ILO: Junior Project Officer – Tunis

 General information about the context in which the official will work:

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the United Nations institution devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace. As the only tripartite U.N. agency, the ILO brings together governments, employers and workers representatives of 187 member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.

The Office of the International Labour Organization for Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia seeks to recruit an International Project Officer for NES and Monitoring for the development cooperation project in Tunisia called “Strengthening the impact on employment policies and supporting ICT-based job creation for youth and women in Tunisia”, to financed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The project aims at bringing about visible, short to longer-term changes in the labour market outcomes for young people and women in Tunisia, building on the ongoing preparation of the National Employment Strategy (NES) for Tunisia, supported by the ILO. The general matrix of the NES was adopted by the Council of Ministers in July 2019 and is integrated in the National Development Plan (2023-2025). For the first time, the country will have equipped itself with a comprehensive framework orienting the efforts of all ministries and stakeholders for more concerted and effective action on employment.

The adoption of the NES is the culmination of a long process of technical work and broad-based consultations. It is also the beginning of a new phase for employment policies in Tunisia, where new challenges and ambitions are laid forward for the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training (MEVT), as well as for a range of other public authorities, in close collaboration with the social partners and other stakeholders. In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, the NES represents an important entry point to respond to the employment impact of the pandemic, especially in hard-hit sectors and among certain groups, including women and youth. Based on a rapid assessment on the labour market supported by the ILO, the NES is being adapted to provide measures for a job-rich recovery.

High-end technical support, policy advice as well as institution and capacity development are needed to translate the NES into concrete results for young people and women in Tunisia. This is what this project aims at. In this context, the project articulates various types of intervention focusing on local and national levels, i.e.:

Institution and capacity building for better and effective implementation:

The national strategy and regional plans for employment involve a fundamental review of the role expected from the MEVT, sectoral ministries, social partners and local authorities to promote employment in a fast-changing context. Indeed, as a transformative undertaking, the NES and REPs implementation are reliant on individual and institutional changes. In that regard, capacity will be built – not only in terms of training activities but also as a more complex set of tools and new forum for institutional change.

(iii)      Designing better policies for employment in Tunisia at local levels:

The project support the development of territorial policies in eleven governorates. For the first time, regional employment plans (REPs) are developed by local stakeholders, thus offering a platform for negotiations and tripartite consultation between public authorities and social partners at lower government levels. The REPs bring new solutions adapted to the specific regional employment issues and to COVID-19, while being in line with the wider national employment strategy. They will also be key in responding to the issue of regional disparities that are particularly pressing in Tunisia.

Direct job creation for young men and women in the ICT sector:

The project support direct decent work creation for young women and men in the ICT sector in the target governorates. The processes cover value chain analysis and the identification of income-generating and employment opportunities at the local level, the design and delivery of appropriate skills training programmes and the provision of necessary post-training services, including business support.

1. Reporting lines:

The incumbent will work under the general supervision of the Director of the ILO Office in Algiers for Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia, and the direct supervision of the project’s Chief Technical Adviser.

1. Main duties and responsibilities:

Within the framework of the requirements related to the policies and procedures established by the ILO for the management of development cooperation projects, the official will contribute to the activities relating to the implementation of the National Employment Strategy and project monitoring and evaluation.

His/her main duties and responsibilities will be as follows:

1 / National Employment Strategy (NES) and Regional Employment Plans (REPs):

• Assist with the planning of, and participate in, monitoring meetings with the Ministry and other stakeholders;
• Contribute to study and capacity building activities related to this component of the project;
• Organize the logistics of the workshops in connection with the NES;
• Develop a chronogram of activities related to the development of the last 6 REPs and ensure its regular monitoring;
• Contribute to technical support to activities related to the governance of the NES and the development of REPs;

2 / Project monitoring and evaluation:

• Contribute to the setup of the monitoring tools for project indicators;
• In conjunction with the regional project coordinators, collect and compile monitoring data;
• In collaboration with the team project, prepare timely:
  • narrative and financial reports (in English) as required by the donor and the ILO, ensuring completeness of the information provided, extracting lessons-learned and;
  • reports for the project steering committee.
• Participate in the project steering committee;
• Contribute to the drafting of the terms of reference of the evaluations .

3/ In addition, and as the project foresees Korean expert missions in Tunisia regarding all the components of the project, the official will assist in the coordination of activities related to Korean institutions and experts.

4/ He/she will actively contribute, in liaison with the CTA and regional coordinators, to project communication and perform any other task required by his/her supervisor.

First level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in economics or social sciences, complemented with demonstrated expertise in the relevant technical field(s).

One year of working experience in international development cooperation, and in the areas of employment policy or project monitoring/evaluation, would be an advantage.

Prior experience in delivering development cooperation within a UN organization, and ideally the ILO, will be a particular asset; work experience in Tunisia or other countries in North Africa will be an advantage.

Good command of French and good working knowledge of Korean; knowledge of English will be an advantage.

Competencies and Critical Success Factors

• • Ability for planning and establishing priorities;
  • Knowledge of project planning and monitoring,;
  • Proven ability to engage effectively and sensitively with project stakeholders and partners, including at high levels;
  • Ability to produce descriptive and analytical reports to an excellent standard and to critically assess results;
  • Positive attitude and openness to accept different viewpoints and guidance from higher levels;
  • Resourcefulness, initiative, and maturity of judgment;
  • Ability to handle effectively multiple tasks without compromising quality, team spirit and positive working relationships;
  • Proven ability to mainstream and address gender equality concerns, as well as sensitivity to cultural, age, disability and other diversity issues.
  • Good computer/information application skills.

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

The recruitment of the candidate is subject to the receipt and availability of funds.