National Project Coordinator - NOB (DC)

Introduction

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is implementing a 2 years EU funded project on Enhanced Impact of Public Financial Management on National and Sub-national Employment Governance in Uganda. The overall objective of the project is to achieve progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) through equitable and inclusive development (in particular productive employment and decent work).

The project falls under Country Office Dar es Salaam and will receive backstopping support from the DWT Pretoria.

The project will has two intermediary Outcomes as follows:

Intermediary Outcome 1: Pre-conditions for Local Government Employment Governance are established
Intermediary Outcome 2: Capacities at National and Local Government levels are strengthened in Implementation of Employment-sensitive Public Financial Management Tools

The project outcomes are:

• Government will integrate pro-employment indicators in cross-cutting performance measures for LGAP Assessment.
• Government will adopt and implement the National Employment Strategy resulting from this action.
• General PFM reform mechanisms and procedures are properly adopted at the local level, and
• Government will integrate pro-employment guidelines in fiscal decentralisation

 
The Project is seeking to recruit a National Project Coordinator located in the Project Office in Kampala, which is under the ILO Country Office (CO) for East Africa Dar Es Salaam and working closely with the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa (DWT-Pretoria). The Office also supports technical cooperation projects in a number of areas related to its mandate in close collaboration with the umbrella organizations for employers and workers.

Reporting Line
Under the overall responsibility of the Director of ILO Country Office for the United Republic of Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda (CO-Dar Es Salaam), the National Programme Coordinator will be under the direct supervision by the Technical Specialist. The National Programme Coordinator will be responsible for planning, implementation, coordination, supervision and financial control of this action. S/he will have a considerable track record in project management and implementation cutting across the areas of employment promotion, public finance and financial management, employment impact assessments, employment mainstreaming  of public policies and budgets, employment-intensive investment capacity building, tripartite engagement and management of national-level projects. S/he will be responsible for running project activities on a day-to-day basis, including regular engagements and follow-ups with tripartite constituents as well as international development partners, as well as organising training, sub-national planning events and consultative fora. S/he will be coordinate ILO constituents’ involvement and leadership in the strategy development process. S/he will be ensure the project work benefits from the ILO’s knowledge and international experience. S/he will coordinate the development and implementation of a technical work plan for the project, as well as terms of references for engaging technical specialists for the delivery of project outputs.

Description of Duties

• Work in close collaboration with the Technical Specialist to develop Country level and project work plans, informed by key stakeholder consultations and with guidance from DWT Pretoria and CO Dar backstopping Specialists
• Assist in the programming and control of project resources; prepare budget estimates and expenditure forecasts by analysing and monitoring the situation of resources as compared to planned activities and making recommendations for remedial action.
• Actively participate in planning and roll out of capacity building training on PFM, employment strategy, employment intensive PFM, local and national employment governance, and LMIS. Participate in conferences, seminars, workshops, training sessions related to project activities. 
• Establish and maintain strong working relations with the ILO’s tripartite constituents and other relevant stakeholders including representatives of national government concerned with employment promotion, LMIS, employer and worker organizations. Facilitate and support regular meetings with tripartite partners and report on project progress.
• Support the review and analysis of national development plans and other employment and labour market information. This will include coordinating desk research, sourcing and analysis of statistics and facilitating consultations with ILO constituents and other stakeholders, organizing stakeholder steering groups and monitoring external collaborators.
• Organize and conduct stakeholder workshops that are required to validate studies and reports such as the national employment governance and related research findings and follow-up with agreed actions and undertake missions to project sites, independently or accompanying other officials.
• Contribute creative ideas for project effective implementation and provide technical inputs to the project‘s core technical areas of work.
• Prepare and submit quarterly progress updates, periodical reports, and related technical reports on project activities.
• Collaborate with other projects of the Country Offices to identify and take advantage of opportunities for synergies and resource mobilization and co-funding for the extension and expansion for the project and/or opportunities.
• Keep an up to date brief of the national situation and legal and policy developments around employment, LMIs, and employment intensive skills development and provide brief notes on major developments to the Project Team.
• Support development of an M&E system for monitoring, documenting and reporting on employment related interventions in Uganda.
• Participate in UN and Government thematic meetings related to employment promotion, ensuring to reflect project work in UN and Government Plans (i.e. UN Sustainable Development Corporation Framework- UNSDCF and annual Work Plans as well as in the Decent Work Country Programme.
• Contribute to project design, proposal formulation and reviews as well as in resource mobilisation and funding discussions.
• Plan and participate in national technical missions as may be required.
• Perform other relevant duties as assigned by the direct supervisor and or Country Office Director.

Required qualifications

Education

A first level university degree in economics, public policy / finance, labour economics, development economics or other social sciences is required.

Experience

Three years’ working experience in areas such as public finance management, economic policy development and implementation, labour economics, macroeconomics, sectoral development and industrial policy including trade policies and/or in development and at least a year’s experience in implementation of development cooperation projects. Experience in and Familiarity with the mandate and the tripartite structure of the ILO would be an advantage. Experience in drafting research reports and making presentations effectively in is desirable.

Languages

Excellent written and verbal command of English language. Good knowledge of another official language of the duty station.
 

Competencies

• The role particularly requires competencies in stakeholder and partner engagement and relationship management, project management and conducting research, including strong analytical and communications skills. More generally, it requires competencies and values in integrity and transparency, sensitivity to diversity, orientation to learning and knowledge sharing, client orientation, orientation to change, taking responsibility for performance, quality orientation and collaboration. The work requires political and economic sensitivity and visibility.
• Good knowledge of programme and budget, project formulation, administration and evaluation techniques and practices. Good knowledge of the role and operations of UN system activities for development. Knowledge of the office’s financial rules and regulations. Knowledge of office-wide activities and priorities. 
• In addition to the above the following competencies are required: Ability to perform a variety of conceptual analyses required for the formulation, administration and evaluation of projects. Excellent drafting skills. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Excellent analytical skills. Ability to justify requirements and approaches to problem resolution, and ability to negotiate. Good computer applications skills. Good organizational skills. Ability to work on own initiative as well as a member of a team. Ability to deal with people with tact and diplomacy. Ability to perform a variety of conceptual analyses required for the formulation, administration and evaluation of projects.
• In addition, the following competencies would be advantageous: Relevant research competencies include, analysis and presentation of economics and statistical information, surveying, conducting workshops and preparing reports in presentation and written format.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.