job
Communications Manager, DREEM
Organization World University Service of CanadaType FULL TIMEPosted 20 May 2026Deadline 27 May 2026 ⚠️
Advocacy/Communications
Full Description
**Start date:** ASAP (Ideally July 1, 2026)
**Supervisor:** DREEM Project Director
**Location:** Nairobi, Abidjan, Accra, Kigali, or Addis Ababa
**Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage interested candidates to apply early, as the vacancy may close once the right candidate has been identified.**
**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 fulfill 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 (2026-2031) of an exciting initiative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, which aims to significantly expand efforts to help refugee, displaced, 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 RLO Engagement , 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.
**Role Description:**
The **Communications Manager** for DREEM 2030 is responsible for designing and delivering a high-impact, Pan-African communications strategy that elevates the profile of the DREEM program and Refugee and Displaced Persons (RDP) inclusion across the continent. The Manager will lead efforts to showcase the "business case" for including RDP youth, specifically young women (70% target) and youth with disabilities (10% target), in education and dignified, fulfilling work.
This role goes beyond traditional PR; it is a technical advisory position centered on network orchestration and knowledge exchange. You will support Mastercard Foundation teams and their diverse partners (across sectors like Education, Agriculture, and Digital) to mainstream inclusive messaging and evidence-based storytelling. A critical component of this role is providing technical assistance (TA) to Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) and the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) to strengthen their independent communications and advocacy capacities, ensuring that RDP voices are central to the narrative.
**Responsibilities:**
## *Strategic Communications Leadership:*
- In close collaboration with the project’s leadership and WUSC’s Communications team in Canada, develop, implement, and periodically update a multi-country project communications and visibility strategy.
- Lead the positioning of DREEM 2030 as a "Network Orchestrator" and a center of excellence for RDP inclusion across the continent.
- Ensure all communication products and activities strictly adhere to Mastercard Foundation branding and WUSC corporate guidelines.
- Advise senior leadership, technical teams, and country offices on strategic communication approaches to influence ecosystem actors.
- Wo
Sign up free to get the apply link, save to pipeline, and set email alerts.
Sign up free →