Technical Specialist, Refugees and Displaced Persons

Technical Specialist, Refugees and Displaced Persons

Start date: As Soon As Possible (ideally December 1, 2026)

Supervisor: Senior Technical Assistance Manager, Pan Africa, DREEM.

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Requirements: Fluency in English a MUST; French preferred (but not required). Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply.

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:

WUSC has launched the second phase (2026-2030) of an exciting initiative, which aims to expand efforts to help refugee, displaced significantly, 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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The RDP Technical Specialists will be part of the Technical Assistance Mechanism (TAM) established under the project, which aims to strengthen the inclusion of refugee and displaced youth in education and employment across the initiative’s donor and its partners. The overall goal is to indirectly enable one million RDP youth to secure dignified and fulfilling work and 35,000 to access education through technical assistance. The RDP Technical Specialist is responsible for providing demand-driven, standardised technical assistance (TA) and expert guidance on the inclusion of Refugee and Displaced Persons (RDP) to donor staff and their implementing partners in Rwanda.

The RDP Technical Specialist will work under the direction of the Senior Technical Assistance Manager, Pan Africa, DREEM.to support the following objectives:

Technical Assistance Delivery

• Provide expert technical assistance and guidance to donor staff and partners to co-develop strategies and action plans that mainstream RDP inclusion across their programs in a variety of thematic areas and geographies in Rwanda.
• Support in the co-creation of concept notes, review of EOIs, and the co-creation of proposals to provide a Refugee and Displaced Persons lens to the staff and partners of the donor in the development of new programming.
• Conduct Partner RDP inclusion assessments with donor partners, and develop and implement capacity-strengthening plans with assessed partners to promote RDP youth inclusion in the partners’ work.
• Support the donor’s Rwanda office in the development of RDP-specific partnerships, engage relevant stakeholders for the implementation of the RDP strategy, and maintain relationships with donor staff and partners.
• Support donor team members and partners to feature RDP at events, including World Refugee Day, learning workshops, stakeholder convenings, and RDP youth meetings to share learnings on various RDP contexts.
• Enhance the capacity of the donor’s staff and partners to develop, test, and scale innovative programming that improves education and economic opportunities for RDP youth.
• Support a training-of-trainers (ToT) approach with donor RDP focal points, the Youth Technical Advisory Committee, and refugee led organizations (RLOs) to embed technical knowledge internally for long-term sustainability.

Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) Support

• Deliver demand-driven TA and institutional strengthening to RLOs to enhance their ability to design, implement, and sustain solutions for RDP access to education and dignified work.
• Strengthen RLOs' organizational and technical capacity so they can eventually provide RDP inclusion TA to donors and partner organizations.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Contribute to building knowledge of RDP contexts and barriers among Mastercard Foundation staff and partners through research, mapping, and analysis to inform more inclusive programming.
• Liaise with the project’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) team to comprehensively track the quality and effectiveness of technical assistance delivery on partners and organizations.
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

The ideal applicant will combine technical expertise in economic inclusion, strong familiarity with the displacement context in Rwanda, exceptional partnership management skills and relationships, an ability to get things done, and strong organization, coordination, and communication skills.

• At a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (International Development, Project Planning and Management, Development Studies, Social Work, Public Policy, International Relations, Refugee Studies)
• A minimum of 7+ years of experience in development cooperation, technical assistance projects, education, and/or youth employment in Rwanda.
• Relevant experience on projects that promote livelihoods and economic inclusion for displaced/ refugee youth; entrepreneur support within a refugee setting, tertiary or technical education for displaced/ refugee youth and young people with disabilities
• Understanding of market-based approaches to youth employment and livelihoods particularly in the context of refugees and displaced women and young people
• Experience providing technical support to development organizations and supporting multiple partners, particularly in program development and a commitment to a participatory partnership approach to capacity development;
• Deep knowledge of key issues and emerging trends and barriers in education and youth employment in Africa particularly in the context of refugee and displaced women and young people;
• Demonstrated commitment to social inclusion and knowledge of the specific constraints and realities of challenges faced by refugee and displaced groups;
• Adherence to gender equality and social inclusion principles; proven knowledge of and commitment to the concept of gender equality and intersectionality within programming;
• Complete fluency in English is essential, ability to write articulately and cogently, and to edit at a similarly high level;
• Strong planning, organization, and problem-solving skills with the ability to work hands-on, independently, and within a team in a fast-paced work environment;
• Commitment to WUSC’s mission of building a better world for all young people, particularly displaced and refugee youth.
  
  

Other requirements:

• The headquarters of this initiative is located in Nairobi, Kenya; the Specialist is however required to be based in Kigali Rwanda, with frequent travel within the country to RDP hosting areas, and must already possess the relevant work authorizations in the country.  
• The role will require frequent travel across the continent, and occasional international travel for conferences, workshops and meetings.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule.
• RDP lived experience is highly desired.

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. 

If you are interested in this position, please follow this link to apply