Senior Programme Officer - NOB

Organizational Setting

This position is located in the Brasilia – DF, work unit in the Country Office (CO) for Brazil.

The Local Programme Unit – LPU of the CO Brasilia is essential for the achievement of the ILO’s strategic objectives and results. This Unit is responsible for ensuring that the country programme for Brazil, including technical cooperation, responds to the needs of constituents and the country and is consistent with ILO policy, the Programme and Budget, and ILO rules.

To this effect, the LPU plans, proposes, coordinates, monitors, supervises and reviews the CO Brasilia programming and advises the Director of the CO Brasilia and assists the country team in the implementation of development cooperation in close coordination with core Office Units. 

The unit is directly responsible for coordinating the development and approval of new technical cooperation activities and formalizing new partnerships as well as for monitoring the implementation of the resources from Regular Budget Supplementary Account (RBSA), Regular Budget Technical Cooperation (RBTC) and from extra-budgetary sources and act as the main liaison with Brazilian donors and responsible to identify potential fundraising.

Main Purpose

As a team member, the incumbent provides comprehensive and professional services in the design, delivery, and administration of a wide range of programming activities. These services cover development, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of programmes and projects in a multiplicity of technical areas. Work involves providing professional programming services for the formulation and implementation of Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) to strengthen national capacity and activities in ILO mandated areas. Services are delivered in an efficient, effective, and client-oriented manner and include the use of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Work is governed by established rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidelines. The incumbent applies and plays a key role in promoting the principles of results-based management (RBM). 

The position works under the supervision of CO Brasilia Director. The incumbent has a high degree of independence in completing work assignments. Supervision received is focused on the overall delivery of results impacting the Office.

Working Relationships

Internal contacts are with staff and managers in field offices, project locations and headquarters to build and maintain effective working relationships, exchange information and gain agreement on programming related issues. The incumbent also provides guidance on results-based management (RBM) and applicable standards. The incumbent regularly liaises with and receives guidance from the Regional Programming Unit.

External contacts are primarily with government offices, employers’ and workers’  organizations, United Nations (UN) agencies and other international organizations and donors to maintain effective working relationships and discuss project initiatives and areas for cooperation.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1.    Provide substantial professional programming inputs for the formulation and implementation of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) framework, ensuring alignment with regional and global strategic priorities. Monitor the status of the Office’s work programme and measure and report on performance, including through the strategic use of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Monitor and verify accuracy of programming data. 
2.    Monitor and assess country development plans and priorities and make proposals to support the design and setting of objectives within the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) framework and stated priorities and outcomes. Stay abreast of the political and socio-economic situation and propose actions in response to new and emerging operational challenges.
3.    In cooperation with technical specialists, draft substantive inputs for programme framework documents, project proposals, reports and other documents for monitoring and reporting purposes. Initiate, plan and undertake missions to monitor, assess and report on programme implementation and propose corrective action.  Assist with the planning and organization of capacity building activities.
4.    Oversee the work of and provide guidance to staff in concerned programming areas. Supervise the work of support staff and junior national officers. . Conduct training in relevant programming areas and provide briefings and induction to new staff.
5.    Participate in negotiations with key stakeholders to discuss project definition, scope, and funding requirements. Prepare and/or review drafts of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in cooperation with implementing partners and technical specialists, ensuring consistency with requirements and timelines for project implementation.
6.    Seek opportunities to build and enhance partnerships with a range of stakeholders. Participate in resource mobilization activities. Organize and participate in meetings to facilitate collaboration between the different actors. Participate in interagency fora and meetings with a view to identifying areas for joint activities.
7.    Keep abreast of changes to applicable standards and best practices. Share knowledge and provide guidance to staff.
8.    Monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of work methods and processes and make recommendations for improvements. Liaise closely with staff and managers to ensure effective and smooth service design and delivery, recommending improvements on interrelated processes.
9.    Provide inputs to support the Office’s communication activities.
10.    Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

Education

University degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in a field relevant to the job. A degree related to management and a post-graduate qualification would be an asset.

Experience

Minimum of three years of professional work experience in programme and/or project planning, monitoring, implementation and evaluation activities. Experience in working with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, in particular, strategic management/programming modules and programming and results-based management (RBM).

Languages

Excellent command of Portuguese and excellent command of an official language of the Organization (English or Spanish) and  intermediate command of another official language of the Organization (English or Spanish) are required. 

Excellent command of English and Spanish as official languages of the ILO will be considered an advantage.

Knowledge and Competencies (technical/behavioural)

Behavioural 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, Takes responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, Collaboration], this position requires:

Research and analytical skills.  Drafting skills. Knowledge of methods and techniques for designing and assessing quality and efficiency of process execution. Ability to interpret and work within applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures.  Ability to maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders. Ability to manage competing priorities.  Ability to adapt quickly to new software and systems.  Ability to oversee the work of and provide guidance to staff. Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes. Skills to plan and work with sustainable strategies at the social and environmental levels.

Technical Competencies

Good knowledge of programming and results-based management (RBM) principles and concepts.  Good knowledge of the programming cycle (planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation). Good knowledge of resource mobilization.  Political awareness and understanding of socio-economic factors. Knowledge of the substantive nature of Organization’s work programmes and activities. Good knowledge of PC software (including word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software) such as Microsoft Office.  Knowledge of database management software (Power BI), digital tools for teamwork (Trello, Miró or others) will be considered an advantage.