (BDS) package provides tailored entrepreneurship support to refugee and host-community youth in Kakuma/Kalobeyei and Dadaab. Mentorship is a structured post-training component designed to reinforce BDS learning, support business development and problem-solving, facilitate market and service linkages, and strengthen the confidence and resilience of young entrepreneurs. The BDS ToR requires at least four mentorship sessions over four months, beginning after the first grant disbursement and continuing across the two grant tranches.

What you will do:

NRC is seeking a task Programme Manager (Team Leader) for the implementation of Business Development Services (BDS) under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project, funded by the World Bank and implemented in partnership with the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA). NRC seeks to provide tailored entrepreneurship support to vulnerable youth, including refugee and host-community youth, to promote inclusive and sustainable livelihoods. Under the refugee-focused BDS assignment, services will target refugee youth, with in Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Settlement in Turkana County and Dadaab Refugee Complex in Garissa County.

The BDS package will include socio-emotional and business skills training, mentorship, business networking and market linkages, with adaptations to the socio-economic, cultural, gender, disability and displacement-related realities of refugee communities. The project will also support linkages to markets, finance, business formalization pathways and complementary services.

The Task Team Leader (TTL) will provide overall strategic, technical, operational, and quality assurance leadership for NRC's implementation of the Business Development Services (BDS) assignment. The role will ensure that delivery is fully aligned with the approved project design, NRC policies and procedures, the MSEA Terms of Reference (ToR), contractual obligations, and applicable World Bank requirements.

The task Team Leader will provide overall responsibility for the strategic, technical, operational and quality assurance leadership for NRC's implementation of the BDS assignment. The role will ensure that delivery is fully aligned with the approved project design, NRC policies and procedures, the MSEA ToR and contractual requirements, and applicable World Bank requirements.

As the principal focal point,the task Team Leader will coordinate engagement with p roject stakeholders, where applicable, refugee-serving partners, private-sector actors and other relevant stakeholders. He/she will provide leadership and oversight to the BDS team across Turkana and Garissa, ensuring effective implementation in line with agreed standards, timelines, targets, and deliverables. The Team Leader will also be responsible for promoting programme quality and accountability, with a strong focus on safeguarding, gender responsiveness, disability inclusion, stakeholder engagement, and the achievement of measurable and sustainable results.

General Responsibilities:

1. Provide strategic and technical leadership for the planning, implementation and quality assurance of programme activities within the assigned area of responsibility.
2. Lead the development, review and monitoring of work plans and performance plans, ensuring alignment with NRC strategies, programme priorities and contractual requirements.
3. Ensure programme approaches and activities are contextually appropriate, responsive to participant needs and adapted to the operational environment.

Specific responsibilities:

• Provide overall strategic and technical leadership and ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the NYOTA BDS project across the target locations, in line with NRC Programme Management Standards, the approved proposal, budget, workplan, MSEA ToR and contractual requirements.
• Lead the translation of the MSEA ToR, approved BDS package and contractual requirements into detailed implementation, delivery and activity plans covering all project phases, and ensure these are regularly reviewed and updated.
• Ensure the BDS package and delivery approaches remain responsive to the socio-economic realities, cultural dynamics and specific barriers experienced by refugee youth in the target locations.

Please refer to the Job Description to read all the roles and responsibilities as the above ones mentioned are just a snapshot.

What you will bring:

Generic professional competencies:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field and 8+ years of relevant experience in entrepreneurship, BDS, livelihoods or related programming.
• 5+ years’ experience managing entrepreneurship/BDS/livelihoods programmes, preferably in refugee, humanitarian or displacement settings.
• Strong understanding of the Kenyan MSE ecosystem, particularly refugee-hosting areas.
• Proven experience managing multi-location programmes and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience designing inclusive, gender-responsive and disability-inclusive programmes for vulnerable and displacement-affected populations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement experience with government, private sector, UN, NGOs and community structures.
• Experience in quality assurance, monitoring, reporting, learning and adaptive management.
• Knowledge of market systems, financial inclusion and youth entrepreneurship is an advantage.
• Experience with World Bank-funded programmes and procurement requirements is an advantage.
• Experience in Kakuma/Kalobeyei and/or Dadaab refugee camps is highly desirable.

What we offer:

• Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya.
• Contract: 6 Months (The final contract duration will be confirmed against the awarded contract and implementation schedule as this is conditional recruitment awaiting funds approval)
• Salary/benefits: grade 9 on NRC’s national contract.
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process

• For Internal candidates: To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email or click on Opportunity MarketPlace.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Applicants who do not fill in the required information will not be considered for the role.
• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• Mandatory to submit the below when applying:
• Your most updated English CV and remove all previous outdated CVs.
• Your updated Cover Letter.
• Do not attach certificates or any other documents apart from the two mentioned above.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• This position is open for candidates who have the legal right to work form Kenya. NRC will not sponsor work permits nor visa as the position is national.
• We receive many applications for each vacant position and so only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• If you have any questions about this role, please email esa.recruitment@nrc.no with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.
• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.
• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.

Join us in assisting millions of people in areas where others cannot, tackling some of the world's most dangerous and difficult crises. Bring your skills and dedication to an organisation recognised for providing high quality aid and for defending the rights of refugees and internally displaced people.

At NRC, we give responsibility to employees at all levels and foster professional growth and innovative teams. You can expect a supportive culture and an open dialogue with management. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Together, we save lives and rebuild futures.

Safeguarding is central to NRC’s work. We expect all employees to:

• treat everyone with respect and dignity
• contribute to building a safe environment for all
• never engage in any form of exploitation, harassment and specifically sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH)
• always report. NRC has a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against exploitation, abuse and SEAH