Programme Officer - Monitoring & Evaluation/ Reporting

Grade: NOB

Vacancy no.: DC/Dhaka/NO/2024/08
Publication date: 30 September 2024
Application deadline (midnight local time): 21 October 2024

Job ID: 12360
Department: RO-Asia and the Pacific
Organization Unit: CO-Dhaka
Location: Dhaka  
Contract type: Fixed Term

Contract duration: 12 Months (with the possibility of extension)

Under article 4.2, paragraph (e) of the Staff Regulations, the filling of vacancies in technical cooperation projects does not fall under Annex I of the Staff Regulations and is made by direct selection by the Director-General.

In order to support the best informed process in the filling of the above-mentioned vacancy by direct selection, the ILO invites interested candidates to submit their application online by the above date.

The following are eligible to apply:

• ILO Internal candidates in accordance with paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex I of the Staff Regulations.
• External candidates*

*The recruitment process for National Officer positions is subject to specific local recruitment and eligibility criteria.

The ILO values diversity among its staff and welcomes applications from qualified female candidates. We also encourage applicants with disabilities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org.

Technical cooperation appointments are not expected to lead to a career in the ILO and they do not carry any expectation of renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment in the Organization. A one-year fixed-term contract will be given. Extensions of technical cooperation contracts are subject to various elements including the following: availability of funds, continuing need of the functions and satisfactory conduct and performance.

*Conditions of employment for external candidates: In conformity with existing ILO practice, the appointment of an external candidate will normally be made at the first step of this grade.

Introduction

Bangladesh, a significant source of migrant labour, greatly benefits from remittances sent by over 7.4 million workers abroad as of 2021. However, the country faces challenges in providing productive employment for its youthful population, primarily due to deficiencies in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Additionally, complex recruitment processes and high migration costs etc. exacerbate vulnerabilities, particularly for women.

On the other hand, EU Member States experiencing labor shortages are actively seeking skilled workers through Talent Partnerships collaboration with Bangladesh and other non-EU countries.  These talent partnerships initives emphasize the importance of skills development and the mutual recognition of qualifications. Aligning Bangladesh's TVET system with the skills needs and requirements of EU Member States’ labour markets can facilitate the recognition of Bangladesh qualifications and upgrade the skills profiles of Bangladeshi labor migrants, enhancing employability and expanding labour market access, while improving protection through safe and documented mobility pathways,

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has been a steadfast supporter of the Bangladesh government's efforts to reform the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector for the past 15 years. Financially supported by the European Union (EU) and other development partners, and in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh and other stakeholders, the ILO has been instrumental in laying the foundation for the national skills development system in Bangladesh. Among the EU-ILO-GoB collaboration projects aimed at enhancing skills development and labour migration in Bangladesh are the TVET Reform Project (2007-2015) and the ongoing Skills 21 project – Empowering Citizens for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth (2017-present).

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The achievements of the Skills 21 Project a.o. include the development of a harmonized qualifications framework (BNQF,) the National Skills Development Policy (NSDP), a competency-based TVET system for teachers and trainees, dual apprenticeship programs and work-based learning (WBL) with private sector industries, increased TVET access for marginalized groups, mainstreaming of green skills, the digitalization of the TVET sector through online learning management programs and digital recognition of prior learning, upskilling of would-be migrant workers, reintegration of migrant workers and families, establishment of career guidance, job placement and migration cells in TVET centres, etc.

Building on these Skills 21 Project achievements, the new Talent Partnership project is a three-year EU-funded technical cooperation pilot project from July 2024 - June 2027, managed by the ILO in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh. The purpose of the Talent Partnership project is a) to upskill trainees and migrant workers to match with skilled labour demands and requirements in EU Member States; and b) to develop and facilitate safe and documented labor mobility pathways between Bangladesh and EU Member States for skilled migrant workers.

The Talent Partnership project aims to upgrade qualifications, curricula and skills training packages and build stakeholder capacities to upskill migrant workers for training and work in Italy, Germany, and other EU Member States, targeting sectors such as health, engineering, ICT, long-term care, hospitality, construction, and agriculture. Furthermore, the project will develop stakeholder capacity and hold dialogue sessions to address labour migration governance deficits in Bangladesh and ensure protection of Bangladesh migrant workers throughout the migration cycle, adhering to international human rights and labour standards, in order to ensure migrant workers’ safe and documented mobility pathway to EU destination countries.

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Simultaneously, the Skills 21 Project has been extended for three years, from July 2024 to June 2027, to be implemented jointly and synergetically with the Talent Partnership project, in order to upskill migrant workers qualifying for migration to the EU countries. This includes providing accessible information on skills and training needs and facilitating the development and piloting of high-demand programs in pre-departure orientation (PDO), skills training, language training, and soft skills training in parallel with the Talent Partnership project’s technical skills training provision. Additionally, the Skills 21 Project will strengthen the capacity of stakeholders in Bangladesh and EU destination countries to enable them to collaborate on the operation of safe and documented mobility pathways for skilled migrant workers.

This joint synergetic implementation between the Skills 21 and TP projects will maximize the effectiveness of upgrading skills development to match EU Member States’ skilled labour demand and obtain recognition of skills qualifications, while ensuring safe and documented mobility pathways to Europe in compliance with international human rights and labour standards. By leveraging the strengths and resources of both projects, the Government of Bangladesh, EU destination countries and ILO can optimize outcomes, providing a holistic and effective framework for enhancing the upskilling and employment prospects of Bangladeshi workers in the EU, as well as their protection throughout the migration process.

The ILO Country Office for Bangladesh implements the project, led by the Country Office Director. The project team, headed by a Chief Technical Adviser (CTA), includes seven national technical and administrative/logistics officers.  The CTA oversees activities, reports to stakeholders, develops strategies, monitors progress, manages staff, and represents the project. Technical support is provided by ILO offices, including the SKILLS Branch, MIGRANT Department, and the Decent Work Team (DWT) Delhi, as well as collaboration by FUNDAMENTALS, LABOURLAW, and GEDI.

Reporting lines

The M&E/Reporting Officer will coordinate results-based activities of Skills-21 Project and Talent Partnership Project under the overall guidance of the Chief Technical Adviser.  

The M&E/ Reporting Officer will work closely with the staff of Skills-21 and Talent Partnership Project, ILO Country Office, Regional Office and HQ’s to ensure among others, adherence to donor requirements & ILO’s biennial Program and Budget.

The M&E/ Reporting Officer’s role and responsibilities:
Given the joint synergetic implementation of the two projects, the Talent Partnership project and the Skills 21 project, the M&E/ Reporting Officer has matching functions in the implementation of both projects.

Description of Duties

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Director of ILO Country Office and direct supervision of the Project Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) / Reporting Officer will contribute to the implementation of the project within the areas of his/her responsibility. He/she shall work closely with the members of the project team and shall be part of joint activities involving other team members/ projects. The main responsibilities of the M&E/ Reporting Officer include:

• Contribute to the timely delivery of program activities in line with the targets, milestones, outcomes and outputs of the program’s logframe.
• Develop and apply monitoring and evaluation frameworks and tools for results-based project management, including the theory of change, logical framework, detailed M&E plan, etc., including for reporting on outcomes and impact.
• Measure, review and analyze Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and monitoring & evaluation data.
• Co-draft, review and coordinate all mandatory analytical reports (i.e. quarterly, bi-annual, annual, on-demand, final, etc.) outlining findings, recommendations and lessons learnt; and ensure adherence to reporting deadlines.  
• Develop a full gender-mainstreamed monitoring and evaluation plan of the project’s operations for gender, disability and other cross-cutting marginalized groups.  Ensure that these issues are mainstreamed in the project logframe, workplan, implementation and M&E as a cross-cutting issue.
• Work closely with project staff to make evidence-based adjustments to project strategy, implementation plans etc.  Likewise liaise with backstopping programme staff backstopping technical experts in DWT, Regional Office and HQ Depts.
• manage and regularly update the risk management framework of the projects in liaison with the project team, ILO Dhaka’s Country Risk Officer and the ILO’s global Risk Officer;
• Contribute to the implementation of the projects’ knowledge management strategy, including the design of information platforms, Standard Operating Procedures for various functions as well as related materials.
• Design the methodology and oversee baseline (and end-line) research/data collection to shape the design of project activities and assess results, outcomes and impact, ensuring that methodology is gender-responsive and inclusive, and responds to the project’s overall objectives
• Coordinate regular reporting processes with partner organizations, analyse data for measurement of key performance indicators, prepare inputs for project reports and communications and liaise with technical staff to make evidence-based adjustments to strategy.
• Provide process and methodological support to the design of targeted data collection and analysis, a.o. beneficiary tracker studies, outcome harvesting and impact evaluations, including beneficiary selection and control groups.
• Establish and manage risk/ vulnerability management and beneficiary monitoring/ tracking system covering the entire migration cycle in order to mitigate vulnerability of beneficiaries and monitor of the effectiveness of protection of beneficiaries and the target group in general throughout the migration cycle.

• Design and implement capacity-building activities on monitoring and evaluation for national partners as part of building and strengthening national monitoring and evaluations systems and processes

• Coordinate and support internal and independent evaluations and provide input to the methodological review and preparation of consolidated comments for internal and independent evaluations
• Prepare strategy and action plan to implement evaluation recommendations by the projects, and support the upload of these on the EVAL platform and the report to CO-Dhaka and EVAL.
• Act as national focal point within the project on technical support to monitoring and evaluation within and of the project
• Communicate with relevant government agencies to facilitate the preparation, submission, and follow-up of project-related documents for project extensions, reporting, and any necessary amendments or changes to the project.
• Oversee and evaluate the progress of the project by reviewing, verifying, and analyzing work plans, progress reports, final reports, and other relevant data to ensure clarity, consistency, and completeness following EU in appropriate format and according to the specifications, requirements and deadlines.
• Participate in training seminars and workshops as resource person. Contribute to staff training and strengthening of project teams within the CO & the region.
• Provide inputs for budget preparation and other related matters, including the process of preparing relevant documentation for responsible ILO entities.
• Day-to-day responsibility in managing and implementing M&E
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Required qualifications

Education

University degree in economics, statistics, management, social science or related field, with specialization or formal training in planning, design, data collection, monitoring and evaluation methodologies and project cycle management.

Experience

Professional Experience:

At least five (5) years of experience in Monitoring and Evaluation of development programmes and policies, including planning, management and conducting outcome harvesting, impact evaluations, and time studies and tracking of beneficiaries and target groups.
Candidates with experience working on skills development and technical education will be prioritised.
Familiarity with project management and implementation.
Knowledge of evaluation theories and methods.
Hands-on experience establishing relationships between international stakeholder institutions/ organizations and national government institutions like MoE, MoEWOE, MOLE, BMET, BEF, NCCWE and other public & private sectors.

Specialized Experience:

Experience with baseline surveys and other comprehensive systematic data collection approaches.
Knowledge of current debates and the literature on: theory of change, outcome harvesting, impact evaluation, beneficiary/ target group tracker studies, etc. is desirable, as is experience in setting up and supporting broader comprehensive and sustainable monitoring and evaluation systems and beneficiary/ target group risk mitigation monitoring and tracking systems, preferably at national level.
Comprehensive experience in supporting the capacity development of the partners on M&E and related activities

Languages

Excellent verbal and written English and Bangla

Competencies

• The applicant should have the following ILO core competencies relating to the job functions:
• Management of human and financial resources, including transparent communication and conflict resolution
• Orientation to change – ability to live and work in a dynamic/ evolving environment.
• Collaboration – work effectively with a large team of the international and national professionals, various government agencies, funding and development partners.
• Communication – organize and facilitate workshop to develop qualification packages, seminar, conference along with team members; write and edit reports and publications.
• Sensitivity to diversity – Competencies to work effectively with multi-national, multi-ethnic project team members and have a gender sensitive behaviour and attitude for gender mainstreaming and social inclusion.
• Client orientation – understand and respond to needs of relevant government agencies, representatives of employers and of trade unions, other international agencies, NGOs, and financial partners on skills development training for skilled migration and reintegration.
• Taking responsibility for performance – manage the staff in institute level, stakeholders, budget, funds, time and other resources efficiently in order to achieve results.

In addition to the ILO core competencies, this position requires: General Competencies:

• Knowledge of programme and budget, project administration and evaluation concepts and procedures;
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal;
• Ability to work in a team and good interpersonal skills
• Ability to work under time and political pressure and meet deadlines;
• Ability to manage and prioritize work tasks

Job Specific competencies and skills:

• Understanding of qualitative and quantitative approaches in social science research;
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of outcome harvesting and impact evaluations;
• Demonstrated skills and experience to work with a variety of stakeholders and partners, including trade unions, employers and government,
• Proficient in information technology Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, web browsers, use of database applications).
• Proficient in statistical software (SPSS, Stata)

Recruitment process

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form. To apply, please visit ILO People. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.

Fraud warning

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