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About Umwuga Akazi Programme

The Umwuga Akazi Programme aims to enhance youth integration into the labour market, support the creation of start-ups, and strengthen the growth of scale-ups led by young graduates from Bujumbura Mairie, Rumonge, and Bururi.


The programme is implemented through three core components:

  • a) Professional Skills Development (Skill-Up): Strengthening young people’s vocational skills and providing continuous guidance to prepare them effectively for integration into permanent employment (Match-Up);
  • b) Entrepreneurship Support: Reinforcing the entrepreneurial capacities of youth, including providing start-up kits to graduates from vocational centres (Start-Up) and supporting the scaling of existing youth-led enterprises (Scale-Up);
  • c) Support to CEMs/CFPs: Enhancing existing curricula by integrating entrepreneurial training and professional skills, and supporting the implementation of these revised curricula in selected Vocational Training Centres (CEM) and Professional Training Centres (CFP).

As the Lead of the Consortium, SPARK is responsible for the implementation of the second component—Entrepreneurship for young graduates—while overseeing the effective implementation of the two remaining components.


Duties and Responsibilities


Programme Coordination & Technical Oversight

  • – Coordinate ongoing Umwuga Akazi project activities to ensure timely and quality delivery in line with logical frameworks, donor agreements, and budgets.
  • – Provide technical input in youth employment, entrepreneurship, and skills development interventions.
  • – Supervise the project team and other local partners for coherence across activities.
  • – Monitor implementation progress and update work plans and M&E dashboards in collaboration with the M&E Officer.
  • – Ensure compliance with EU and SPARK donor regulations.


Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

  • – Maintain operational communication with implementing partners (e.g., CREOP-Jeunes, local authorities)as agreed with Regional Director.
  • – Represent SPARK Burundi in technical coordination meetings when delegated.
  • – Provide strategic updates and briefings to the Regional Director of Programmes and CEO.


Reporting & Learning

  • – Support preparation of donor and internal reports (technical and financial inputs).
  • – Lead the capitalization of lessons learned and success stories during the interim period.
  • – Ensure documentation of key project achievements and challenges for smooth handover.

Compliance & Risk Management

  • – Ensure adherence to donor (EU) and SPARK procedures in finance, procurement, and reporting.
  • – Identify and flag risks (financial, operational, reputational) to supervisor
  • – Support staff in maintaining compliance with safety and safeguarding policies.

Supervisory / Managerial Responsibilities:

  • – Supervision and management of Project quality Manager, Administrative and Finance officer, as well as project coordinator and intern.


Core Competencies

  • Integrity and Honesty: Enjoys a high level of trust; is perceived as straightforward and honest; presents truthful information in an appropriate and useful manner; keeps commitments; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent themselves for personal gain.
  • Teamwork/Relationships: Collaborates effectively and demonstrates flexibility with other team members.
  • Learning Mindset: Proactively seeks learning opportunities; actively identifies new areas of learning; applies and shares newly acquired knowledge and skills.
  • Diversity/Inclusion: Demonstrates understanding and appreciation of diversity and supports related efforts; interacts effectively and inclusively with individuals of all backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, origins, religions, ages, and genders.
  • Communication: Expresses ideas effectively both individually and in groups; listens actively; shares information, ideas, and arguments clearly.
  • Decision-Making/Problem-Solving: Able to analyse situations, diagnose problems, identify key issues, develop and assess alternative courses of action, and propose logical, practical, and acceptable solutions.
  • Results-Oriented/High-Quality Deliverables: Remains focused on the efforts required to achieve high-quality results aligned with programme or departmental objectives.
  • Planning and Time Management: Establishes an action plan for themselves and/or others to achieve specific objectives; plans, schedules, prioritises and effectively monitors activities.


Required skills and experience

Education

  • – Master’s degree in Project Management, Economics, Development Studies, or related field.


Experience

  • – Minimum 5 years of relevant experience and with results in project management including planning, design and implementation at national and sub-national levels is required
  • – Experience implementing projects in development sectors, specifically in youth employment, entrepreneurship, or livelihoods
  • – Experience in coordinating with national and international organizations, governments, donors, establishing good working relations with relevant institutional and organizational partners is required
  • – Strong analytical, communication and facilitating and interpersonal skills are required
  • – Experience in developing detailed operational plans and budgets and delivering on time and on target, with careful attention to details is an asset


Language

– Proven fluency in French


– Proven fluency in English (written and spoken).


Proposed Remuneration

Based on internal SPARK salary scales and comparative benchmarks:

– **Proposed Range:** 2,000 USD per month (gross)

– **Contract Type:** Short-term, 5 months (maternity cover)

 


How to apply?


If you are interested, please apply with your motivation letter and your CV (both in English) on  https://www.vacancy.spark-online.org/Tab1/LoadProfileFromVacancy/659  until the 5th December 2025 untill 11.59 PM (GMT+2). Please, with application send to us two references (phone number and email) which we can contact in the selection process. All applications will be assessed on rolling basis; interviews can, therefore, take place before the application deadline. However, due to the large volume of applications we receive, we cannot respond to every applicant. There may be a delay between the deadline and the moment we contact selected applicants.


If you have not received a reply, we regret to inform you that we have continued with other candidates


About SPARK


SPARK is an international non-governmental development organization with over 25 years of experience in fragile and conflict-affected regions. SPARK’s mission is to empower young people through higher education, entrepreneurship, and employment opportunities. By supporting youth in fragile regions to lead sustainable and peaceful futures, SPARK contributes to systemic change and long-term economic growth.