National Programme Officer - ILO

Position: National Programme Officer (Enterprise Development) - NOB (DC)

Grade: NOB  

Vacancy no.: DC/Dhaka/NO-B/2022/01
Application deadline (midnight local time): 9 March 2022

Job ID: 7743 
Department: RO-Asia and the Pacific 
Organization Unit: CO-Dhaka 
Location: Chittagong   
Contract type: Fixed Term 
Contract duration: 12 Months (renewable)

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 [email protected].

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

"Promoting Gender-Responsive Enterprise and TVET Systems (ProGRESS) is a new partnership between the Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the ILO in Bangladesh for the next five years (2021-2026). The project aims to contribute to achieving gender parity in the labour force by 2041 by addressing the constraints affecting women's participation in the labour force by working on the policies, systems, and operational level.  
The project builds on over a decade of ILO's support to the core policy and governance systems of Bangladesh's TVET system, which played an instrumental role in establishing a market-oriented, competency-based skills system coordinated through a collaborative peak body. The current project is a continuation of the initiatives and focuses on promoting women's access to labour markets in Bangladesh, including through gender-based budgeting for skills training and entrepreneurship development. The project uses gender equality as a central theme to driving for improvements in public policy, skills, and business service provision to empower Bangladeshi women. The project is aligned to GoB's 8th Five-year plan and prosperity vision, where the country seeks to achieve gender parity in the labour force by 2041. 

The project combines capacity building and policy support with practical demonstration to achieve sustainable change. It focuses on economically underdeveloped regions of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and other lagging behind areas for piloting the innovations. 

The ultimate outcome of ProGRESS Project is "Increased number of women in Bangladesh employed with decent work in a broader range of occupations".  With more emphasis on the changes at systemic level, the stated development objective will be pursued along three key pillars (intermediate outcomes) that will contribute to changing regulatory procedures, capacities, and incentives of the public and private market actors in the skills and value chains to generate sustainable solution to improve lives and livelihoods of women in Bangladesh:

Intermediate outcome 1100: Adoption and implementation of National Strategy on Gender Equality in TVET (2012), TVET Development Action Plan; NSDP 2020, national budget and operational systems which promote gender equality particularly in terms of digital access, enterprise development and green job

Intermediate outcome 1200: Increased opportunities of wage and self-employment for women within selected value chains and market systems, particularly in the green growth sectors

Intermediate outcome 1300: Improved availability of accessible, inclusive, sustainable and green skills training opportunities for women, youths, persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups 

Reporting to the Enterprise Development Specialist, the core responsibility of the National Officer for Enterprise Development (NO-ED) is primarily to support the achievement of target outcomes and outputs under Intermediate Outcome 1200, in a timely manner and according to the established/agreed quality standards. The outcomes include: 

1210:  Increased capacity of value chain actors and business associations to promote growth of green jobs and enterprises in the selected value chains with high concentration of women, youth and persons with disabilities.
1220: Improved coordination among the value chain actors and TVET institutes for training design and employment support services.
1230: Improved access to quality business management and entrepreneurship development support services for women, youths and DAPs in the selected areas.

The National Officer-Enterprise Development will be responsible for the development and implementation of the project activities especially related to enterprise development as described in the project document and ensure high quality, accuracy and consistency of work. The national officer will work in close collaboration with other components and relevant authorities within ProGRESS at national, divisional and district level. The incumbent will be required to travel frequently within ProGRESS Districts and occasionally to other parts of the country.

Reporting lines:

Under the guidance of the Director of the ILO Country Office and Chief Technical Advisor of the ProGRESS, and direct supervision of Technical Officer-Enterprise Development, the National Officer-Enterprise Development will be responsible to perform a variety of technical and programming functions including development of technical documents, gathering of data/information management, preparation of reports development of knowledge products, and support to implementation of ProGRESS Project.
S/he needs to work closely with ILO specialists and technical cooperation projects which are interlinked with this project, among other relevant ILO interventions.

Description of Duties

General duties: 50%

⦁    Review and analyze country specific development plans and priorities, socio-economic data, reports and other relevant information; identify potential technical cooperation project areas and provide written analysis on the findings to management.
⦁    Contribute creative ideas for programme/project development and budget proposals, project proposals, programme background, country strategy papers, objectives, project reviews and evaluation. Monitor progress final reports and other data for clarity, consistency and completeness.
⦁    Identify problems, propose solutions and action and follow-up with relevant departments at headquarters and national office, executing agencies, government offices, constituents and other organizations to expedite implementation of meet targets.
⦁    Prepare briefs, background information, periodical reports, subject matter related to technical reports and statistical data on status of programme/project activities.
⦁    Assemble and edit basic data required for planning and negotiation of programme/project activities, considering different approaches and alternative methods for project design, management, problem identification, and problem resolution. Follow-up on delayed documents, clarify information, and answer questions about clearance and processing requirements.
⦁    Assists in the programming and control of resources from all sources of funds, prepare budget estimates and expenditure forecasts by analyzing and monitoring situation of resources as compared to planned activities and making recommendations to management for remedial action.
⦁    Participate in the preparation of conferences, seminars, workshops, training sessions and meetings. Speak on behalf of the ILO when attending these gatherings alone. Serve as a focal for selected technical subjects and attend meetings, workshops and inter-agency meetings, and present reports and papers. 

⦁    Draft, edit in, or translate into local language(s) news releases, official correspondence, statements and speeches and other public information materials.
⦁    Plan, organize and facilitate consultative meetings, seminars, workshops, and act as a technical interpreter in technical consultations.
⦁    Brief ILO specialists, project experts, associate experts and visiting officials and provide relevant information on programme matters.
⦁    Undertake missions to project sites independently or accompanying other officials.
⦁    Perform other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Technical duties-50%

⦁    Organize, coordinate, monitor and provide technical backstopping support to the activities under enterprise component of project and partners in relation to the programme/plan activities.
⦁    Provide technical assistance to partner industry associations, workers association and Industry Skills Councils (ISCs) on achieving gender equality in the workplace and gender friendly working environment through assessing reskilling and upskilling needs of women, youth and disadvantaged groups in green jobs and digital skills and capacity building of business and workers associations in these areas. 
⦁    Provide technical and coordination support in the conduct of value chain, market system and skills gap analysis of the selected sectors to identify the areas of interventions to promote employment and entrepreneurship and promote digital technologies for women, youth and persons with disabilities.
⦁    Lead capacity development initiatives to improve capacities of local businesses and their associations to adopt improved environment friendly technologies and processes to drive productivity and efficiencies of women owned and managed enterprises through needs assessment, conducting multi-stakeholder workshops, developing action plan and delivering training. 

⦁    Provide support business associations and value chain actors to advocate for gender friendly businesses practices, policies and regulations through undertaking gender inclusion assessments, designing advocacy programmes and imparting trainings

⦁    Ensure the market-relevant occupational, digital, entrepreneurship and managerial skill trainings and career guidance services focusing on the green sectors to the existing enterprises, women, youths and DAPs designed and rolled-out in coordination with Skills Development Officer

⦁    Provide technical assistance to Business Development Service (BDS) providers to identify, develop and deliver need based and tailor made BDS services, including financial services, available to women, including green and e-commerce enterprises. 
⦁    Provide technical support to the value chain actors to promote women employment and entrepreneurship in the selected areas by making use of the ILO entrepreneurship development tools and methodologies. 
⦁    Provide technical and financial support to entrepreneurs to adopt green, gender friendly technologies in their enterprises/businesses through identifying interested business providers willing to pursue green business, assessing their capacities, designing courses and strategies for them, monitoring progress and showcasing success stories of women entrepreneurships, employment of women, PWDs; green jobs, enterprises and technologies. 
⦁    Provide technical assistance to key industry partners on expanding the scope and inclusiveness of flexible learning systems including RPL, apprenticeships and workplace based learnings for target beneficiaries through building capacities of government agencies, ISCs and facilitating tripartite social dialogues.  
⦁    Lead the provision of support to business associations and ISCs as well as concerned government departments in devising a gender-responsive guidelines for PPPs.
⦁    Assist the implementing partners to develop action programme and provide substantive input backstopping of the activities in accordance with the work plans. Identify technical assistance needs assist in coordinating project implementation.
⦁    Review the project log-frame, prepare and submit timely regular work and budget plans, activity reports and other reports as required.
⦁    Assume a co-lead role and provide inputs in the preparation of technical progress report that would be submitted to the quarterly meetings.
⦁    Provide technical services and support capacity building and knowledge sharing through training materials and guidelines, etc.
⦁    Conduct supervision of funded projects to ensure implementation remains in accordance with contracted purpose.
⦁    Take responsibility for the logistic, financial and other resources entrusted by the ILO 

Required qualifications

Education

University Degree in agri-business, business management, enterprise development or other related courses. 

Experience

⦁    At least three (3) years of professional experiences at the national level in either private sector engagement, project management, partnerships, or a related field, preferably in international organizations in supervisory or lead role in entrepreneurship and business development promotion. 
⦁    Demonstrated solid practical experience with key role in planning and design, implementation, coordination and monitoring of enterprise development, value chains and market development programmes and establishing inter-relationships among international organizations, national governments; and private sectors. 
⦁    Demonstrated experience in promoting women's economic empowerment through enterprise development and value chains and private sector engagement  is a must.
⦁    Prior experience in the ILO/ UN System will be an asset

Languages

Proficient in speaking and writing in English and Bangla.

Competencies

The applicant should have the following ILO core competencies as they relate to the job:

⦁    Management of human and financial resources, including transparent communication and conflict resolution. Good knowledge of programme and budget, project formulation, administration and evaluation techniques and practices.
⦁    Orientation to change – ability to live and work in a dynamic/unstable environment of a developing country; ability to appreciate and support a green jobs and climate resilient business development
⦁    Collaboration – work effectively with a large team of the international and national professionals, various government agencies, funding and development partners, such as the EC, Global Affairs Canada, Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, etc., NGOs, and ILO technical units. Good knowledge of the role and operations of UN system activities for development.
⦁    Communication – write and edit reports and publications; lead workshops, conferences and working teams. 
⦁    Sensitivity to diversity – work effectively with multi-national, multi-ethnic project team members and have a gender sensitive behaviour and attitude
⦁    Client orientation – understand and respond to needs of various government agencies, representatives of employers and of trade unions, other international agencies, NGOs, and financial partners. 
⦁    Committed to gender equality and women's empowerment
⦁    Orientation to learning and knowledge – teach national staff, assess progress and recommend them or training and other professional development activities
⦁    Taking responsibility for performance – manage the staff, funds, time and other resources efficiently in order to achieve results 

Job specific competencies, this position requires:
⦁    Demonstrated skills and experience to work with a variety of stakeholders and partners including constituents, along with donors.
⦁    Ability to justify requirements and approaches to problem solutions, and ability to negotiate.
⦁    Proven experience and demonstrate skills in value chains, entrepreneurship development, socio-economic human development and/or for labour rights, will be an added advantage.
⦁    Ability to perform a variety of conceptual analyses required for the formulation, administration and evaluation of projects.
⦁    Proven orientation and technical skills to obtain, manage, share data, information and knowledge from different sources, for the defined purpose/targeted audience.
⦁    Good technical writing and facilitation skills, and the ability to communicate and provide objective advice and guidance
⦁    Good computer applications skills
⦁    Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.

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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