ABOUT CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL

Children International Inc., herein referred to as CIM is an affiliate of Children International, a global non-profit, headquartered in Kansas City, USA.

Children International (CI) globally delivers child and youth development programming to break the cycle of generational poverty. Through a long-term, customized approach, we serve young people in 10 countries around the world for the first two decades of their lives. By providing access to resources such as education, health care and positive role models, along with life skills and job skills they need to become sustainably employed adults, we are empowering our participants to improve their own lives, while transforming their families and communities. We are in it for the long haul, because we know that the nearly 220,000 children and youth we support around the world deserve a fighting chance.

As a locally registered entity, CIM boasts of a dedicated team of over 100 staff and 200+ volunteers. The organization operates offices and programs that support more than 25,000 young people across different communities in Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, and Calumpit, Bulacan.

THE CAREER OPPORTUNITY

The Youth Workforce Development Lead will play a pivotal role in contextualizing, implementing, and continuously improving CIM’s plans in alignment with the Global CI 19–24 years old strategy. Reporting to the Program Manager, this position oversees a team composed of the Employment Partnership Specialist and the Employment Field Officer. The Lead will also coordinate closely with the Global Senior Program Officer – Youth Employment and the Regional Program Officer – Youth Employment to receive technical guidance and ensure alignment with global standards. Effective collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues—including the Agency Director, department managers, other program leads, Service Area Coordinators, and field officers—is essential. Accordingly, the Workforce Development Lead must adhere to all (agency abbreviation) policies, with particular emphasis on child safeguarding.

This role will develop a local 19-24 workplan and budget, get its approval, and oversee its effective and timely execution. It includes planning and coordinating initiatives such as developmental support, core training, workforce insertion, and community engagement, while managing resources and budgets. The position ensures that youth acquire the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to reach their goals and positively impact on their communities, leveraging partnerships and strategic planning to maximize outcomes.

As a leader, you will foster a high-performance culture that aligns with CI's values within your teams. The role involves driving problem-solving, building key partnerships, and promoting continuous improvement.

All efforts must ensure relevance, sustainability, and measurable impact of the implemented actions. This role is ideal for an experienced candidate who is passionate about combatting poverty, excited to work directly in the community, and capable of creative problem solving in a fast-paced environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and oversee implementation of local plans for youth aged 19 to 24, aligned with global priorities and agency objectives, ensuring contextual relevance and the achievement of impactful results.
• Act as the primary lead for the annual participation forecast and budget allocation for the strategy’s different interventions.
• Provide technical support and guidance to the team responsible for delivering 19-24 interventions, fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and accountability.
• Recruit, manage performance and development for their direct report - Employment Partnerships Specialist and Employment Field Officer/s working on 19-24 program interventions, ensuring activities are carried out effectively and objectives are met.
• Support the Employment Partnership Specialist in developing local partnerships with public, private, and civil society actors to expand employment opportunities, training, work-based learning opportunities and resources available to youth.
• Ensure the integration and coherence of workforce development interventions with other program areas, maximizing synergies and program sustainability.
• Promote capacity building for agency staff and local strategic partners, enhancing workforce development competencies and implementation quality.
• Represent the agency in high-level forums and spaces with stakeholders, advocating for youth workforce development and fostering cross-sector collaboration.
• Build trusting relationships, enable seamless information flow and ensure effective collaboration and coordination with internal stakeholders like the Operating Core, especially the Service Area Coordinators, Accounting Manager, and other agency and CIKC leadership to ensure alignment with organizational goals.
• Actively track and support in adapting local execution plans and approaches in response to changing labor market conditions and the needs of youth participants.
• Ensure consistency, reliability, timeliness, and quality of all gathered information to ensure data integrity. Regularly update and document progress and comply with timely submission of data and other reporting requirements.
• Foster a learning culture that tackles agency challenges and models effective problem solving. Join learning sessions to exchange best practices and lessons learned.
• Actively support continuous improvement initiatives and adapt quickly to change within a complex, ever-changing work environment.
• Demonstrate behaviors aligned to CI values consistently.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND KEY SKILLS:

• Background in a relevant field of study like social work, other social sciences, business administration, economics, community development, or related fields. Complementary training in employability, youth development, or corporate social responsibility is an asset.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience leading workforce development initiatives, employment access and placement projects, or entrepreneurship support programs, preferably targeting youth in vulnerable situations.
• Up-to-date knowledge and awareness of local labor policies, with the ability to implement and adapt social projects by integrating various programmatic areas and responding to changing labor market conditions and youth needs.
• Proven experience in managing local strategic partnerships or engaging stakeholders across public, private, and/or civil society sectors.
• Strong interpersonal and negotiations skills with the ability to build effective relationships with children, youth, volunteers and colleagues
• Proven skills in data analyses resulting in evidence-based decision making.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, learn quickly, and develop innovative solutions.
• Strong verbal and written communication in the main local language and relevant local languages
• Comfort using MS Office Suite (Work, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Demonstrated vision and commitment to supporting social service and/or humanitarian causes

WORK REQUIREMENTS:

• Work schedules may include weekend and evening hours depending on workforce development activities and club schedules.
• Willingness to travel across service areas within the city/country, with occasional travel to other locations including outside the country, as needed for workforce development activities, employer/local partners engagement, training sessions, and program-related events.

ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES:

• Strictly observe confidentiality and strong ethics with respect to all beneficiary information and other organizational data.
• Comply with and ensure adherence to the organization’s policies, safety and security protocols, and child safeguarding norms and guidelines by self as well as all stakeholders both internal and external.1
• Value other cultures and demonstrate respect while relating with all organizational constituents irrespective of their race, color, faiths, gender, sexual orientation, age, caste, disabilities, experiences, beliefs, and ethnicity.

OVERALL DECISION MAKING & SUPERVISION:

• Complex decision making requires independent action and a high degree of initiative to resolve issues.
• The position is monitored on progress - typically reflects the status of tasks completion and goal execution.

JOB INFORMATION:

• Department: Programs
• Reports to: Program manager
• Grade: 7