Trade and Employment Officer P3 - DC

Introduction

“Mainstreaming Employment into Trade and Investment in the Southern Neighbourhood” of the EU is a four-year regional project implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and financed by the European Union (EU). The overall objective of the project is to enable policy makers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to incorporate employment issues into trade and investment policies, and design and implement interventions that ultimately optimise the quantity and quality of employment created in the region. It will also facilitate the operationalisation of the third pillar of the EU’s External Investment Plan (i.e., promoting a conducive investment climate) through policy dialogue. The target groups are government officials from ministries responsible for trade and investment, labour, economic affairs, planning, education, and other relevant line ministries; staff in national statistical agencies; representatives from trade unions and employers’ organizations; private sector representatives; technical specialists from national and regional institutions and development practitioners. The final beneficiaries are workers (especially women and youth) and employers (from SMEs, in particular) in the tradable sectors of the partner countries, as well as education and training providers.
The four work areas of the project will focus respectively on: (i) synthesizing existing evidence and generating new knowledge on what does and does not work with regard to creating employment through trade and investment policies in the southern neighbourhood; (ii) building a comprehensive and common understanding among policy actors of the employment effects of trade and investment policies to allow informed policy dialogue and coherent decision-making; (iii) derive sectoral recommendations for the development of export-oriented value chains and industries in the partner countries in order to enhance the employment opportunities and to mitigate the employment challenges arising from trade and investment policies; and (iv) providing assessments of the potential trade and employment impact of relevant public investments in the infrastructure sector in selected partner countries and developing recommendations through public-private dialogue.
The Trade and Employment Technical Officer will provide technical support to the project, involving participating in missions to the region, backstopping country studies and supporting the organisation of regional knowledge-sharing workshops and regional trainings.
Reporting lines: 
The Trade and Employment Technical Officer will report to the Country Director of the CO-Cairo. The incumbent will also liaise closely with the project team in Geneva to ensure the effective joint implementation of the project.

Description of Duties

1. 1.    Under the guidance of the Country Office Director in Cairo and in close coordination with the METI team in Geneva, the Trade and Employment Technical Officer will execute the implementation of the project by providing technical inputs, planning, monitoring and evaluation of project activities in north Africa partner countries: Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
   2.    Ensure the coordination of project activities across the project partner countries: Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia
   3.    Advance the implementation of Outcome 3 of the project related to the sector recommendations in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
   4.    Advance the implementation of Outcome 4 of the project related to trade and Employment Impact Assessment of Public Investments in Infrastructure in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
   5.    Provide backstopping support for country studies for the project countries in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, 
   6.    Assist in the analysis of value chains:
   i.    Medicinal and aromatic plants value chain in Tunisia
   ii.    Sugar, sugar confectionery and chocolate in Egypt
   iii.    Knitwear in Morocco
   7.    Assist in the organization and the facilitation of the regional technical trainings and the regional knowledge-sharing workshops
   8.    Undertake research and prepare analytical reports that take into account gender and diversity considerations within the area of Trade, Investment and Employment.
   9.    Share the project material related to the sector selection methodology with the partners so the approach could be replicated on other sectors.
   10.    Undertake missions in relation to project implementation, more specifically participate in missions to Tunisia and Morocco.
   11.    Provide timely reporting to supervisors on the progress of all aspects of the project in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, including expenditures, the delivery of publications, and the development and implementation of training and workshops.

Required qualifications

Education

Advanced university degree in economics, development studies or other relevant field, with specialization in international trade or economic development. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in a relevant field with an additional two years of relevant experience, in addition to the experience stated below, will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

At least five years of experience at the national level and two years at the international level a relevant area, at the national / international level.

Languages

Excellent command of English and good knowledge of French.  Arabic will be an  advantage.

Competencies

• 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, taking responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, and Collaboration], this position requires:
  ⦁    Ability to conceptualise, design research techniques, and analyse complex cross-national practices and data sets covering a wide range of issues in the specialized technical field.
  ⦁    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.
  ⦁    Excellent analytical skills and knowledge of analytical tools and qualitative and quantitative techniques.
  ⦁    Ability to work in a multicultural environment and gender-sensitive behaviour and attitudes are also required.
  ⦁    Good knowledge of the role and operations of UN system activities for development. Ability to negotiate persuasively with donor representatives.

  “Assessed candidates who will be considered as appointable but not selected for this position can also be offered to be assigned on another temporary position at the same or at a lower grade provided that said candidates possesses the minimum qualifications for this position”.