Introduction

Safety + Health for All aims to improve the safety and health of all workers in South Asia (India, Nepal and Sri Lanka). It is about: building and sharing knowledge; building capacities of constituents and stakeholders; enabling conducive national frameworks; and spurring demand for safety and health at work. This sub-regional initiative takes a comprehensive approach to promoting safe and healthy working environments for all. The project is already under implementation in the project countries.

The key aim of the project is to contribute towards the continuous improvements of OSH frameworks in target countries; the capacity-building of OSH-related organizations, including government, workers’ and employers’ organizations; the implementation of targeted workplace interventions, especially focused on the prevention of using no-cost/low-cost improvements at workplace.

The project is working on developing and strengthening national, provincial and workplace and industry-level practices and initiatives to promote the safety and health of workers, especially in the plantation sector in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka notably through improved representation of workers in the smallholdings and of women workers.

The sectoral and workplace-level implementation is in the plantation sector which is an important agriculture sub-sectors in South Asia. In most plantation sectors, production is characterized by high labour intensity, especially in remote rural areas with female workers representing a majority of the total workforce. Overall conditions of plantation workers are characterized by low wages, poor hygiene, sanitation, and health conditions, as well as limited workers’ representation, especially in smallholdings. While a good proportion of workers are working for the estates, the number of smallholders with hired workers is growing. OSH is a major area of concern for the actors in the plantation sector, in particular chemical and biological hazards resulting from the use of agrochemicals with little or inadequate protection and scarce access to proper water and sanitation. These conditions have contributed to serious social issues and negative health and safety impacts on workers and their families.

The project is implemented in the framework of the ILO’s Flagship programme Safety & Health for All administrated by the Labour Administration, Labour Inspection and Occupational Safety and Health (LABADMIN/OSH) Branch in Geneva and contributes to improve the safety and health of workers in the plantation sector in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. To this end, the project works on:
1) Generating and sharing knowledge on constraints and opportunities to improve the safety and health of workers in the plantation sector in South Asia;
2) Strengthening national and local institutions to better promote and protect the safety and health of plantation workers in South Asia;
3) Developing or strengthening workplace and industry level practices and initiatives to promote the safety and health of workers in the plantation sector in South Asia, notably through improved representation (including ‘voice’) of workers in the smallholdings and of women workers.

Reporting Lines: The National Project Coordinator (NPC) will report to the project Chief Technical Advisor (CTA/Project Manager) based in the ILO Decent Work Team New Delhi Office, under the overall guidance and supervision of the Deputy Director of the ILO Country Office India and Director of ILO DWT for South Asia and CO for India.

Description of Duties

1) Under the guidance of the CTA, work in close collaboration with project partners in India to implement ongoing activities, design, revise and implement new project activities in line with the project document and workplan. In line with this, maintain and update the India country project work plan updated in accordance with project activities and timeframes.
2) Planning, implementation. monitoring and reporting of India country project activities and outcomes; and, preparing project monitoring activity reports, periodic and ad hoc status updates, periodic and annual reporting to the office and donors, and support the implementing partners to adhere to the reporting requirements of project.
3) Monitoring and evaluation of project activities in India. In consultation and coordination with CTA and based on existing tools and approaches developed at the global level, develop, revise, adapt, and use project data collection tools including surveys. Be responsible for the collection and entry of data on a regular basis to measure achievement against the performance indicators.
4) Review the quality of existing data in the project subject areas. Check data quality with partners. Develop and use tools for results-based project management, including implementation and assessment of the project theory of change and India M&E plans. Provide support as required to the evaluation of project activities in India.
5) Oversee implementation of project outcome assessments in India; shape the design of project activities and assess impact, ensuring that methodology are rigorous, user-friendly, gender-responsive, and aligned strongly to the project’s overall objectives; and, contribute to the evaluation and assessment of project policy and research work, and related activities, at global and country level using appropriate evaluation methodologies.
6) Identifying and documenting good practices and lessons learned for sharing in publications, social media and at state, national and other forums. Contribute to the development of a strategy for project visibility, notably at national/provincial level.
7) Ensure the effective management of the budget assigned to project activities in India. Ensure conformity with ILO policies and project strategies, ILO programming guidelines and country/action programs, and Office procedures and practices.
8) Support the selection and hiring of external collaborators for project activities in India, as well as in the review of the products as required.
9) Prepare briefs, provide inputs to project technical reports and updates regarding activities implemented in India, as scheduled and upon request. Provide inputs to the project mid-term and final evaluations.
10) Plan, organize and conduct seminars, workshops, training and meetings. Undertake missions to project interventions sites/areas in India as needed.
11) Ensure effective coordination with relevant national policies and promote new opportunities for collaboration with other ILO projects/ILO office work.
12) Perform other tasks assigned by the project’s Chief Technical Advisor or by the ILO Country Director

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Required qualifications

Education

University degree in engineering, health sciences or related disciplines, social sciences, law, public administration, or other relevant fields.

Experience

At least three years of demonstrated experience in the management of development cooperation projects, preferably with an international agency, with sound knowledge and experience in all aspects of project cycle. The technical areas of work should be on promoting decent work and labour rights, demonstrated experience on working on issues related to occupational safety and health and global supply chains, especially lower tiers of the supply chains and previous working relationships with the ILO’s tripartite constituents and/or project stakeholders from government and different states in India. Work experience in the plantation sector will be advantageous.

Languages

Excellent command of English and Hindi. Knowledge of local languages is an advantage.

Competencies

• Good knowledge of programming and results-based management (RBM) principles and concepts. Knowledge and skills related to project management (planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation) and project implementation.
• Knowledge of methods and techniques for designing and assessing quality and efficiency of activities with sound knowledge and experience of monitoring and evaluation techniques, data collection methods, analysis and presentation of data.
• Political awareness and understanding of socio-economic factors, especially those related to global supply chains and trade.
• Demonstrated experience of working on occupational safety and health issues, and with the informal economy workers.

In addition to the ILO core competencies [Integrity and transparency, Sensitivity to diversity, Orientation to learning and knowledge sharing, Client orientation, Communication, Orientation to change, Takes responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, Collaboration], this position requires:
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, especially ILO constituents and project partners.
• Ability to manage competing priorities.
• Ability to interpret and work within applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Project management, and monitoring and evaluation skills
• Research and analytical skills.
• Drafting skills.
• Ability to adapt quickly to new systems.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.