Introduction

The project will promote local economic development (LED) in a participatory planning approach, with the involvement of persons in rural and indigenous communities, and particularly women and youth, while integrating the development of skills and entrepreneurship competencies and mainstreaming gender and environmentally sustainable practices to address the needs and challenges of communities. Project implementation will be in Toledo District, including some activities in Stan Creek.

The Project Coordinator will lead the overall project management including defining goals, implementation strategies, overall technical support, stakeholder relations, decision-making, and resources allocation.

The incumbent will lead and support the project team in the overall implementation on the ground while ensuring expected outputs and results are realised.

Reporting Lines

Under the guidance of the Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, the Project Coordinator will establish and maintain working relationships with concerned government representatives and offices, employers’ associations and workers’ organizations, and key project stakeholders. The Project Coordinator will report to the Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean and will receive technical guidance from the Specialist on Skills and Lifelong Learning and the Specialist on Sustainable Enterprise Development as well as from other Specialists of the Decent Work Team (DWT) of the ILO Office for the Caribbean.

Main duties and responsibilities

1. Lead the project timely implementation, monitoring and evaluation through management functions, including provision of technical and administrative supervision to the project team in line with the ILO policy, rules and regulations and according to the final project document and work plan.

2. Assume responsibility for the effective management of funds/budget assigned to the project.

3. Manage efficiently the human resources of the project, including recruitment, performance and talent management aspects.

4. Prepare technical and financial reports in accordance with the ILO guidelines and procedures.

5. Provide technical support to the project team and consultants and to the stakeholders of the project including relevant government agencies and other key institutions.

6. Foster contacts and relations with governments, ministries, employers’ and workers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations and donors, and promote opportunities for collaboration towards planning and implementation of the project activities.

7. Liaise with other UN agency counterparts to promote ILO’s values, increase the project’s visibility and facilitate the scaling-up of the project’s interventions. Ensure a effective coordination with a range of relevant national projects, including those being undertaken by other agencies or in complementary fields of activity.

Main duties and responsibilities (continued)

8. Ensure high-level communications to increase project’s visibility at the national and international levels. This includes the responsibility to liaise with the UN country team, and other key stakeholders, to ensure effective coordination with relevant national strategies and related technical projects. Under direct guidance of CO-specific countries maintain relations with mass media and concerned media groups in order to increase the impact of the project in society as a whole.

9. Represent the project in meetings, seminars, and evaluations, as relevant to the project’s objectives, and build and enhance strategic partnerships and networks of government policymakers, workers´ and employers’ organizations and civil society organizations.

10. Plan, organize and conduct seminars, workshops, training and meetings on project technical matters. This may involve developing training and capacity building guides, manuals and other knowledge-sharing materials.

11. Identify problems, propose solutions and action and follow-up with the ILO Decent Work Team, executing agencies, government offices, constituents, and other organizations to expedite implementation and meet targets.

12. Develop and maintain strong links with ILO specialists within the ILO Decent Work Team in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and other colleagues in the field and HQ, on specific technical areas requiring comprehensive and collaborative interventions.

13. Periodically report, monitor, and facilitate the evaluation of all project’s components according to the project’s document and work plan.

14. Other related duties as assigned.

Required qualifications

Good knowledge of labour economics, as well as economic development, poverty reduction, and social policies. Knowledge of the policy making process

Education

University degree (Bachelors or equivalent) in the field of social sciences, economics or economic development

An advanced university degree in the field of social sciences, international relations, human rights, development, economy is an asset.

Experience

At least five years’ professional experience in the management of technical and development cooperation projects and activities, of which at least five years at the national level. Proven management experience, preferably with the ILO or a UN agency, with sound knowledge and experience in all aspects of project cycle, i.e. design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation

Languages

Excellent knowledge of English and good working knowledge of Spanish. Knowledge of Q’eqchi and/or Mopan will be considered an asset.

Competencies

In addition to the ILO core competencies, the following is required:

Technical

• Proven ability to take ownership of all responsibilities, act with integrity and transparency by maintaining social, ethical and organisational norms, and meet all commitments within the prescribed time, cost and quality standards.
• Ability to develop clear strategic goals consistent with the project/programme’s objectives, and to design and synthesise strategies for programme development, as well as identify linkages with other programmes.
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice.
• Demonstrated experience in negotiating, facilitating, and public speaking, with the significant ability to explain complex issues to diverse stakeholders, build will, identify common goals, develop agreed-upon next steps and deliverables, define and identify roles and responsibilities, and hold stakeholders accountable.
• Excellent leadership skills, ability to work effectively in a team and display excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to formulate new concepts and methodologies, and to synthesise research and reach empirically based conclusions on related subjects by understanding both the qualitative and quantitative approaches in social science research.