Job offer: Private Sector Engagement Specialist

Company Profile

The World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is one of Canada’s leading non-profit international development organizations, committed to building a more equitable and sustainable world. Our vision is a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world for youth. It is a world in which all young people, especially women and refugees, are empowered to secure a good quality of life for themselves, their families, and their communities. We work with a diverse network of students, volunteers, institutions, governments, and businesses to improve education, economic, and empowerment opportunities for youth, and to improve the lives of millions of disadvantaged people around the world.

REPORTS TO ACTIVATE Technical Director

CONTRACT TERM: 2 Years 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 31 January 2025. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Submit early to ensure consideration.

EXPECTED START DATE: 03 March 2025

BACKGROUNDWUSC (World University Service of Canada) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees. WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $40 million. We have over 90 staff in our Ottawa office, and over 200 people overseas implementing 16 development projects in collaboration with donors such as Global Affairs Canada, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Mastercard Foundation and the African Development Bank. 
 The Accelerating Change Through InnoVation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE) project is a 5-year collaborative initiative that will contribute to a stronger, gender-responsive, socially inclusive and market-driven Agriculture Technical, Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) System that facilitates sustainable employment pathways, well-being and resilience of young women and men in Ghana. ACTIVATE will blend education and high quality, market relevant skills training in specific agriculture value chains and support growth of agripreneurship.
 The project will reduce gender specific barriers, elevate the voice and aspirations of youth and integrate a strong inclusivity lens, with respect to gender and disability while building collaboration and linkages among key stakeholders such as public and private actors, academia, and agriculture value chain actors to create decent work for young people.ACTIVATE will respond to key challenges facing the agriculture and adjacent sectors including insufficient management capacity of ATVET sector facilitation bodies, non-alignment of new TVET policies and reforms across sector ministries, low quality of ATVET instruction, curriculum and equipment, lack of ATVET engagement with industry, poor business skills among others
NATURE AND SCOPEThe Private Sector Engagement Specialist will play a pivotal role in establishing and nurturing relationships with private sector stakeholders, including agri-businesses, agriculture value chain actors, and other relevant industries. This role will involve identifying business opportunities, aligning industry needs with ATVET programming, and promoting inclusive business practices to support youth employment. The Specialist will work closely with both public and private actors to ensure that the ATVET system aligns with industry demands, creating pathways for young women and men to transition into sustainable employment and entrepreneurship. The role will also focus on mobilizing private sector organizations for job creation and engagement in the development of programs, proposals, and partnerships.  KEY RESPONSIBILITIESPrivate Sector Partnerships & Strategy Development

Identify, engage, and maintain strategic partnerships with private sector organizations, including agriculture-based businesses, technology providers, logistics firms, training service providers, and financial institutions.

Develop and implement a comprehensive private sector engagement strategy, mobilizing stakeholders and private sector organizations, especially agribusinesses, to promote youth employment and agripreneurship.

Facilitate co-creation of joint activities, partnerships, and collaborations with private sector actors to design and scale programs that promote youth employment.

Private Sector Advisory & Engagement

Act as a liaison between the private sector and project teams, ensuring that the private sector's needs and perspectives are reflected in the design and implementation of the ACTIVATE project.

Advocate for and mobilize a wide range of stakeholders, including agro-entrepreneurs, private sector companies, government entities, NGOs, and other relevant organizations, in areas relevant to youth employment, entrepreneurship, and TVET systems.

Strategically engage with private and public sector players to support youth-led businesses, products, and services within the project framework.

Capacity Building & Job Promotion

Support private sector partners in enhancing their capacity to collaborate with ATVET providers and integrate youth employment and skills development into their business models.

Identify job opportunities within private sector institutions and promote the development of relevant skills by ATVET institutions to meet industry demands.

Facilitate access for project beneficiaries to wage employment opportunities in both private and public sector organizations.

Provide support to Service Providers (SPs) contracted by ACTIVATE for the skills development component of the project.

Industry Needs Analysis & Market Linkages

Conduct regular assessments to understand industry trends, skill gaps, and employment opportunities in the agriculture and adjacent sectors. Use this data to guide curriculum development, training modules, and policy advocacy.

Facilitate the professionalization of market linkages between youth-led enterprises and private sector companies to ensure efficient logistics, cost management, and sustainable business growth.

 

Promote Inclusive Business Practices

o Encourage the private sector to adopt inclusive hiring practices that support gender equality, disability inclusion, and the empowerment of young women and men.

o Facilitate access to business development services, financial coaching, and mentoring for youth-led enterprises to improve their financial performance and long-term viability.

Facilitate Knowledge Sharing & Networking

o Organize and manage forums, workshops, and networking events that bring together public and private sector actors to share best practices, foster collaboration, and discuss innovative approaches to rural youth employment and skills development.

o Facilitate the identification of potential business development service providers and financial institutions to further support youth employment and entrepreneurship initiatives.

Monitoring & ReportingIn collaboration with the MERL team, 

Develop mechanisms for tracking the impact of private sector partnerships on youth employment outcomes and contribute to project reporting.

Ensure regular data collection, timely reporting, and documentation of project lessons learned, with a focus on youth employment, skills development, and private sector involvement.

Education Required: Master’s Degree