Chief Technical Advisor, PROTECT

Introduction

"Ensuring Decent Work and Reducing Vulnerabilities for Women and Children in the Context of Labour Migration in Southeast Asia" (short name: PROTECT, Protection of the Rights of Women and Children in Labour Migration) is a three-year (2024-2026) project implemented by the ILO, UN Women, UNICEF and UNODC, led by the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

The PROTECT project will promote decent work, while reducing the vulnerabilities of women and children in the context of labour migration, in particular through preventing and responding to violence against women and children, human trafficking and migrant smuggling. It will do this through addressing legal, policy and institutional gaps and barriers faced by women migrant workers and children in the context of labour migration, including in the protection of fundamental principles and rights at work, as well as enhance their access to safe, orderly, and regular migration by addressing violence, exploitation, forced labour and trafficking. To ensure that laws and policies can be effectively implemented, the project will enhance national and regional capacities and mechanisms for policy implementation, service provision and prevention efforts, while empowering concerned women migrant workers and children to mitigate the risks of abuse and exploitation and access services. The overall objective of the PROTECT project is to protect the rights of women migrant workers and migrant children in Southeast Asia.     

The priority countries covered by the project are Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, and activities will take place in these four countries, at varying levels (depending on the detailed workplan and allocation of funds). The project is designed to address the needs of women migrants, children and at-risk groups in the context of labour migration, especially in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The regional project office will be located in the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ILO-ROAP) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Description of Duties

The Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) will work under the administrative supervision of the Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. He/she will work with technical guidance from the Senior Migration Specialist (DWT-Bangkok) and Specialists in UN Women, UNICEF and UNODC based in Bangkok. The project will also receive technical support from the International Labour Migration Branch (MIGRANT) in ILO headquarters. Additional expertise will be sought from other departments and specialists in ILO, including in particular, the Decent Work Team (DWT) in Bangkok.

He/she will oversee the work of international experts, national officers and any other international and local consultant hired during the course of the project, such as: the ILO Technical Officer (M&E and Knowledge Management) and two National Project Coordinators.

The CTA will lead the programme by providing technical and managerial leadership. More specifically, the CTA will undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

• Ensure effective implementation of the project through timely provision of inputs and delivery of outputs, efficient backstopping, and planning, monitoring and evaluation of the project activities in conformity with ILO policies and programme strategies, and in accordance with ILO programming guidelines, and administrative and financial rules and procedures. 
• Ensure close coordination among the programme management teams across ILO and the other UN agencies (UN Women, UNICEF, UNODC) at the regional level so that collaboration and communication are proactive and effective as well as with regional programmes to ensure integrated and comprehensive interventions. Coordinate closely with relevant programmes in ILO, UN Women, UNODC and UNICEF on migration, child rights, anti-trafficking and violence against women, with country offices and relevant teams in the agencies (including UN Women's EVAW team and ILO's DWT-Bangkok), and other UN agencies, bilateral donors and NGOs, and others with programmes or mandates, to manage migration and combat trafficking. 
• Closely collaborate with EU delegations in the four project countries, particularly in Thailand and Indonesia, on activities involving ASEAN Secretariat and relevant bodies.
• Ensure the programme's approaches and interventions are in line with the programme's cross-cutting strategies on women's voice and agency, rights-based approaches, and broad engagement of stakeholders, both within the ILO and UN Women and with programme partners; and that progress against these cross-cutting strategies is reported on and visible.
• Deliver a programme that focuses on women's labour migration, children’s rights, anti-trafficking and violence against women throughout migration, with sensitivity to the discrimination and violence that many women experience as well as the approaches that help women avoid negative migration experiences.

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• Coordinate and identify appropriate resources to ensure that the programme meets its stated commitments to gender equality, budget, procedures, priorities and interventions.
• Manage effectively and efficiently the financial and human resources of the project including recruitment, performance and talent management aspects.
• Participate in high-level engagement in policy dialogue to promote gender-responsive, safe and fair labour migration governance.
• Take the lead to organize national and sub-regional workshops, identify and train partner agencies for national and sub-regional activities, support them in the design of action programmes; and monitor, backstop, evaluate, and adapt them where appropriate.
• Build and maintain partnerships with key actors addressing migration, violence against women and trafficking, such as the concerned Governments and the employers' and workers' organizations, the private sector, non-governmental organizations (including community-based organizations), academia, youth groups, the target groups and the donor, in the planning and implementation of activities under the project.
• Monitor economic and social issues of relevance to the project and undertake the preparation of periodic and ad hoc reports on the status of programme planning and implementation.
• Provide technical expertise and advice and coordination for the Project Steering Committee, Regional Project Advisory Committee and National Project Advisory Committees set-up under the project, in close collaboration with UN Women, UNICEF and UNODC.
• Promote ILO's values and policies and messaging regarding women's labour migration, gender-responsive migration governance, forced labour, trafficking, violence against women throughout the migration process, child labour, equality of opportunity and treatment for women and men, and the relevant international standards; social dialogue, employment; and skills.
• Carry out other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Required qualifications

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in economics, management, social sciences, or law with demonstrated expertise in the relevant technical 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, will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

Ten years of progressively responsible experience including at the international level. Field experience in project management and implementation. Proven capacity to initiate and implement technical co-operation programmes and activities with ILO constituents, private sector and NGOs.  Familiarity with ILO policies and procedures would be an asset. Experience in working on  labour migration and gender issues is required.

Languages

Excellent command of English is required. 

Competencies

* 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.

* Excellent leadership skills, ability to work effectively in a team and 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.

* Ability to develop training strategies and design training materials.

* Ability to formulate project proposals, policy documents and procedural matters.

* 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.

* Excellent 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 project/programme activities with partners.

* Excellent negotiation skills and ability to provide high quality services.

* Ability to plan and support the development of individual’s 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 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.

* The ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.