Senior Program Officer- Higher Education Inclusion

POSITION TITLE 

 Senior Program Officer -  Higher Education Inclusion

PROJECT TITLE   

 DREEM 2.0

POSITION LOCATION

Any country on the African continent - applicants must have the right to work in their country of residence

REPORTS TO

Partnerships Manager, DREEM

BACKGROUND:

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization driving positive education and economic change for young people around the world. Our vision is a world where every young person thrives and belongs. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to fulfil their aspirations and create their own futures. To help achieve this goal, we develop initiatives that: deliver lasting, measurable impact; are powered by partnerships across the globe; stay true to our core programming principles; and respond to the priorities and aspirations of the people with whom we work.

WUSC is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has offices across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. Our global team of development professionals bring deep expertise and open minds to identify new solutions to old problems and create a better world together. 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 for youth around the world.  Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in the communities they serve.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

In January 2026 WUSC 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 education through the provision of expert technical assistance to a broad ecosystem of actors. 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.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Program Officer, Higher Education Inclusion (HEI) plays a key role in supporting the implementation of DREEM’s Higher Education Inclusion portfolio. Under the supervision of the Partnerships Manager, the Senior Program Officer, HEI will work closely with WUSC teams, the Mastercard Foundation team, and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program partners to advance education inclusion for refugee and displaced youth across Africa.

The Senior Program Officer, HEI will provide coordination, technical, administrative, and programmatic support to the day-to-day implementation of activities within the Higher Education Inclusion portfolio. The role contributes to partner engagement, capacity strengthening, monitoring and learning activities, knowledge sharing, and the successful delivery of training, outreaches, and strategic convenings.

This position is ideal for a professional who is passionate about educational inclusion, refugee and displacement issues, and building equitable opportunities for young people across Africa.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Outreaches (In-person and virtual)

• Lead the coordination, planning and implementation of outreach activities to RDP communities across Africa.
• Coordinate with the Senior Events Officer on logistics, administration, communications of the events as required.
• Provide programmatic oversight by supporting relationship-building efforts with partners, institutions, and refugee led organizations.
• Work closely with the Partnerships Manager and the internal and RLO University Now Team
• Coordinate with RLOs and DREEM Communication Manager on Program visibility products, such as best practices, and case studies
• Develop outreach resources for both partners and RDPs 
• Support and provide training to RLOs under University Now on outreach model implementation
• Collaborate with RLOs for more localized approaches to RDP youth accessing higher education, including RLOs under University Now

Programmatic and Technical Support

• Support the Partnerships Manager in the development, adaptation, dissemination, and maintenance of tools, resources, guidance materials, and learning products for Scholars Program partners.
• Work collaboratively with the DREEM team (TAM, RLO Fund, and MERL) to provide technical, programmatic, and coordination support that advances the educational inclusion goals of the Mastercard Foundation under the DREEM project. 
• Support the Partnerships Manager in providing capacity-building support and technical guidance to Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program partners on refugee and displaced youth inclusion in higher education;
• Support the design and delivery of training opportunities, workshops, webinars, and peer-learning initiatives that strengthen partner capacity and promote inclusive practices.
• Contribute to the identification and documentation of promising practices, innovations, and lessons learned related to refugee and displaced youth inclusion in higher education.
• Coordinate training meeting between Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program partners and University Now 

Partner Engagement and Network Coordination

• Assist in maintaining strong engagement with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program partners and support ongoing communication and collaboration across the network.
• Assist track partner participation and engagement across portfolio activities and initiatives.
• Support knowledge-sharing efforts and the dissemination of learning across partners and stakeholders.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL)

• Work closely with the DREEM Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) team to support tracking of partner engagement, outcomes, and project impact.
• In partnership with the DREEM MERL team, contribute to data collection, reporting, learning activities, and evidence generation for the Higher Education Inclusion portfolio.
• Support the documentation of outcomes, success stories, case studies, and learning products.
• Assist with the preparation of reports, presentations, and partner updates.

Other Duties

• Perform additional responsibilities and assignments as required to support the successful implementation of DREEM activities.
  

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as International Development, Public Policy, International Relations, Refugee Studies, Education, Social Sciences, or a related discipline.

Experience

• Three to five years of relevant professional experience working on displacement, refugee, youth development, education, or social inclusion initiatives in Africa is an asset.
• Lived experience of displacement, forced migration, or refugeehood is considered an asset
• Exposure to programs supporting access to higher education, technical and vocational education, youth empowerment, or community development is desirable.
• Understanding of the higher education landscape in Sub-Saharan and North Africa.
• Experience supporting partnerships, stakeholder engagement, or capacity-strengthening initiatives is an asset.

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies

• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality, diversity, equity, and social inclusion.
• Understanding of the challenges and barriers faced by refugee and displaced populations, particularly youth and young women.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and French are required, including the ability to produce high-quality reports, learning materials, and correspondence.
• Strong planning, organizational, coordination, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative and multicultural team environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to continuous learning.
• Commitment to WUSC’s mission and values, and passion for advancing opportunities for refugee and displaced youth.

APPLICATIONS

We encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from refugees, displaced persons, and individuals with lived experience relevant to the communities DREEM serves.

Young professionals with relevant internship, volunteer, leadership, community engagement, or lived experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

Working Conditions

• The DREEM project headquarters is located in Nairobi, Kenya.
• The successful candidate must be based on the African continent and possess valid work authorization in the country where they reside.
• The role requires regular travel to refugee-hosting communities and partner institutions across Africa.

Commitment to Safeguarding and Organizational Values

WUSC is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and safe workplace. All staff, volunteers, representatives, and partners are expected to uphold the organization's values of responsibility, respect, honesty, accountability, and professional excellence.

WUSC maintains a zero-tolerance approach to harassment, discrimination, coercion, sexual exploitation, abuse, and any form of misconduct. Successful candidates may be required to complete an enhanced criminal record check and comply with all organizational safeguarding policies and procedures.