SENIOR MANAGER, HIGHER EDUCATION INCLUSION
Position Location: Preference for Nairobi, Abidjan, Kampala, Accra, Kigali, or Addis Ababa
Reports To: Deputy Project Director
Contract Term: 1 year fixed term (renewable)
Languages Required: English (required); French (strong asset)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
Are you a seasoned leader in higher education, with experience working with displaced youth? WUSC is currently looking for a Senior Manager to provide technical and strategic leadership for an exciting Phase II initiative in Africa.
BACKGROUND
WUSC is a Canadian global development organization working to catalyze positive education and economic outcomes for young people. We bring together and collaborate with a diverse network of partners (including students, volunteers, schools, governments, not-for-profits, and businesses) who share this mission. Together, we influence systems change, and foster inclusive, youth-centered solutions that enable young people to thrive and belong. We work with all young people, with a focus on women and displaced populations. WUSC currently operates in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Canada, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $65 million. Our global team includes over 100 staff in Canada and more than 250 staff internationally, implementing a diverse portfolio of development projects in collaboration with numerous multilateral and bilateral donors, and philanthropic foundations.
WUSC has 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 secondary and higher education through the provision of expert technical assistance to a broad ecosystem of actors. The initiative targets 70% young women, requiring a gender lens to be embedded throughout its design, implementation, partnerships, and monitoring and learning. Access to secondary education is expected to account for a substantial share of the 35,000 education target, making stronger pathways into, through, and beyond secondary education essential, particularly for young women. 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.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Senior Manager, Higher Education Inclusion will play a critical role in advancing the missions of WUSC and its partners in enhancing access to educational and economic opportunities for RDP youth, namely by providing strategic oversight on the provision of technical assistance for higher education inclusion across the world. The role will embed a gender lens throughout the portfolio, champion young women-centred design, and strengthen access to secondary education and pipelines into higher education, with a focus on advancing the initiative’s 70% young women target. Strong people management is central to this role, including coaching and mentoring a young, technically experienced team to deliver high-quality work and develop their leadership. This position requires a dedicated, innovative and experienced individual who can provide technical guidance on issues of forced displacement within the context of higher education, and has demonstrated capacity in forging and cultivating relationships with a diversity of stakeholders. Please note that this is not an academic position and WUSC is not a university.
The Senior Manager, Higher Education Inclusion will work closely and in collaboration with WUSC teams in Kenya and globally, the donor’s regional and country teams, and the donor’s partners.
Reporting to the Deputy Project Director, the Senior Manager, HEI, will:
• Provide strategic and technical oversight for WUSC’s 40+ higher education inclusion partners and the project’s higher education inclusion team;
• Gender & Young Women-Centred Design: Embed a gender and intersectional inclusion lens across all technical assistance, partner engagement, education pathways, retention supports, and education-to-work transitions. Ensure young women meaningfully inform program design and delivery, and support partners to identify and address barriers to their participation and success in line with the initiative’s 70% young women target;
• Work collaboratively with project team members to provide technical, programmatic, and facilitative leadership to ensure the higher education inclusion goals of the initiative are reached. This includes oversight of various technical components, which may include:
Secondary-to-Tertiary Education Transition Management
• Secondary Education Access & Academic Pipelines: Support partners to expand access to, retention in, and completion of secondary education for marginalized and displaced youth, particularly young women. Design, pilot, and scale academic preparation, bridging programs, and referral pathways that strengthen transitions from secondary to tertiary education, addressing gender-specific barriers at each stage.
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Collaborate with national qualification authorities, TVET institutions, and accreditation bodies to implement RPL frameworks and accredit non-formal learning or undocumented skills.
• Inclusive Admissions Policy Adaptation: Guide postsecondary institutions in adapting admissions criteria and processes, including flexible deadlines, age limit adjustments, deferred document verification, and accessible application formats.
• Cross-Referral Systems: manage institutional cross-referral mechanisms among higher education partners to streamline application pipelines, minimize duplication, and maximize enrollment opportunities.
Higher Education-to-Work & Career Livelihood Transitions
• Education-to-Employment Pathways: Develop work-readiness programs, career guidance, and transition strategies that enable higher education graduates to secure dignified and fulfilling employment or transition to advanced studies.
• Employer Linkages & Market Integration: Build direct linkages with employers, job platforms, and private sector networks to expand internship, apprenticeship, and job placement opportunities tailored to legal and regulatory employment contexts.
Peer-Led & Localized Transition Models
• Peer-to-Peer Advisory Networks: Operationalize and scale peer advisory outreach models (such as the University Now initiative), training peer advisors from displaced backgrounds to guide applicants through scholarship and admissions navigation.
• Refugee-Led Organization (RLO) Accompaniment: Strengthen the capacity of local actors and RLOs to design, manage, and sustain locally led higher education outreach, recruitment, and transition support services.
Student Retention & Wrap-Around Transition Supports
• Holistic Support Systems: Advise postsecondary partners on establishing comprehensive retention and wrap-around supports during critical transitional phases, including language bridge support, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) referrals, and legal documentation guidance.
• Develop strong working relationships with critical stakeholders such as UNHCR, the Tertiary Refugee Student Network, government ministries and others;
• Maintain up to date knowledge on emerging trends and issues in forced displacement, complementary pathways, and durable solutions;
Financial Management & Resource Allocation
• Budget Oversight: Manage and monitor the higher education inclusion component budget, ensuring optimal resource allocation, accurate forecasting, and cost-effective delivery of technical assistance across regional partners.
• Grant & Sub-grant Alignment: Collaborate with the grants management team to align technical assistance efforts with the RLO Opportunity Fund and partner grant allocations, ensuring investments directly support institutional transition and capacity goals.
Safeguarding, Protection & Risk Management
• Safeguarding & Data Protection: Ensure all higher education inclusion models, peer-led networks, and data collection activities strictly adhere to WUSC’s safeguarding policies, protection standards, and ethical protocols regarding displaced youth and vulnerable populations.
• Risk Mitigation: Identify, assess, and manage program, operational, and contextual risks related to partner compliance, legal frameworks for displaced youth, and regional operational dynamics.
• Lead the project’s engagement within higher education communities of practice and working groups across the sector;
• Build networks with RDP youth and refugee-led organizations (RLOs) to advance the mission of the initiative;
• Provide strong, supportive line management to a young, technically experienced higher education inclusion team (Partnerships Manager, Project Manager, and Project Assistants and Officers). Set clear priorities and expectations, delegate effectively, and oversee performance and workload allocation. Provide regular coaching, constructive feedback, mentorship, and tailored professional development to build staff confidence, technical judgment, leadership, and accountability;
• Work closely with the project’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) team to effectively measure impact and comprehensively track the quality and performance of technical assistance delivery across initiative partners (universities, RLOs, Foundation staff, etc.), using sex-disaggregated data and gender-responsive learning to assess progress towards the 70% young women target and identify barriers to access, retention, completion, and transition
• Work closely with the project and the Mastercard Foundation’s Communications teams to highlight learnings, success stories and impact to a variety of audiences;
• Host and participate in country or regional level convenings focused on inclusive higher education;
• Identify promising practices and ways to share learnings across the network; and
• Work closely with the WUSC global Durable Solutions team to identify synergies and opportunities across WUSC’s portfolio of programming;
• Work closely with the Deputy Director, Director, and peer technical Senior Managers (RLO Engagement, Technical Assistance Mechanism) to identify broader policy, research and strategic network opportunities within higher education.
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES
The ideal applicant will combine technical expertise in higher education inclusion, strong familiarity with the displacement context in multiple geographies of focus in Africa, exceptional partnership management skills and relationships, an ability to get things done, and strong organization, coordination, and communication skills.
Education
• At minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (International Development, Education, Public Policy, International Relations);
Leadership & Portfolio Management
• Strategic & Team Leadership: 7 to 10 years of experience in higher education or technical assistance projects, including at least 5 years managing, coaching, and motivating matrixed, multi-country teams across different time zones in Africa.
• People Management, Coaching & Mentorship: Demonstrated experience directly managing and developing teams, including young professionals and technically experienced staff. Proven ability to coach and mentor colleagues, set clear objectives, delegate responsibilities, provide constructive feedback, manage performance, and support professional growth while building an inclusive, collaborative, and accountable team culture.
• Budget & Financial Oversight: Proven experience managing program budgets (minimum $1M+ USD portfolio scope) and overseeing financial reporting for complex, donor-funded multi-country initiatives.
Technical & Sector Expertise
• Higher Education Inclusion & Capacity Building: Demonstrated track record of promoting higher education access for populations of concern, providing participatory technical assistance to partners, and designing practical toolkits and training materials for mid-to-senior level institutional stakeholders.
• Secondary Education Access & Transition Pathways: Experience supporting secondary education access, retention, and completion, and strengthening pathways into higher education for marginalized or displaced youth, particularly young women.
• Regional Systems & Context Knowledge: Deep understanding of Anglophone and Francophone higher education, TVET, qualification accreditation systems, and youth employment trends across Sub-Saharan Africa (East, West, and Horn of Africa).
Inclusion & Strategic Alignment
• Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI): Demonstrated experience embedding a gender lens and intersectional inclusion principles throughout program design, implementation, technical assistance, partnerships, and monitoring and learning. Ability to translate young women-centred approaches into practical strategies that address the specific barriers facing refugee and displaced young women and support their meaningful participation, retention, and success.
• Mission & Target Commitment: Strong alignment with WUSC’s mission and a commitment to driving Phase II targets to enable 35,000 refugee, displaced, and host community youth to access secondary and higher education opportunities, with a target of 70% young women.
Policy Influencing
• Strong understanding of career planning tools and resources, education systems, policy landscapes, and reform priorities.
• Experience in engaging with Employer Federations, Private Sector, Government Ministries and agencies, development partners and other ecosystem stakeholders
Languages & Operational Requirements
• Language Proficiency: Complete fluency in English with exceptional writing, editing, and communication skills; professional competency in French is a significant asset.
• Operational Adaptability: Strong organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work hands-on and independently within a fast-paced environment.
• Mobility: Ability and willingness to undertake frequent regional travel across Africa (estimated at 25% of working time).
WHY WORK WITH WUSC?
Join Us. Our work is important, cutting-edge, and rewarding. We encourage curiosity, innovation, and flexibility.
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 in the lives of youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, economic opportunities and empowerment.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• The headquarters of this initiative is located in Nairobi, Kenya; this role is expected to be based on the African continent, and must already possess the relevant work authorizations in the country they are/will be residing in.
• The role will require frequent travel across the continent, and occasional international travel for conferences, workshops and meetings;
• Ability to work a flexible schedule.
APPLICATIONS
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.
Persons with disabilities who need accommodation in the application process, or those needing job postings in an alternative format, may e-mail a request to hr-rh\@wusc.ca.
WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Please note that only the candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.