Commonwealth Students’ Association Coordinator

Duration: Twelve (12) months

Period: 1 September 2023 – 31 July 2024

As the principal intergovernmental organisation of the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Secretariat implements the collective decisions of its 56 member governments. The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), working with Commonwealth member governments, youth leaders and youth work professionals to develop and implement policy and programmes for the empowerment of young people. The CYP focuses on areas of major political, economic, and social importance to young people, based on mandates received from Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) and the Commonwealth Secretariat Strategic Plan.

The Commonwealth Students’ Association (CSA) is the coalescence of the student organisations within the Commonwealth. Established in 2012 at the 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Mauritius, its role is to be an independent advocate of students throughout the Commonwealth to bring student concerns to the forefront of educational development.

The CSA works to see a world where students across the Commonwealth are: empowered to effect change in education and contribute to their societies; engaged as valuable partners in effecting the change that they seek in education; and where students have a credible and representative voice in education.

Upholding the values of the Commonwealth, the CSA will unite, represent and build the capacities of students, providing them with opportunities across the Commonwealth to address issues within fields of education and global development.

The Commonwealth continues to reaffirm its commitment to youth development issues at CHOGM 2022 in Rwanda where the Commonwealth Heads announced 2023 as the ‘Year of Youth’.

Read about the Commonwealth Youth Networks and follow the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network on Twitter and Facebook for updates on all our activities. 

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be aged between 18 to 29 years at the time of application, on 11 September 2022;
• Be a citizen of a Commonwealth member country;
• At least a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Public Policy, Business Management, Social Sciences or any other field;
• At least 5 years’ experience in youth capacity building, mentoring and managing networks of experts and youth leaders, particularly in Commonwealth countries;
• Proficient in developing strategic plans, trainings and workshops as well as youth policy development;
• Demonstrated experience in engaging and mobilising stakeholders and resources from governments, private sector, CSOs, academia, and youth networks for youth development and empowerment.
• Have a proven track record of working in multinational and remote teams;
• Have evidence of strong experience in managing a diverse, regional and/or international network;
• Have strong writing and reporting skills and excellent communication and project management skills
• Be available to commit 18 hours per week to network activities. 

Key deliverables and responsibility

The main role of the CSA Network Coordinator is to coordinate the activities and operational functions of the CSA under the leadership of the Executive Committee (EXCO) and report network activities back to the Secretariat.

Task description

• Oversee the regular management of CSA (administratively) by keeping up with the logistical arrangements of the network including supporting the Executive team and their initiatives in their region through regular calls and support;
• Enhance Commonwealth youth participation in education development and opportunities by co-ordinating their engagement and increased visibility in policy discussion and meetings at the Commonwealth and UN levels;
• Strengthen the global advocacy of the network by facilitating capacity building trainings for student leaders, research and thought leadership on emerging priorities for youth-led action on education in the Commonwealth;
• Support the youth mainstreaming in the Commonwealth’s work on education;
• Support the strengthening of communication, partnerships and collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), Commonwealth Youth Networks, and other stakeholders, to increase visibility, outreach, inclusion and membership of CSA;
• Maintain CSA’s frequent and consistent communication with key stakeholders by ensuring regular updates of the network’s work and also sharing of opportunities and announcements to all network members via the executive;

• Support knowledge management through the maintenance of the CSA information sharing system and platform, by ensuring that CSA has an updated, functioning and accessible library of assets;
• Support the CSA executive to ensure the effective delivery, measurement and documentation of their work, mandated responsibilities and engagements with stakeholders. This includes supporting the executives in producing their monthly, annual and other CSA reports.

Compulsory and desirable skills

1. Administration & Reporting Support

• The candidate should possess excellent administrative and people skills, ability to coordinate/support meetings
• The candidate must have experience in leading and/or writing publications, policy papers, support research and thematic policy areas.

2. Project Management & Implementation

• The candidate should be able to commit the time required, at ~18 hours per week
• Possess project management/project delivery skills, support partnerships development, implementation track record, build stakeholders/network relationships & strategic planning
• Candidate should be able to demonstrate resourcefulness, and working with limited time and resources
• Candidate should be well-versed in the effective use of remote-working tools

3. Networking

• The candidate should be able to demonstrate his/her network in the relevant space;
• The candidate should also account and share for the skills to grow a community and network, beyond personal networks.

Compulsory Characteristics

1. Perseverance  

• The candidate should demonstrate commitment and perseverance   

2. Diversity and Inclusion  

• The candidate should be able to show interest and experience working in diverse teams and on diversity and inclusion matters. 

3. EQ  

• The candidate should be able to show exemplary people management skills, be able to build relationships and be the liaison between the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Executive team of the Network.  
• The candidate should be organised, professional and emotionally intelligent. 

How to apply

Applicants should apply by 31 July 2023 23:59hrs (BST). Only applications received via the application form will be accepted.

Please note that the form will require you to upload documents including but not limited to the following:

• Resume/CV (maximum 2 pages)
• A cover letter outlining your experience (maximum 1 page)
• Names and contact details of 2 referees