DREEM Grants Intern - RLOs, Pan African

POSITION TITLE

DREEM Grants Intern - RLOs, Pan African

POSITION LOCATION

Nairobi, Kenya

REPORTS TO

DREEM Grants Officer, Pan African

CONTRACT TERM

  6 Months 

APPLICATION DEADLINE

  24th July 2026

EXPECTED START DATE

  01 August 2026

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 is launching the second phase (2026-2031) of DREEM, an exciting initiative 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 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

ROLE DESCRIPTION:

The DREEM Grants Intern, Pan-Africa provides essential administrative, financial and grants administration support across the full grant cycle. This includes supporting RLO Administration and Management, by processing payments, tracking expenditures and managing grant documentation.  

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. RLO Pre and Post Award Support: 

Assist with the set up of new grant folders, review grantee applications for completeness and support in conducting due diligence.

Updating the grants tracker

2. RLO Grants and Finance Hard and Soft Copy Record Management: 

Assist with development and maintenance of  a unified system records management system for both hard and soft copy centralised physical and digital documents using consistent naming conventions, strict access and controls and secure data back ups to ensure absolute transparency and audit readiness.

3. RLO Financial Monitoring and Budget Reviews: 

Assist in tracking RLO Budget Vs Actual, reconciling expenditures, and identifying discrepancies in RLO financial reports.

4. Team Collaboration: 

Work with Program/RLOs and Finance teams to gather data and reports.

Note: This job description is intended to outline the general scope and level of responsibilities for the role. As the DREEM programme evolves, duties and priorities may be adjusted in line with programme needs, donor requirements, and team structure, provided they remain consistent with the role’s purpose and level. Refugees and Displaced young people are especially encouraged to apply 

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

• Education: Graduates in Finance, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
• Experience: 2–4 years of professional, internship or industrial attachment experience in finance, grants management or program management.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in MS Office (especially MS Excel) 
• Knowledge: Basic knowledge of budgeting and financial reports 
• Soft Skills: Exceptional attention to detail, ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
  

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 [email protected].

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. Refugees and displaced young people are especially encouraged to apply. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.