Chief Technical Advisor at ILO

ILO Jobs:Chief Technical Advisor

Vacancy No: IPEC/2011/03

Title: P5 Chief Technical Advisor

Grade: P.5

Contract type: Fixed-Term Appointment
Duration of contract: 12 months with a possibility of extension
Application Deadline: 30 April 2011

Currently accepting applications

Organization unit: IPEC

Duty Station: Accra, Ghana

We regret that due to the anticipated high volume of interest in this post, ILO will respond to short listed candidates only within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy notice. To check whether the vacancy has been filled, please refer to the vacancy status of the list of positions that you applied for.

INTRODUCTION
The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), a programme of the International Labour Organization, is presently operational in 70 countries worldwide and is supported some 20 donors. Its objective is the effective abolition of child labour, assisting member States and social partner constituents in designing and implementing policies and programmes to prevent and eliminate child labour in accordance with international labour standards, including a focus on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency.

IPEC is implemented through national, subregional and regional programmes, which include country-based and regional technical cooperation projects. IPEC provides assistance through technical advisory services to ILO constituents for policy and legal reform; training; advocacy; development of tools and methodologies; research and statistical surveys; direct action for the withdrawal, prevention and protection of child labourers; institution and capacity building; and regular sharing of good practice and collection and dissemination of information. It promotes a worldwide movement to advocate for and provide resources to support national action and works through various interagency partnerships and task forces.

IPEC partners in a country include the ILO’s constituents, who are the Ministries of Labour, employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as others concerned in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

ILO/IPEC is presently implementing some major interventions in West Africa which include:

- the USDOL funded RAF/09/51/USA Project “Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour in West Africa and Strengthening Sub-Regional Cooperation through ECOWAS – (WA/ECOWAS I) which aims at pursuing efforts at the regional and national levels in West Africa to combat the WFCL in cocoa (in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana), mining (in Ghana), child domestic work (in Côte d’Ivoire) and fishing (in Ghana);
- the USDOL funded RAF/10/53/USA Project, “Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour in West Africa and Strengthening Sub-Regional Cooperation through ECOWAS (WA-ECOWAS II) which expands and extends work of WA-ECOWAS I in cocoa sector in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, and in mining and stone quarries in Benin and Nigeria;
- the USDOL funded RAF/10/54/USA Cocoa Project “Towards child labour free cocoa growing communities through an integrated area based approach” in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, and;
- the public-private partnership (PPP – RAF/11/01/GIG) with the Global Issues Group in the chocolate and cocoa industry which will focus on child labour elimination in cocoa growing communities in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire and complements the Cocoa Project.
Description of Duties
The CTA works under the authority of the Abuja ILO Office.

The CTA supervises four country teams in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin and Nigeria.
In Ghana, one International Programme Officer and national programme officers responsible for finance/administration, programming, monitoring and evaluation supported by national finance/administration assistants, field coordinators and drivers.
In Cote d’Ivoire, International project manager, national programme officers, programme & monitoring and evaluation officer supported by finance/admin assistant, field coordinators and drivers.
In Benin, a national programme officer, a field programme assistant and a driver. In Nigeria, an International Technical Adviser, a national programme officer and an administrative assistant.

General duties

The CTA will be recruited: i) to ensure coherence in the outputs delivery and coordination of these projects interventions and assist national, subregional and regional key stakeholders and programmes in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of child labour policies and programmes; ii) to assist in conceptual work related to the development of strategies, instruments and tools against child labour, iii) harmonise the monitoring of the implementation of the projects and the supervision of the project staff; iv) ensure quality control of reports submitted by relevant project managers and responsible officers and; v) to ensure that IPEC has a common voice towards the constituents.

Key duties:

1. Assume full responsibility for cooperation and coordination with the concerned governments and the employers’ and workers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations, the target groups and the donors, in the planning and implementation of activities under the projects.

2. Oversee the designing, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of project activities, and ensure effective co-ordination of country/action programmes in order to deliver integrated and comprehensive interventions targeting all worst forms of child labour (WFCL) with emphasis on WFCL in specific sectors and the provision of direct educational services as the priority in national plans for the elimination of child labour.

3. Develop and review an institutional framework in which social partners can best improve, implement and evaluate efficient and equitable ILO/IPEC action programmes. Strengthen the capacity of the relevant constituent and partner organizations, communities and families to combat child labour through active participation in social and civil society dialogue and direct action.

4. Develop or integrate with, the broad-based national strategic framework for the elimination of child labour (Time Bound Programme) in both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, including identification of training needs and mobilization of the necessary human and financial resources.

5. Establish and develop information systems covering ILO technical activities under the above projects and economic and social issues of relevance to the projects; prepare periodic and ad hoc reports on the status of programme planning and implementation; and establish coordination with concerned ILO departments and programmes.

6. Promote ILO policies regarding child labour and other fundamental rights at work including freedom of association and collective bargaining, freedom from forced labour and discrimination and equality of opportunity and treatment for women and men, and the relevant International Labour Standards through a more effective coordination with a range of relevant national policies and the strategies of various projects, including those being undertaken by other agencies or in complementary fields of activity.

7. Organize training workshops and meetings for the tripartite partners, NGOs, other agencies, target groups and staff as appropriate to reinforce the professional capabilities of relevant officials to deal with issues of child labour, including trafficking of children.

8. Organize fora and develop knowledge sharing tools designed to forge partnerships, share good practices and foster sub-regional networks of government policymakers, trade union organizations, employer’s organizations and civil society organizations to combat the worst from of child labour.

9. Liaise with the UN Country teams to promote ILO’s values within UN initiatives, increase the projects visibility and facilitate the scaling-up of the project’s interventions. Ensure a more effective coordination with a range of relevant national policies and the strategies of various projects, including those being undertaken by other agencies or in complementary fields of activity.

Managerial duties (if applicable)

Effectively manage human resources including recruitment, staff development and performance management of the personnel under the project.
Required Qualifications
Education
Advanced university degree / first level degree with two years relevant experience (in addition to the experience stated below) in economics, management, social science or a related field.
Experience
Ten to fifteen years’ experience, at least seven years of which at the international level, including field experience in project management and implementation in the region, preferably in the fields of child labour, other fundamental rights at work or human rights, gender, or development. Familiarity with ILO policies and procedures. Sound knowledge of labour market and development issues would be an advantage.
Languages
Excellent command of English and working knowledge of French.
Competencies
- team-leadership, ability to work in a team, and good interpersonal skills;
- ability to train and guide personnel;
- ability to synthesize research and reach empirically based conclusions on related subjects;
- understanding of qualitative and quantitative approaches in social science research;
- ability to formulate new concepts and methodologies;
- ability to develop training materials, alternative courses of action, project proposals, policy, procedural matters and present them at high-level meetings;
- design and synthesize strategies for programme development;
- proven capacity to initiate and implement technical co-operation programmes and activities with ILO constituents and NGOs, including negotiation skill with governments, social partners and to mobilize the support of international donor agencies;
- good communication skills, both written and verbal, including the ability to write accurate reports;
- ability to work under time and political pressure and meet deadlines;
Additional Information:
Candidates who do not fulfill the required qualifications/experience are appointed at P4 level.
APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY IF SELECTED FOR WRITTEN TEST.
APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY IF SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW.
APPENDIX I CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
- Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to ILO Staff Regulations and other relevant internal rules.
- The first contract will be issued for a twelve-month period (for Geneva-based positions) and a twenty-four month period (for non Geneva-based positions)
- A successful external candidate will be on probation for the first two years of assignment.
- Any extension of contract beyond the probation period is subject to satisfactory conduct and performance.

Grade: P.5
Salary and post adjustment (with dependants) US$
Salary Minimum 86791
rising to Maximum 106372
Post adjustment for Accra Minimum 32286
Maximum 39570
Salary and post adjustment (without dependants) US$
Salary Minimum 80629
Maximum Maximum 97853
Post adjustment for Accra Minimum 29993
Maximum 36401

Other allowances and benefits subject to specific terms of appointment:
Children’s allowance (except for the first child if the dependent rate of salary is paid in respect of that child);
Children’s education grant (per child per year);
Pension and Health Insurance schemes;
30 working days’ annual leave;
Assignment Grant;
Entitlement to transport expenses of personal effects;
Repatriation Grant;
Home-leave travel with eligible dependants every two years;
Rental subsidy (if applicable).

Recruitment is normally made at the initial step in the grade.
The Director-General reserves the right to appoint candidates at one level below the grade of the advertised post.
Salaries and emoluments are exempt from taxation by the Swiss authorities and, on the basis of international agreements or national law relating to presence or residence abroad, are generally exempt from taxation by other governments. In the absence of exemption, in most cases tax paid will be reimbursed in accordance with an ILO document which will be supplied upon request.

While the successful candidate will be initially working in Accra, he/she may be assigned to any duty station designated by the Director-General of the ILO.
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form.
To apply, please visit ILO’s e-Recruitment website at: erecruit.ilo.org. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.
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.

Depending on the location and availability of candidates, assessors and interview panel members, the ILO may use communication technologies such as Skype, Video or teleconference, e-mail, etc for the assessment and evaluation of candidates at the different stages of the recruitment process, including assessment centres, technical tests or interviews.
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