Market Systems Advisor, Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship at World University Service of Canada

Key Duties & Responsibilities 

Working out of our headquarters in Ottawa (or remotely), the Market Systems Advisor will play a strategic role to grow WUSC’s EO portfolio, contributing to corporate, policy influence, and strategic objectives related to EO. The Market Systems Advisor will also be a core member of the WUSC Programs Team, working in a matrix environment as a technical resource for integrating EO best practices into WUSC’s portfolio of overseas programs. The Market Systems Advisor will also develop tools, resources and conduct training and coaching to staff and partners to support cross-project learning and the overall technical rigor of WUSC’s EO portfolio working alongside the Market Systems Advisor - Agriculture and Climate. 

Economic Opportunities Advice & Coaching to WUSC Programs and Projects - 50%

• Provide high-quality technical assistance to diverse teams across the organization, including program delivery teams; 
• Support program staff in integrating evidence-based best practices in market systems development and entrepreneurial ecosystem building  into project planning and management approaches (including results based management tools) and propose strategies to increase project/program impact on outcomes; 
• Facilitate the use of data and learning from existing economic opportunities programs to promote evidence-based learning, reflection and decision making within programs/ projects;
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in existing practices at WUSC, and support the development of improved systems, processes, and tools; 
• Work with program managers and MERL  Advisors to ensure that results measurement and knowledge management  systems are established to ensure that relevant economic opportunities results are captured and reported to relevant stakeholders; 
• Create market systems development  resources (including training) and tools (ie. tipsheets) to assist staff in implementing evidence-based economic opportunities interventions; and
• Undertake limited project management responsibilities on smaller initiatives, such as coordination between finance and programs counterparts; development of reports and planning documents; and review of contracts. 

Economic Opportunities Advisory Support to new Programs - 25% 

• Work with the Program Development unit to ensure the integration of evidence-based best practices in economic opportunities, access to finance, TVET, entrepreneurship, RDP economic inclusion, sustainable agriculture or other relevant areas into new program design; 
• Help to review and/or develop content for proposals that reflects WUSC’s experience in its economic opportunities portfolio;
• Recommend financial and human resources necessary to execute high quality economic opportunities programming; 
• Support new project inception planning, particularly the development of the program/ project-specific advice for high quality economic opportunities interventions; and 
• Support project teams in the recruitment and capacity building of project managers and technical staff on economic issues. 

Promote Internal & External Learning on Economic Opportunities - 25%

• Participate in critical working groups and networks and ensure that WUSC is delivering on key strategic objectives with and through these groups and networks;
• Support WUSC’s work in social finance and impact investment through participating in relevant committees and working groups;
• Facilitate organizational learning opportunities, including training, seminars, webinars, tipsheets, etc; 
• Co-lead the development of the organizational annual Economic Opportunities Thematic Area Workplan alongside the Market Systems Advisor - Agriculture and Climate and ensure the execution of this plan; 
• Liaise regularly with technical counterparts to share best practices, tools, and organizational approaches to economic opportunities quality; 
• Represent WUSC at a variety of public forums (conferences, events, working groups, etc) and share results, lessons learned, and knowledge from WUSC’s economic opportunities programs to position WUSC as a key actor;
• Participate in WUSC’s communications work by drafting communications materials, providing data, information and other material for use with WUSC’s Canadian and International constituency for communications strategies and fundraising activities.

Qualifications: 

• MA/MSc/MBA or equivalent in business, economics, international development, or related fields; 
• A minimum of 5-7 years of active work experience in economic development; experience in an international development context is required; 
• Knowledge of Market Systems Development approaches to program design, implementation and performance measurement. 
• Experience working with a wide array of stakeholders, including governments, non-profits, private sector representatives and investors; specific expertise and/or experience in skills for employment/TVET and/or innovative finance and social finance would be a significant asset.