National Project Officer (Private Sector and Labour Integration)

General Functions:

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Chief of Mission and direct supervision of the Senior Programme Coordinator (SPC) in Ankara; and, in collaboration with relevant project staff in the Türkiye Mission, the successful candidate will be responsible for providing high-level technical expertise on the Turkish Private Sector and Labour Market Integration and provide technical guidance and support to the project staff, assessing developments in the private sector and labour market, guiding targeting and selection of intervention sectors and ensuring relevance of the of the 4-year, EU-Funded “Promoting Sustainable and Socially Inclusive Labour Market Integration” project.

Türkiye hosts the largest refugee population in the world, with over 4.6 million foreign nationals living in the country, including approximately 3.2 million Syrians under Temporary Protection (SuTPs) and around 300,000 Persons under International Protection (PuIPs). Given the considerable size and diversity of the migrant and refugee population, providing means for their social and economic integration is a very challenging process for both national and local authorities. Türkiye was also hit by a series of debilitating earthquakes in February 2023, which caused widespread displacement, damage and disruption in 11 provinces that already hosted half of the SuTPs and PuIPs in the country. The disaster affected the local labour market dynamics, skills needs and social cohesion in the region.

In response to the challenges, the “Promoting Sustainable and Socially Inclusive Labour Market Integration” project aims to increase formal employment of SuTPs, PuIPs and host community members and strengthen the harmonization process in Türkiye. The project will be implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS), the Social Security Institution (SSI) and the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM) of the Ministry of Interior. The project will propose a two-pronged approach that will ensure that targeted populations have improved levels of employability and are better integrated in their host communities. This will be done by strengthening the institutional capacities at the national and provincial level for delivering efficient employability and integration services for the targeted populations. The project will also promote respect for all groups, without distinction of race, gender, religion, colour, national origin, marital status, age, and physical disability, and pay special attention to the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

The main beneficiary institutions of the project are MoLSS, SSI and PMM. The target groups of the project are government institutions, non-government institutions, employers, employability service users and private sector partners involved in the labour market and harmonization process. The final beneficiaries of the project are SuTPs, PuIPs and host community members.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Provide technical guidance to the project team and mission on matters related to the Turkish economy, private sector disposition and development, employability and labour market analysis.
2. Monitor developments in, undertake detailed review and research into, and provide briefings on key economic sectors and private sector actors relevant to SuTPs, migrants and migration.
3. Provide information and guidance to the mission on emerging trends of economic sectors and private sector development, and labour market needs in Türkiye relevant to SuTPs, migrants and migration.
4. Provide technical guidance to the mission on the Turkish economy and private sector context, employability and labour market, and facilitate access to private sector forums and stakeholders for project teams.
5. Support the project team to adopt a coherent private sector approach across different project components via assessing links in between, potential entry points, potential partner mapping; and identify the entry points and prepare proposals for private sector to join IOM’s efforts within the project.
6. Work in close consultation with the IOM Mission’s Private sector focal point to develop new strategies for attracting the private sector and develop key communication products for expanding partnerships within and beyond the scope of the project.
7. Draft status reports on relevant project components, identify shortfalls in delivery, bring them to the attention of the supervisor and suggest remedial actions.
8. Draft correspondence on project issues; prepare and update reports, briefing notes, graphics, statistical tables, presentation, and other forms of documentation.
9. Respond to complex information requests and inquiries; set up and maintain files/records; organize meetings, workshops, and training sessions in relevant areas of work.
10. Conduct market research to identify potential private sector partners and assess their interest in the project's objectives.
11. Analyze data on labor market trends and skills gaps relevant to the target populations.
12. Organize and participate in meetings, workshops, conferences and other events to promote the project to the private sector, in coordination with the Private Sector focal point.
13. Develop and disseminate knowledge products, such as case studies and toolkits, to share lessons learned and best practices in private sector engagement in the context of labor market integration.
14. Undertake field duty travels as required
15. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

• Master's degree in marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Management, Economics, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with five years of relevant professional experience; or,
• University degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience.

       Experience:

• Excellent understanding and experience with fundraising and building partnerships with the private sector;
• Significant experience in exploring new private sector opportunities and providing inputs to design and develop solutions with prospective partners;
• Experience in building long-term partner relationships and understanding of the value of expanding relationships across geographies and is comfortable engaging with multiple sectors;
• Experienced in working cross-functionally and obtaining relevant content and information from different units to build innovative partnerships with the private sector; and,
• Experience in handling Corporate Social Responsibility programs, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Frameworks, and corporate recognition programs an advantage
• Experience on working with govt institutions, labour unions, confederations, employers’ organizations, business associations, chambers, etc.
• At least five years (seven years for bachelor's degree holders) of experience in private sector partnership building in Turkiye. Experience in growth sectors where SuTP employment is high an advantage.
• Ability to write, draft, and edit, reports, acknowledgments, briefings, and reports
• Ability to explain complex issues to external donors and present the Organization and diverse operations in an appealing and concise manner;
• Ability to develop Unique Value Propositions for private sector partners;
• In-depth understanding of private sector partnerships, fundraising, philanthropy, and UN agencies; humanitarian/development nexus and,
• In-depth understanding of employment, labour market and the Turkish private sector. Understanding of labour integration an advantage

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Turkish is required.
• Working knowledge of Arabic is advantegous

Required Competencies

The incumbent is expected to demonstrate the following values and competencies:

Values

• Inclusion and respect for diversity:

Shows respect and sensitivity towards gender, culture, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, political conviction and other differences.

• Encourages the inclusion of all team members and stakeholders while demonstrating the ability to work constructively with people with different backgrounds and orientations.

• Promotes the benefits of diversity; values diverse points of view and demonstrate this in daily work and decision making.

• Challenges prejudice, biases and intolerance in the workplace.

• Integrity and transparency:

Upholds and promotes the Standards of Conduct and Unified Staff Regulations and Rules.

•  Delivers on commitments; manages the organization’s resources reliably and sustainably.

• Embraces and encourages transparency, balancing this with the need for discretion and confidentiality as appropriate.

• Maintains impartiality and takes prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour.

• Does not abuse one’s position and acts without consideration of personal gain. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns.

• Professionalism:

Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter and willingness to improve knowledge and skills.

• Seeks to raise professional standards in self and others through daily work and activities.

• Adapts quickly to change and is decisive and versatile in face of uncertainty.

• Shows self-control and persistence when faced with difficult problems and remains calm in stressful situations.

• Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Teamwork:

• Fosters a sense of team spirit by developing a shared understanding, accountability, and enthusiasm for the team’s work.

• Displays a high level of cultural awareness, sensitivity to different ways of working and leverages individual strengths in order to build a better team.

• Shares credit for team accomplishments and ensures that the contribution of others is recognized.

• Helps create a positive team spirit, putting aside personal considerations to help the team achieve its goals.

• Delivering results:

•Produces high-quality results and workable solutions that meet clients’ needs.

• Anticipates constraints, identifies solutions and takes responsibility for addressing critical situations.

• Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs.

• Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives and demonstrates a good understanding of the impact of team’s and own work on external and internal counterparts.

• Managing and sharing knowledge:

 •Disseminates and shares knowledge openly and actively contributes to knowledge/network communities for topics relevant to area of expertise.

• Encourages knowledge-sharing across units/departments and ensures that knowledge is captured, recorded and disseminated appropriately.

• Builds networks for the effective communication and exchange of knowledge and ideas and puts others into contact with various sources of knowledge.

• Contributes to an environment that is conducive to innovation and learning.

• Accountability:

• Proactively seeks responsibility in delivering towards the goals of the Organization.

• Plans and organizes work with a clear and deliberate focus, ensuring commitments are easily identified and progress is widely communicated.

• Stands by the actions of team or department, publicly accepting ownership.

• Takes responsibility of own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable

• Communication:

•Speaks and writes clearly and effectively.

• Seeks to share information with others, with due respect for diversity and the confidentiality of specific sensitive information.

• Listens and seeks to understand without bias and responds appropriately.

• Shares information and keeps others up to date; actively seeks others' views and ideas and respects their contribution.

Managerial Competencies[1] – behavioural indicators level 2

• Leadership:

• Assigns responsibilities fairly and manages performance, taking account of individual strengths, workloads and interests.

• Is inclusive in decision-making and actively seeks feedback from team members and colleagues in order to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Takes sound and timely managerial decisions that are consistent with the Organization's vision and purpose.

• Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of stakeholders to understand needs and gain support.

• Empowering others and building trust:

•Delegates appropriately to make the most of others’ talents, clarifying expectations and allowing autonomy in important areas while providing necessary support.

• Encourages others to take responsibility for their performance; promotes ownership, responsibility and accountability for desired results at all levels.

• Creates an atmosphere of trust and confidence in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion.

• Gives proper credit to others, shows appreciation and rewards achievement and effort.

• Strategic thinking and vision:

•Aligns own actions to the Organization’s vision, values and mandate.

•Translates strategic direction into short and medium-term plans and objectives for own team; revises objectives to reflect changes in organizational goals.

• Identifies key issues/priorities in complex situations and how they may be related to one another.

            • Clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals.

Other:

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation and security clearances.

Please be advised that female candidates are highly encouraged.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are requested to submit their application including the most recent CV with a cover letter in English with contact details (name, position, phone and e-mail details) of three references by indicating name of the position applied with its VN number in the subject line of the e-mail to [email protected] or to IOM İlkbahar Mahallesi Konrad Adenauer Caddesi No: 63 Çankaya, Ankara Türkiye by the end of 6 January 2025.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

[1] As applicable.