A Call For Application - Project Manager | AEYA Project

Position Title: Project Manager

Projects: EcoPeace Spaces: Youth Leading Resilience in Central Africa (Lot 2) Youth Futures in Action: Green Jobs and Digital Futures in East & Southern Africa (Lot 3)

Duration: 30 months (aligned with project timelines)

Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya (with travel to project sites in Central, East & Southern Africa)

Reports To: Consortium Coordinator – The Youth Café

Collaborates With: Finance & Administrative Officer, Partner CSOs, Donor Representatives, Expertise France

1.  Background

About the Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) Project

The Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) is a flagship initiative of the European Union, funded under the Youth Action Plan in EU External Action (YAP) and the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package – specifically the ‘Youth Mobility for Africa Flagship’. It is implemented by Expertise France in close partnership with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). AEYA’s overarching goal is to strengthen the role of young people aged 18–30 as agents of sustainable development, while building lasting bridges between Africa and Europe.

AEYA was established in direct response to a pressing demographic and development reality: Africa is home to the youngest population on earth, with nearly 70% of Sub-Saharan Africans under the age of 30. This generational majority represents an unprecedented opportunity for innovation, civic participation, and sustainable growth but only if young people have the resources, capacities, and enabling environments to lead. At the same time, young Africans face overlapping structural barriers including high unemployment, limited access to finance, under-resourced education systems, exclusion from decision-making, climate vulnerability, and fragile civic spaces. AEYA was designed precisely to address these gaps through a combination of financial support, capacity building, and regional networking.

The AEYA supports youth-led and youth-focused organisations by strengthening their capacities, financing the creation or expansion of Spaces for Youth, and promoting meaningful youth participation in civic and economic life. The programme operates across eleven (11) countries in Central, East, and Southern Africa, structured into two geographic lots with distinct country coverage and thematic priorities.

The Two Project Lots

Lot 2 – EcoPeace Spaces: Youth Leading Resilience in Central Africa

Countries covered: Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Rwanda. This lot operates in some of the most challenging development contexts on the continent. Civic space in Central Africa is rated as “repressed” or “obstructed” (CIVICUS, 2023), and more than 6.9 million people remain internally displaced, many of them young people (UNHCR, 2023). The lot prioritises peacebuilding, environmental protection, civic leadership, and inclusive governance. The Finance & Administrative Officer will be responsible for all financial oversight related to sub-grantee organisations in these four countries, including disbursement processing, financial monitoring, and Francophone-context compliance documentation.

Lot 3 – Youth Futures In Action: Green Jobs and Digital Futures in East & Southern Africa

Countries covered: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. In East and Southern Africa, over 60% of employment is concentrated in climate-sensitive agriculture, exposing youth livelihoods to recurrent droughts, floods, and food insecurity. At the same time, mobile penetration now exceeds 80% and ICT sectors are expanding at double-digit rates yet skills mismatches prevent youth from fully participating in green and digital economies. Lot 3 therefore prioritises renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, ICT, digital entrepreneurship, circular economy, and civic innovation. Sub-grantees under this lot are predominantly English-speaking, and the Finance & Administrative Officer will manage their financial reporting and disbursement schedules directly from TYC’s Nairobi office.

The Youth Café’s Role in AEYA

The Youth Café (TYC) is a Pan-African, not-for-profit youth organisation headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Established in 2012, TYC convenes youth advocacy, policy, research, and innovation to empower young people across Africa. As the executing partner for AEYA in East, Southern, and Central Africa, TYC serves as the contracting authority for the sub-grant mechanism under this programme. TYC is responsible for sourcing and selecting eligible youth organisations across eleven countries in close collaboration with Expertise France; launching and managing the two-phase sub-granting mechanism including disbursements, financial monitoring, and compliance oversight; providing tailored training, mentorship, and technical assistance to selected sub-grantees; ensuring inclusive outreach with a strong focus on young women and youth in situations of vulnerability; and facilitating meaningful collaboration and partnerships between African youth organisations and European actors. All staff recruited under AEYA operate within TYC’s administrative and programmatic structure, in full compliance with EU financial regulations, Expertise France reporting requirements, and TYC’s internal human resources and safeguarding policies.

Beyond financial support, AEYA provides a comprehensive capacity building package delivered through its implementing partners. The Youth Café leads organisational diagnostics and tailored coaching for youth CSOs, delivers training on leadership, civic participation and advocacy, facilitates peer learning exchanges across East, Southern, and Central Africa, and provides guidance on EU compliance, financial accountability, and reporting standards. AFD Campus delivers structured training sessions for all selected organisations on project management, financial systems, and donor compliance, as well as advanced workshops on scaling, innovation, and sustainability.

Note to Applicants

The position for which you are applying is part of The Youth Café's AEYA project team. This background section is a standard introduction provided with all AEYA Terms of Reference and should be read alongside the specific position description that follows. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate in their application how their experience in coordinating donor-funded multi-country projects, EU compliance, and monitoring and evaluation relates to TYC's specific implementation responsibilities under both Lots.

2.  Purpose of the Role

The Project Manager is the strategic and operational lead for TYC's AEYA implementation, responsible for coordinating project delivery across all partner countries, ensuring donor compliance and the timely achievement of outputs, and leading monitoring, evaluation, and reporting systems that generate actionable evidence for adaptive management. The role sits at the intersection of programme quality, donor accountability, and partnership management by driving the coherence and impact of both Lot 2 and Lot 3 while supporting consortium partners through the sub-granting process, proposal review, and capacity strengthening.

3.  Key Responsibilities

A.  Project Coordination and Leadership

  • Provide overall strategic and operational leadership for TYC's implementation of both Lot 2 (EcoPeace Spaces) and Lot 3 (Youth Futures In Action), ensuring coherent delivery across all partner countries and programme components.

  • Coordinate day-to-day project implementation across partner countries, managing activity timelines, resolving implementation bottlenecks, and ensuring outputs are delivered to quality and on schedule.

  • Ensure full compliance with EU donor requirements, Expertise France grant contract conditions, and TYC's internal organisational policies throughout the project lifecycle.

  • Develop and maintain a detailed implementation plan and workplan for both lots, updating it regularly in response to field realities, partner capacity, and emerging risks.

  • Serve as the primary point of contact between TYC and Expertise France, managing communication, responding to queries, and facilitating donor supervision visits and reviews.

  • Support partners in proposal design, review, and sub-granting processes, ensuring all sub-grant documentation meets quality, compliance, and alignment standards before submission or disbursement.

B.  Sub-Granting and Proposal Review

  • Lead TYC's sub-grantee sourcing and selection processes for both lots in close collaboration with Expertise France, ensuring transparent, competitive, and inclusive selection of eligible youth organisations.

  • Review sub-granting proposals and applications to ensure quality, relevance, EU compliance, and alignment with AEYA objectives and TYC's sub-grant operational manual.

  • Oversee sub-grant contracting, disbursement, and reporting processes, working with the Finance & Administrative Officer to ensure timely payment and proper financial monitoring.

  • Assess Round 1 sub-grantee performance against defined criteria and support Expertise France in the validated selection of Round 2 scale-up grant recipients.

  • Ensure all sub-grantees are actively encouraged to engage in AEYA WP3 activities and facilitate their connection to TYC's capacity strengthening and networking support.

C.  Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

  • Develop and implement comprehensive M&E frameworks, tools, and methodologies for both Lot 2 and Lot 3, ensuring alignment with Expertise France's M&E requirements and TYC's internal learning systems.

  • Lead baseline, midline, and endline assessments across all target countries, coordinating data collection with partner organisations and sub-grantees.

  • Collect, analyse, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data, translating findings into evidence-based insights for adaptive management and donor reporting.

  • Produce monthly, quarterly, and final M&E reports integrating findings from all partner countries and both lots.

  • Establish systems for documenting lessons learned, best practices, and innovation from the sub-granting process and Space for Youth model.

D.  Reporting and Donor Compliance

  • Prepare donor-compliant narrative reports for both Lot 2 and Lot 3, integrating M&E findings with activity documentation and ensuring full consistency with financial reports prepared by the Finance & Administrative Officer.

  • Ensure all reports are submitted to Expertise France within the timelines and formats specified in TYC's grant contracts, meeting EU quality standards for content, evidence, and presentation.

  • Support adaptive management by translating M&E findings into concrete recommendations for programme adjustments, documenting changes, and communicating them to Expertise France as required.

  • Maintain audit-ready programme documentation throughout the project, ensuring all activity reports, minutes, attendance records, and output evidence are filed systematically and accessible for review.

E.  Partnership and Networking

  • Facilitate effective collaboration between African CSOs and youth organisations in the sub-grant portfolio and European institutions engaged through AEYA WP3 activities.

  • Represent TYC and the AEYA consortium in EU–Africa policy dialogues, stakeholder forums, and Expertise France-convened events relevant to youth empowerment, green jobs, digital futures, and peacebuilding.

  • Build and sustain strong working relationships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, Expertise France, and other AEYA stakeholders across both lots.

  • Provide regular programmatic updates and briefings to TYC's Consortium Coordinator and senior leadership to support strategic decision-making.

4.  Deliverables

  • Regional coordination and implementation plan for both Lot 2 and Lot 3, developed within 60 days of contract commencement.

  • M&E frameworks and data collection tools for both lots, aligned with Expertise France requirements.

  • Sub-grantee selection documentation, contracts, and disbursement records for Round 1 and Round 2 across both lots.

  • Baseline, midline, and endline assessment reports for all target countries.

  • Monthly, quarterly, and annual narrative and M&E reports for both lots, submitted within Expertise France's reporting timelines.

  • Reviewed and approved sub-granting proposals with documented assessment rationale.

  • Lessons learned documentation and best practices briefs at key project milestones.

  • Final project report consolidating outcomes, evidence, and lessons across both Lot 2 and Lot 3 at project close.

5.  Qualifications and Experience

Essential

  • Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Political Science, International Relations, or a related field. A postgraduate degree is an added advantage.

  • At least 3 years of demonstrated experience coordinating donor-funded multi-country development projects, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Proven experience writing EU-funded proposals and preparing donor-compliant narrative reports.

  • Direct experience reviewing proposals for sub-granting or subcontracting, with demonstrated understanding of compliance and quality assurance processes.

  • Strong monitoring and evaluation expertise, including M&E framework design, survey development, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

  • Familiarity with EU compliance frameworks, reporting standards, and grant management requirements.

  • Excellent facilitation, written communication, and partnership management skills.

  • Fluency in English.

Desirable

  • Direct experience working on Expertise France-implemented projects or similar EU-funded mechanisms.

  • Experience in youth empowerment, green jobs, digital futures, peacebuilding, or climate resilience programming in Sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Proficiency in French, given the project's Francophone country coverage (DRC, Cameroon, Republic of Congo).

  • Familiarity with Expertise France's POPS platform or similar EU project management systems.

6.  Duration and Compensation

Duration: 30 months, aligned with AEYA project timelines.

Compensation: Competitive salary aligned with EU donor budget provisions.

Location: Based in Nairobi, Kenya, with travel to project sites in Central, East, and Southern Africa.

Payment Schedule: Monthly, upon submission of deliverables and approved timesheets.


7.  Application Process

Interested candidates should submit:

  • A cover letter of not more than one page setting out your suitability for the role and confirming availability.

  • An updated CV of not more than four pages.

  • Contact details for two professional referees. Referees will not be contacted without prior notification to the candidate.

Email applications to: human.resource@theyouthcafe.com

cc:admin.compliance@theyouthcafe.com

Subject Line: Project Manager – AEYA Project

Deadline for submission: 30th June 2026

Equal Opportunity

The Youth Café is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion and strongly encourages applications from women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.