National Project Coordinator

Grade: NOB

Vacancy no.: DC/KABUL/NO/2025/01
Publication date: 10-March-2025
Application deadline (midnight local time): 24-March-2025

Job ID: 12828
Department: RO-Asia and the Pacific
Organization Unit: ILO-Kabul
Location: Mazar-i-Sharif
Contract type: Short Term

Contract duration: 6 Months with Possibility of Extension

Under article 4.2, paragraph (e) of the Staff Regulations, the filling of vacancies in technical cooperation projects does not fall under Annex I of the Staff Regulations and is made by direct selection by the Director-General.

In order to support the best informed process in the filling of the above-mentioned vacancy by direct selection, the ILO invites interested candidates to submit their application online by the above date.

The following are eligible to apply:

• ILO Internal candidates in accordance with paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex I of the Staff Regulations.
• External candidates*

  *The recruitment process for National Officer positions is subject to specific local recruitment and eligibility criteria.

  The ILO values diversity among its staff and welcomes applications from qualified female candidates. We also encourage applicants with disabilities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org.

  📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

  ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

  Technical cooperation appointments are not expected to lead to a career in the ILO and they do not carry any expectation of renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment in the Organization. Extensions of technical cooperation contracts are subject to various elements including the following: availability of funds, continuing need of the functions and satisfactory conduct and performance.

  *Conditions of employment for external candidates: In conformity with existing ILO practice, the appointment of an external candidate will normally be made at the first step of this grade.

  Introduction/Project Overview

  Afghanistan’s labour market faces serious challenges due to economic decline, reduced international assistance, and restrictions on women’s participation in social and economic life. Unemployment remains widespread, particularly among youth, women, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and returnees. Many struggle to find work due to a disconnect between their skills and market needs, while women face compounded barriers, including limited mobility and access to formal employment, confining them to informal, low-income home-based roles. The dominance of the informal economy has resulted in widespread issues such as unfair wages, unsafe working environments, and job insecurity.
  The Road to Labour Markets Transformation project implemented by the ILO in collaboration with UNDP, addresses these challenges through a dual focus on decent work compliance and resilient economic recovery. Leveraging ILO’s tripartite governance structure and UNDP’s Area-Based Approach for Development Emergency Initiatives (ABADEI), the project targets high-employment sectors like carpet weaving, tailoring, and food processing, where women, youth, and displaced populations are concentrated. Key interventions include decent work diagnostics to identify systemic deficits, capacity-building for employers’ and workers’ organizations to enforce labour standards and establishing a “Centre of Excellence” to institutionalize compliance with Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW). The initiative will equip MSMEs with tools to improve workplace safety and fair wages, train local trainers on FPRW, and facilitate social dialogues to address labour rights violations. By aligning with SDG 8 (Decent Work) and the UN Strategic Framework for Afghanistan, the project aims to reduce unemployment, enhance gender inclusion, and strengthen compliance with international labour standards. Outcomes include 25% of MSMEs adopting FPRW, improved worker-employer relations, and scalable models for national replication, fostering a resilient, inclusive labour market.

  Description of Duties

  The National Project Coordinator will oversee the implementation of the project in Northern Region. This role involves day-to-day coordination, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring the achievement of project objectives. The coordinator will ensure the successful execution of the project by coordinating activities with implementing partners, local authorities, and beneficiaries. Effective project management is crucial, ensuring timely delivery of outputs, monitoring progress, and achieving sustainable project outcomes, particularly in supporting decent work promotion. The NPC will manage a multi-disciplinary team (national professionals, administrative staff, and consultants) and ensure synergies with other ILO/UNDP initiatives. The NPC will be reporting to the ILO’s Senior Coordinator for Afghanistan and closely working with Programme Officer and Operations Officer in Kabul, Decent Work Team (DWT)-Delhi, and relevant units in HQs.

  Main Duties and Responsibilities

  • Oversee the planning, execution, and monitoring of all project activities, in accordance with ILO guidelines, project objectives, timelines, and budgets, ensuring gender equality and non-discrimination are integrated throughout.
  • Prepare detailed work plans, including specific timelines for each project activity, and adjust as necessary to ensure project success, with gender equality and non-discrimination as cross-cutting issues.
  • Manage a multidisciplinary team (national staff, consultants, administrative personnel) to deliver outputs such as decent work diagnostics, compliance toolkits, and sectoral training programmes.
  • Coordinate with UN agencies, funds and programmes, social partners (ACCI, NUAWE), and MSMEs to integrate decent work principles into private sector activities.
  • Integrate gender equality, disability inclusion, non-discrimination, and conflict-sensitivity principles in all aspects of the project.
  • Identify problems, propose solutions and action and follow-up with relevant internal and external stakeholders to expedite implementation and meet targets.
  • Coordinate with national and local stakeholders, ensuring effective consultation with key organizations, including the Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI) and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), promoting the inclusion of gender equality and non-discrimination.
  • Act as the primary liaison in the region between ILO, UNDP, public entities, employers’/workers organizations, and community leaders to foster collaboration for the effective project implementation.
  • Represent the project in policy dialogues, stakeholders’ meetings, and inter-agency forums to advocate for labour rights, gender equality, and FPRW compliance.
  • Facilitate structured social dialogues between employers and workers to address wage disparities, child labour, and occupational safety in target sectors.
  • Support the organization and facilitation of capacity-building workshops for project staff, partners, and beneficiaries, promoting gender equality and non-discrimination
  • Lead the establishment of the “Centres of Excellence” in target business chambers, ensuring they develops context-specific training materials and delivers Train-the-Trainer (ToT) programmes
  • Organize workshops to enhance MSMEs’ understanding of international labour standards and support businesses with in-kind equipment to improve compliance.
  • Strengthen the institutional capacity of employers’/workers’ organizations to monitor and enforce decent work practices.
  • Ensure transparent and efficient financial management, adhering to ILO policies and donor requirements, with gender-responsive and inclusive budgeting and planning.
  • Prepare and monitor project budgets, ensuring proper allocation of funds and cost-effectiveness, with an emphasis on inclusion of marginalized groups.

    optional section (if needed)

    • Establish and develop knowledge management system covering technical activities under the project, including other economic and social issues of relevance to the project.
    • Supervise decent work diagnostics in carpet weaving, tailoring, and food processing sectors to identify systemic deficits and inform interventions.
    • Prepare quarterly technical reports and final evaluation, highlighting impacts on target beneficiaries
    • Prepare progress, briefing, and analytical reports for ILO, funding agency, and other stakeholders, ensuring accuracy and adherence to deadlines, and gender sensitivity in the use of language.
    • Document best practices and lessons learned to support knowledge-sharing and future programming.
    • Implement and maintain a results-based M&E system in line with ILO and UNDP standards to track progress against indicators, ensuring gender equality and non-discrimination are integrated
    • Monitor progress of the project and activities, by reviewing, verifying and analysing work-plans, progress reports, final reports and other data for clarity, consistency and completeness, with attention to gender-sensitive evaluation criteria
    • Manage the collection and analysis of project data, assess progress toward outcomes, and recommend adjustments to improve effectiveness, ensuring adherence to the ILO’s Gender Action Plan.
    • Embed decent work practices into local institutions to ensure continuity beyond the project’s lifespan.
    • Identify risks and propose mitigation strategies, supporting the development of tools and guidance notes for sustainability and long-term impact.
    • Support the development of a joint ILO-UNDP proposal for scaling interventions to other regions/value chains.
    • Ensure female participation in training and dialogues, addressing barriers to women’s economic empowerment in existing policy environment.
    • Integrate gender-sensitive approaches into all activities, including tailored support for women-led MSMEs and home-based workers.
    • Provide technical backstopping and mentorship to project team members and partners.
    • Develop communication and visibility products for the project audience
    • Contribute to resource mobilization efforts for project expansion and sustainability.
    • Perform any other duties assigned by the Senior Coordinator, ILO Afghanistan.

      Education

      • Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in economics, management, social science or a related field.
      • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) in the afore-mentioned fields with an additional two years of relevant experience, in addition to the required five years of experience stated below, will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

        Experience

        • At least three years of relevant professional experience development projects, enterprise development, job creation and/or systems development, and at least 2 years of this experience should be in managing/coordinating projects.
        • Prior experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder projects, working with private sector, UN agencies, funds and programmes, development actors, vulnerable populations, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
        • Familiarity with ILO policies, technical cooperation projects and labour market development strategies is an asset.

          Languages

          Excellent English, Dari and Pashto.

          Competencies

          • Strong organizational and multitasking skills to manage multiple priorities efficiently.
          • Ability to work independently with initiative, self-motivation, and minimal supervision.
          • Excellent analytical skills, with proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research and data interpretation.
          • Strong report drafting and guideline preparation skills for program implementation.
          • Proficiency in MS Office, project management tools, and technical documentation.
          • Strong leadership and coordination skills to guide teams and ensure stakeholder collaboration.
          • Effective negotiation and communication skills for engaging diverse stakeholders.
          • Ability to foster an inclusive and respectful work environment in multi-cultural settings.
          • Capacity to engage with and mobilize local communities, ensuring their needs are addressed.
          • Experience in coordinating and managing external collaborators, consultants, and contractors.
          • Deep understanding of ILO and UN missions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
          • Commitment to equal opportunity, gender mainstreaming, and human rights principles.
          • Adaptability and flexibility in responding to changing circumstances and project challenges.
          • Strong sense of ethics, transparency, and accountability in professional conduct.

            Recruitment process

            Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form. To apply, please visit the ILO Jobs website. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.

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