Grade: NOA
Vacancy no.: CAIRO/DC/NO/2023/03
Publication date: 25 May 2023
Application deadline (midnight Cairo local time): 8 June 2023
Job ID: 10875
Department: RO-Africa
Organization Unit: DWT/CO-Cairo
Location: Cairo
Contract type: Fixed Term
Contract duration: 12 months (with possibility of extension subject to performance and availability of fund)
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 criteria.
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. A one-year fixed-term contract will be given. 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
โMainstreaming Employment into Trade and Investment in the Southern Neighbourhoodโ of the EU is a four-year regional project implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and financed by the European Union (EU). The overall objective of the project is to enable policy makers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to incorporate employment issues into trade and investment policies, and design and implement interventions that ultimately optimise the quantity and quality of employment created in the region. It will also facilitate the operationalisation of the third pillar of the EUโs External Investment Plan (i.e., promoting a conducive investment climate) through policy dialogue. The target groups are government officials from ministries responsible for trade and investment, labour, economic affairs, planning, education and other relevant line ministries; staff in national statistical agencies; representatives from trade unions and employersโ organizations; private sector representatives; technical specialists from national and regional institutions and development practitioners. The final beneficiaries are workers (especially women and youth) and employers (from SMEs, in particular) in the tradable sectors of the partner countries, as well as education and training providers.
The four work areas of the project will focus respectively on: (i) synthesizing existing evidence and generating new knowledge on what does and does not work with regard to creating employment through trade and investment policies in the southern neighbourhood; (ii) building a comprehensive and common understanding among policy actors of the employment effects of trade and investment policies to allow informed policy dialogue and coherent decision-making; (iii) derive sectoral recommendations for the development of export-oriented value chains and industries in the partner countries in order to enhance the employment opportunities and to mitigate the employment challenges arising from trade and investment policies; and (iv) providing assessments of the potential trade and employment impact of relevant public investments in the infrastructure sector in selected partner countries and developing recommendations through public-private dialogue.
The National Project Officer (NPO) will provide technical support to the Trade and Employment Technical Officer, involving participating in missions to the region, operational and administrative support, technical inputs to reports, studies and training programmes and assisting in the organisation of regional knowledge-sharing workshops and regional trainings.Introduction (Continued)
Job Purpose:
As a team member, the incumbent provides professional services for the efficient, effective and client-oriented delivery and administration of a range of programming activities of the project. These services cover programming and administrative support in the development, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of METI project activities governed by established rules, regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines. The incumbent applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM). The position works under the supervision of the Technical Specialist of the METI project in Cairo. Day-to-day work requires minimum supervision. Detailed instructions and guidance are provided for special assignments or the handling of unusual or complex matters.
Work Relationships
Internal contacts are with staff and managers in CO office Cairo, field offices in the MENA region, project locations and headquarters to maintain effective working relationships, exchange information and obtain assistance on programming matters. The incumbent regularly liaises with and receives guidance from the Regional Programming Unit. External contacts are primarily with counterparts in government, employersโ and workersโ organizations, United Nations (UN) agencies and other international organizations (in particular OECD, ITC, UfM) and donors (EU) to exchange information and obtain assistance on programming matters.
Reporting lines:
Under the overall guidance of DWT/CO-Cairo Director, The NPO will report to and will be directly supervised by Trade and Technical Specialist located in DWT/CO-Cairo in close collaboration with the Team Leader, Structural transformation and the METI project team in ILO-HQ in Geneva.
Description of Duties
- Provide professional services for an identified set of programming services. Provide inputs for project operations plans for overall compliance with regional and global strategic priorities as well as with programming instructions. Perform financial and administrative tasks for the METI project in the region and draft correspondence, emails and reports on administrative matters, or other available information sources in accordance with standard office procedures.
- Conduct basic research and analysis and draft components of reports and presentations for situation analyses at the national level. Analyze data for programme development and research studies and provide input or technical comments to research on issues related to trade, investment, value chain analysis and employment.
- Provide timely, accurate and pertinent information on programme and budget matters (budget estimates, expenditure forecasts) for operational decision-making purposes through the strategic use of the results-based management and send periodic reports to the ILO-HQ team. Use baselines, milestones and indicators to measure, analyze and report on project performance. Monitor and verify accuracy of programming data. This includes assisting in monitoring the development plans and priorities, reports and other relevant information about the project budget and its financial activities in the region. Prepare periodical reports and statistical data on status of project activities for the progress reports to the EU. Maintain an overview of the financial situation of the project in the region to ensure timely administrative support. Liaising with various departments in ILOHQ (e.g. BUDGET, PROCUREMENT, etc.) and in Cairo Office to ensure the accuracy of recording and reporting of all financial transactions.
- Assist in technical backstopping, project implementation, evaluation and monitoring.
- Participate in missions to monitor and report on programme implementation, to train and to share knowledge. Identify issues and propose corrective actions. Provide administrative, operational and technical support for and assist in organizing conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings and coordinate travel and lodging of all project-related resource persons.
Description of Duties (Continued)
- Provide inputs to support the projectโs knowledge management and communication activities. Assist in developing relevant project materials and activities by assisting with standard layouts and production of documents in accordance with the guidelines set out in ILO standards. Keep records of all information related to project reports, contracts, minutes, notes, communications, etc. within designated folders accessible by the project team.
- Contribute to the design and setting of project objectives within the framework of Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) and stated priorities and outcomes. Stay abreast of the political and socio-economic situation and propose actions in response to new and emerging operational challenges.
- Monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of work methods and processes of the project and make recommendations for improvements. Liaise closely with staff and managers to ensure effective and smooth service design and delivery, recommending improvements on interrelated processes.
- Participate in interagency fora and meetings with a view to identifying areas of common interest.
- Keep abreast of changes to applicable standards and best practices. Share knowledge and provide guidance to staff. Oversee and guide the work of staff performing programme-related work.
- Perform other relevant duties as assigned.
Required qualifications
Education
University degree (Bachelorโs or equivalent) in social sciences and/or management.
Experience
Minimum of two years of professional work experience in programme and/or project planning, monitoring, implementation and evaluation activities, preferably at the international level.
Languages
Excellent command of English and Arabic. Working knowledge of another official language of the Organization (French) would be an asset.
Competencies
In addition to the ILO core competencies [Integrity and transparency, Sensitivity to diversity, โOrientation to learning and knowledge sharing, Client orientation, Communication, Orientation to โchange, Takes responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, Collaboration], this position โrequires:โ
- Good knowledge of programming and results-based management (RBM) principles and concepts.
- Knowledge of the programming cycle (planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation).
- Knowledge of resource mobilization.
- Political awareness and understanding of socio-economic factors.
- Working experience in an international setting.
- Ability to organise own work and efficiently manage time.
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes
- Ability to work in stakeholdersโ engagement and communications (organization of events, preparation of media briefs, press reviews, etc.);
Candidates assessed by the Panel and considered eligible for appointment but who are not selected for this vacant post may be offered an assignment to another position at the same or lower grade provided that they meet the minimum qualifications required.
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.
Fraud warning
The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account - @ilo.org - should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.
Disclaimer:
- Only those candidates that are short-listed for assessment will be contacted
- Candidates who pass the interview and have good capabilities as may be recommended by the panel, may get selected for similar positions
- The Office reserves to itself the right to appoint candidates at a level below the level of the advertised post depending on their experience
- Assessed candidates who will be considered as appointable for this position can also be offered to be assigned on a TEMPORARY position at the same or at a lower grade provided that said candidates possesses the minimum qualifications for this position