Junior Professional Officer, Responsible Business/Business and Decent Work

Background Information on Department

The Multinational Enterprises and Enterprise Engagement unit (MULTI) is central to the ILO’s work on responsible and sustainable business, and broader ILO engagement with MNEs on social policy and the decent work related SDGs. The unit provides policy advice and technical support on the application of the ILO instrument in this area — the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) — at the global, regional, and country-level. 

It builds capacity of governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations in this area and provides technical assistance at the country-level, mainly through development cooperation projects in the areas of responsible supply chains and responsible business conduct. To enhance international policy coherence on the labour/employment dimension of Responsible Business, it collaborates with other international organizations with instruments and initiatives in this area, in particular the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD MNE Guidelines and the UN Global Compact. Through the ILO Helpdesk for Business on international labour standards, it directly support companies that seek to align their policies and practices with principles of the MNE Declaration/international labour standards, including in their overall operations and with business partners in global supply chains. 

The MNE Declaration, most recently updated in 2017 includes a set of operational tools to stimulate the uptake of the principles by governments, employers, workers and enterprises (multinational and national). This JPO post will contribute to the operationalization of these different tools and support broader promotional activities at the international, regional and national levels. 

Learning Components and Learning Elements

The JPO will be exposed to a whole range of areas on the role of the private sector in development and sustainable enterprise development, and the role of public and private policies in this respect. This includes global supply chains and compliance issues, local economic development through MNE-SME business linkages, public and private policies on Responsible Business/Corporate Social Responsibility, capacity building on the labour/employment dimension of CSR, international developments on due diligence, corporate responsibility and sustainability, gender equality.  She or he will acquire an in-depth knowledge of the ILO’s approach to promoting respect for workers’ rights in business operations, the broader contribution enterprises can make to economic and social development and decent work, and the central role of social dialogue; and how ILO interacts with other international organizations on responsible business and the promotion of the MNE Declaration.  The JPO will also acquire first-hand experience in consensus building through facilitation of dialogues and negotiations.

The incumbent will be trained on different aspects of responsible global business, looking at how companies integrate principles of international labour standards in their own operations and in relation with business partners. He/she will also be trained on global developments on CSR and investment and supply chain issues. This would be an excellent opportunity for a person interested in pursuing a career in government, international organization, global business, trade union, academia or a policy research centre.  More formal training will depend on the particular interests of the JPO and needs of the unit.

Supervision

Direct Supervision by:
Senior Specialist in MULTI

Overall Supervision by: 
Head of unit, MULTI

Content and methodology of supervision:

A time-bound work plan will be agreed between the JPO and the direct supervisor upon arrival. Regular meetings between the JPO and the supervisor will be scheduled to discuss MULTI technical support to constituents. Detailed instructions, guidance and coaching will be provided by the supervisor for the preparation of technical assistance background documents.

The Head of Unit will ensure a good balance of assignments and opportunities for the associate expert based on his or her background, capacities and interests; and ensure that the workload is manageable.
 

Duties and responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the supervisor, the JPO will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Contribute to the roll-out of operational tools for the promotion and implementation of the MNE Declaration, including the company-union dialogue procedure.
• Assist with the development and delivery of training courses and other capacity-building activities.
• Draft background papers on policy areas linked to the MNE Declaration and, depending on the profile of the policy officer, other areas such as trade and investment policies.
• Assist with the preparation and delivery of joint activities with UN Global Compact, OECD, OHCHR, UNCTAD and other international organizations.
• Support country-level activities (capacity building, research, dialogue facilitation) involving multinational enterprises and various aspects of decent work, including support in the context of development cooperation projects.
• Conduct background research, draft concept notes and contribute to development cooperation proposals.
• Prepare technical inputs for ILO activities involving MNEs, global supply chains and various aspects of decent work (e.g. contribute to website articles, project news items and other communication outputs; contribute to relevant research and provide comments on ILO technical documents; prepare presentations for public events).
• Perform others task that may be assigned by the supervisor.

To give the JPO broader exposure to the work of the ILO, he/she will also contribute to the following tasks:

• Participate in/contribute to technical meetings with other departments and country offices.
• Assist with other tasks specific to the unit, such as preparing reports for the Governing Body and ILO regional meetings.
• Undertake other assignments as appropriate and needed according to the unit’s work plan and outcomes.

Required qualifications

Education

Advanced degree in law, economics, political science, industrial relations or other social sciences, or an MBA with a first degree in social sciences.

Work experience (excluding internships And volunteering)

Relevant work experience of 1-2 years, either at national or international level (private sector, government, trade union, academia, international organization).

Languages

Excellent working (both oral and written) knowledge of at least one of the ILO’s official languages (English, French, Spanish) and good knowledge of a second working language.

Competencies

Skills required for the assignment:

Minimum:
Ability to communicate effectively in both, written and verbal forms, ability to initiate activities and to work effectively in a team, ability to prepare high quality and technically sound reports and publications, ability to use standard IT technology, such as word processing, spread sheets and presentation techniques.

Desirable:
Ability to communicate effectively at a high policy level, ability to draft concise policy documents, ability to produce high-quality analytical outputs with the use of complex methods, data sets and variables, ability to use statistical data processing tools, ability to work in inter-disciplinary teams.

Key competencies:

The candidate is expected to demonstrate and be guided by ILO competencies, specifically:

1. Good communication skills, both written and verbal.
2. Capacity to work on own initiative as well as cooperate as a team member.
3. Flexible and capable to deal with multiple tasks.
4. Sensitivity to diversity and the ability to work in a multicultural environment.