The war in Gaza and surge of violence in the West Bank are decimating Palestinian lives, livelihoods and the economy. Both public sector employees and a large proportion of private sector workers are facing salary cuts as employers struggle to meet the wage bill.

The ILO has developed an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) to mitigate the impact of the war on Palestinian workers and employers, based on the decision of the ILO Governing Body in November 2023, and in accordance with its mandate under the defined priorities of the Decent Work Programme for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2023–25). The ERP’s overarching objective is to support national systems and strengthen the role of tripartite constituents in mitigating the impact of the ongoing crisis. In line with the Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205), the ERP builds on the ILO’s comparative advantage in post-disaster labour market recovery programmes, and in integrating decent work principles into emergency relief and early recovery efforts. It recognizes how vital it is to work closely within the wider context of the United Nations’ relief and recovery programming to address the emerging immediate needs of the Palestinian labour market. The ERP maps out a series of interventions across three interconnected pillars of Relief, Review and Recovery, in line with the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPN). These include early recovery work in Gaza, as well as recovery and resilience-building in the West Bank.

The ILO is recruiting a Programme Manager, with experience in managing large projects in conflict contexts, to lead the implementation of the Recovery pillar of the Emergency Response Plan. The Recovery pillar covers interventions across three areas of work, employment promotion, social protection and business recovery. To begin with the focus is likely to be on the design and implementation of employment promotion interventions, particularly emergency employment schemes, employment intensive investment approaches, and transition from short-term to long term employment through skills development and job placement.

The incumbent reports to the ILO Representative in Jerusalem, working closely with the Programme Analyst, and in coordination with the Decent Work Technical Support Team, the Regional Programme Unit and the Administrative and Finance Services of the ILO’s Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) in Beirut, Lebanon, as well as relevant units at ILO HQ.

Description of Duties

1. Lead on the implementation of the ILO Emergency Response Plan (ERP) recovery interventions. and ensure effective implementation of the Project through:

1. the formulation of detailed interventions
2. the provision of inputs
3. the delivery of outputs
4. the planning, monitoring and evaluation of activities.

Deliveries and outcomes must be in conformity with ILO policies and project strategies and in accordance with ILO programming guidelines and country/action programs, and the administrative and financial procedures in consultation with the ILO office in Jerusalem and the Regional Office in Beirut.

2. Manage funds/budgets allocated to the project.

3. Manage the human resources of the project/programme efficiently, including recruitment and performance management.

4. Coordinate ERP Recovery interventions with the wider ILO Decent Work Programme and support the office’s coordination with UN programme and planning.

5. Support the ILO Office’s engagement with development partners and donors to mobilise resources for the ERP Recovery.

6. Undertake local resource mobilization activities with the multi-lateral and bilateral donor community for the development of future activities linked to the project in coordination with the Country Representative and PARDEV.

Description of Duties (continued)

7. Strengthen relationships to cooperate and coordinate with governments, ministries, employers’ and workers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations, target groups and donors, in the planning and implementation of project /programme activities.

8. Report on successes and lessons learnt and contribute to the ILO Office wider reporting against Programme and Budget outcomes.

9. Liaise with other UN counterparts to promote ILO’s values, increase the project’s visibility and facilitate the scaling-up of the ILO’s interventions.

10. Provide technical inputs to Office documents (sectoral meetings, technical committees, regional meetings and conference reports) and liaise with specialists from the Decent Work Technical Support Team in Beirut in their areas of expertise.

11. Establish and ensure the dissemination of information covering various economic and social subjects of interest to the ILO office and departments at the ILO Regional Office for the Arab States and to missions to the region.

12. Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required qualifications

Education

Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in Political Science or Social Science, Economics or other relevant field.

A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in one of the afore-mentioned fields or other relevant field with an additional two years of relevant experience, in addition to the required experience stated below, can be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

At least seven years of experience, including experience at the international level, related to ILO’s policy areas.

Demonstrable experience managing large projects especially in contexts of crisis and conflict.

Expertise in employment promotion, especially in the context of crisis and conflict, including the design and implementation of emergency employment programmes, skills development and job placement programmes to help the transition from short term to long term decent work, and employment policy and practice.

Languages

Excellent command of English. A working knowledge of Arabic will be considered 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, Takes responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, Collaboration), this position requires:

• Good knowledge of ILO wide activities and priorities;
• Ability to foster a positive working environment based on ILO core values and competencies;
• Ability to contribute to or finalize reports that match ILO technical and programming standards;
• Ability to develop and maintain effective relations with constituents, UN agencies, international financial institutions, and bilateral donors, in order to foster consensus against identified policy priorities, and generate commitments and resources for the implementation of the decent work agenda.
• Proven ability to take ownership of all responsibilities, to act with integrity and transparency by maintaining social, ethical and organisational norms, and to 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.
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice.

Competencies (continued)

• Excellent leadership skills, ability to work effectively in a team and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to develop training materials, alternative courses of action, project proposals, policy and procedural matters, and to present them at high-level meetings.
• Ability to promote a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office, and to focus and guide others to meet objectives at individual and group level.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write accurate reports and to build networks to obtain cooperation with partners.
• Proven capacity to initiate and implement development cooperation programmes and activities with ILO constituents and NGOs, including negotiation skills with governments and social partners, and to mobilise the support of international donor agencies and provide quality services.
• Ability to plan and support the development of individuals’ skills and abilities for a more effective fulfilment of job/role responsibilities.
• Ability to maintain effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or environment, and to adjust effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements or cultures.
• Drive to seek or encourage others to seek opportunities for different and innovative approaches to organisation challenges and opportunities for improvement.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.

optional section (if needed)

Candidates assessed by the Panel and considered to be eligible for appointment but who are not selected for this vacant post may be offered an assignment to another position at the same or lower grade provided that they meet the minimum qualifications required.