Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Officer – P3

Introduction

The position will be located in the ILO Regional Office for Africa (RO-Africa) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The RO-Africa has overall political and management responsibilities for the promotion of ILO principles, policies and decent work priorities in the region as well as provides strategic guidance and support to all country offices and Decent Work Technical Support Teams (DWTs) in Africa. Furthermore, the RO-Africa is responsible for promoting collaboration on decent work issues with continental institutions like the African Union, African Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The main objectives of the ILO in Africa are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.

Africa’s population is rising the fastest. The pressure to provide decent work opportunities for new labour market entrants will be particularly acute in Africa. The ILO in the region has given priority to promoting employment in the rural and informal economies and underscored the need for action to tackle youth unemployment. Building the capacity of its constituents to contribute more effectively to the achievement of equitable and inclusive growth is a major urgency.

The OSH Officer will work on the second phase of the “Accelerating action for the elimination of child labour in Africa” project which will commence its implementation in July 2023. The project has the overarching goal to accelerate the elimination of child labour in Africa, through targeted actions in selected supply chains in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda. To achieve this goal, it adopts an innovative system-building approach to tackling child labour that moves away from project-based downstream interventions towards strengthening existing systems that are critical to tackling the root causes of child labour. The project aims at achieving three outcomes at the sub-national, national, regional and global levels: 1) Policy, legal and institutional frameworks are improved and enforced to address child labour in global supply chains; 2) Innovative and evidence-based solutions that address the root causes of child labour in supply chains are institutionalized; and 3) Strategies to address the root causes of child labour in global supply chains are upscaled through knowledge sharing, partnerships and financing. At each level, it will target the root causes of child labour including access to social protection, decent work for adults/improved livelihoods, the transition from school-to-decent work for youth, and a safe and healthy work environment. 

Within the policy and procedural requirements established by the ILO, and in coordination with the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) and National Project Coordinators, the OSH Officer will be responsible for the design and implementation of the project component related to OSH. In addition, the incumbent will lead activities promoting compliance with child labour and OSH legislation across the different countries covered, as well as the regional component. 

Reporting lines

The incumbent will report to the Chief Technical Adviser of the project and will receive technical guidance, support and collaboration from the Occupational Safety and Health and Working Environment Branch (OSHE) in ILO headquarters, relevant specialists in Africa and in the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch (FUNDAMENTALS). He/she will work under general supervision of the Regional Director for Africa. 

Description of Duties

1.    In close consultation with the CTA and the specialists of OSHE, identify key actors for the implementation of project activities in terms of occupational safety and health (OSH) in selected sectors in the target countries.

2.    Lead the design and implementation of studies necessary to identify the incentives and limitations to improve OSH in selected sectors in the target countries, with a value chain approach. Ensure the quality of the reports.

3.    Design intervention strategies to improve OSH conditions in the selected sectors, guaranteeing coordination with the other intervention areas of the project.

4.    Support the development of innovative approaches and develop/adapt tools as needed to improve OSH conditions.

5.    Provide technical support to project stakeholders, including the Ministry of Labour, other relevant public institutions; employers’ organizations, including sectoral chambers; and relevant workers’ organizations in the sector.

6.    Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the project in terms of OSH. Lead the development and refinement of data collection tools, and support research activities to identify good practices.

7.    Provide guidance to plan, organize and conduct OSH seminars, workshops, training and meetings. This may involve supporting to develop/adapt training and capacity building guides, manuals and other knowledge sharing materials.

8.    Identify new opportunities for collaboration with relevant OSH actors at various levels, and promote and facilitate coordination between them.

9.    Undertake missions to project sites as part of the processes for capacity building and technical support to constituents and stakeholders.

10.    Participate in informative presentations to interested parties of the project activities, including the media, academics and others, at the request of the project CTA.

11.    Promote the inclusion of gender equality and non-discrimination in all aspects of the project.

12.    Carry out any other tasks as assigned by the Regional Director and the Project manager (CTA).

Required qualifications

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in public health, industrial or agricultural engineering, labour law, public administration, or related disciplines, with complementary or specialization studies in the field of occupational health and safety and labour inspection. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in a relevant field with an additional two years of relevant experience will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

At least five years of professional experience in the area of occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, with a focus on: risk assessment, including psychosocial risks; the evaluation of OSH management systems and implementation of corrective measures; the development and adaptation of methodologies, guides and/or necessary tools; and the training of OSH actors at various levels, in particular of ILO constituents. Relevant experience also includes compliance with labour law including through the strengthening of the capacities of the labour inspectorate. Experience in the African region is an advantage.

Work experience in value chains, in the agricultural sector and small-scale mining, for example, will be qualified as an additional advantage.
 

Languages

Excellent command of English and good working knowledge of French. 

Competencies

• [Basic]

  Candidates interested in the position should consider that the nine core competencies of the ILO, listed below, may be evaluated during the selection process: Integrity and transparency, Sensitivity to diversity, Orientation to learning and the exchange of knowledge, Orientation to the client, Communication, Orientation to change, Responsibility for performance, Orientation to quality and Collaboration. Among these nine competencies, the following are of particular importance for this position: Customer Orientation, Quality Orientation, and Collaboration.

  [Technical and General]

  ⦁    Ability to maintain relationships with constituents, including public, private and civil society partners, and establish effective relationships with them.

  ⦁    Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

  ⦁    Excellent analytical skills.

  ⦁    Ability to justify requirements and approaches to problem-solving, and negotiation skills.

  ⦁    Good organizational skills.

  ⦁    Ability to work in a team and independently.

  ⦁    Ability to deal with tact and diplomacy.

  ⦁    Training and workshop facilitation skills and experience.

  ⦁    Ability to provide technical advice and to guide and coordinate the work of external collaborators, general service staff and young professionals in the area of specialization.

  ⦁    Ability to formulate new concepts and methodologies.

  ⦁    Ability to draft reports and prepare guidelines relating to programme development and implementation.

  ⦁    Ability to provide technical support to senior specialists, carrying out research, project formulation and implementation. 

  ⦁    Ability to participate effectively in technical missions and to provide technical inputs for the ILO Decent Work Agenda.

  ⦁    Good computer skills in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 

  ⦁    Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.