National Project Coordinator - NOA (DC)

Introduction

The informal economy is ubiquitous in The Gambia. More than three quarters of the employment (77.6%) is informal, the majority in enterprises in the informal sector. Women (81.5%) are more exposed to informality than men (75.5%) and face the most severe decent work deficits. In addition, the Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated the vulnerability of already vulnerable groups, particularly those dependent on daily wages and the informal sector, as highlighted in the 2020 Common Country Assessment carried out by the UN System in the Gambia.

In this context, the ILO will launch a project aiming at creating decent employment opportunities and increasing post-crisis resilience for women and men in the informal economy by supporting the Gambian Government in facilitating the transition from the informal economy to the formal economy.

The expected results of the project will be the following : (i) The tripartite constituents’ knowledge of informality in the country is enhanced by conducting a national diagnosis of the informal economy and information sessions on the principles of ILO Recommendation 204 and Convention 144 on tripartite consultations ; (ii) a national strategy for formalising the informal economy is developed through a tripartite dialogue process (iii) a digital platform ‘Formalize and Develop Your Business’, enabling enterprises and workers in the informal sector to have access to information and tools to support the development and formalisation process, taking into account the specific challenges relating to women’s entrepreneurship and access to social protection is available; (iv) a strategy for the implementation of the ILO principles of quality apprenticeship, applied to the informal economy, and its action plan is developed, validated and implemented through pilot initiatives.

The intervention is linked to the National Development Plan’s strategic priority 1 “Stabilizing our economy, stimulating growth, and transforming the economy”, and also contributes to the achievement of UNDAF’s priority I (2017-2021) “Governance, Economic Management and Human Rights”. The project will contribute to SDG 8.3 and to strengthening the tripartite constituents’ capacity to facilitate the transition from the informal to the formal economy. The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment of the Gambia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Gambia, together with the workers’ organizations active in the informal economy, will be the direct beneficiaries of the project. The final beneficiaries will be women and men entrepreneurs and workers in the Gambian informal sector.

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The Project Manager will be responsible for the implementation of the project, including planning and executing project activities, monitoring and evaluating progress, coordinating with national partners as well as international stakeholders in related fields, contracting and managing technical external collaborators, and reporting to the ILO technical back-stoppers.

Reporting Lines:  

The National Project Coordinator will work under the supervision of the Director of the ILO Office in Dakar. He/She will be backstopped technically by the following ILO Specialists based in the ILO office in Dakar: the Senior Employers’ Activities Specialist, the Enterprises Development Specialist, the Skills and Employability Specialist, the Senior Workers’ Activities Specialist and the Social Protection Specialist. He/She will also work in close collaboration with other DWT members.

Description of Duties

• Maintaining communication channels with the Dakar office and other support units;
• Preparing and updating, as necessary, the project work plan, the procurement plan, elaborating M&E plans and reviewing the project document and agreement;
• Drawing up draft terms of references for the selection of project personnel, consultants, and other agencies collaborating with the project;
• Identifying the need for personnel, equipment, services and supplies and initiating requests for recruitment and procurement;
• Providing guidance, supervision and assistance to experts, project team members, consultants and administrative personnel;
• Providing support to technical project staff, consultants, ILO officials involved in the projects, evaluators, etc., in their technical and administrative work and during missions;
• Ensuring timely delivery of outputs and activities;

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• Keeping track of project progress by systematically monitoring outputs, activities and inputs and taking corrective action, when required;
• Preparing requests for budget and/or project revisions;
• Setting up and supporting the project governance structure (keeping records of minutes of its meetings), and ensuring follow-up of decisions or recommendations of these bodies;
• Negotiating and concluding sub-agreements with implementing agencies, if necessary;
• Liaising with tripartite partners, and other agencies on a regular basis to ensure that activities are carried out according to work plans;
• Organising meetings on topics of interest at country/sub-regional levels as appropriate with the objective of sharing good practices, networking, improving coordination, communication and visibility among local partners;
• Preparing progress and the final project reports;
• Supporting evaluation or monitoring of missions, as necessary;
• Maintaining and updating documentation and records relating to project implementation and changes to the initial project document (project/budget revisions, monitoring records, budget financial and administrative documentation, progress reports, etc.) 

Required qualifications

Education

First level university degree in Economics, Social Sciences or a related discipline.

Experience

At least two years of professional experience at the national level in the area of project management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Familiarity with the ILO and its work with tri-partite partners and/or work with the United Nations will be an advantage.

Languages

Fluent in written and spoken English. Working knowledge in French is an advantage

Competencies

The applicant should have the following ILO core competencies as they relate to the job:

• Orientation to change - acts as a role model for positive change and helps others understand the benefits of, and rationale for change.
• Collaboration - work effectively with a large team of the international and national professionals, various government agencies, funding and development partners and ILO technical units.
• Communication - write and edit reports and publications; lead workshops, conferences and working teams.
• Sensitivity to diversity - work effectively with multi-national, multi-ethnic project team members and have a gender sensitive behaviour and attitude.
• Client orientation - understand and respond to needs of various government agencies, representatives of employers and of trade unions, other international agencies, NGOs, and other partners.
• Orientation to learning and knowledge - teach staff, assess progress and recommend them or training and other professional development activities.
• Taking responsibility for performance - manage the staff, funds, time and other resources efficiently in order to achieve results.

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

• Knowledge of the informal economy in the Gambia, and of the challenges linked to the transition from the informal economy to the formal economy.