Technical Officer

Job Advertisement

Position Title: Technical Officer
Location: Geneva
Country: Switzerland
Deadline Date: 2 January 2025

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that aims to promote social justice and fair labor practices. Established in 1919, the ILO has a mission to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection, and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues. The organization operates in over 180 countries and has a diverse workforce of approximately 3,500 employees. The ILO is committed to promoting diversity and welcomes applications from qualified women and persons with disabilities.

Job Overview:
The position is within the Extractive, Energy and Manufacturing Industries Unit (E2M) of the Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR). SECTOR is responsible for assisting ILO constituents in addressing employment and labor issues in specific economic and social sectors at global, regional, and national levels. The decent work sectoral approach is a cross-cutting theme of the Decent Work Agenda. The department engages in activities such as establishing consensus on sectoral policies and practices through social dialogue, promoting the ratification and effective implementation of international labor standards, and conducting strategic research on decent work issues in specific sectors. The E2M unit promotes decent work in sectors such as extractive industries, oil and gas production, steel, basic chemicals, transport equipment manufacturing, electronics, textiles, clothing, leather, and footwear. The main role of the incumbent is to support ILO constituents—governments, employers, and workers—in advancing decent work in heavy industry sectors, working under the direct supervision of the head of the E2M unit and collaborating with other specialists and UN agencies at national and regional levels.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide technical and strategic support to the E2M unit in promoting decent work in heavy industry sectors.
• Conduct global, regional, national, sectoral, and thematic analyses to identify priorities and needs of constituents regarding decent work. Review previous impact analyses on promoting decent work in heavy industry sectors to identify innovative practices and propose adaptations to address identified issues.
• Contribute to the formulation of relevant strategies and policies to advance decent work in heavy industry sectors, including providing technical contributions to country-level decent work program components and UN development cooperation frameworks.
• Provide technical support to ILO constituents and stakeholders in promoting decent work in heavy industry sectors, responding to requests for data, information, and guidance.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research and analyses focused on policies, integrating gender and diversity considerations in promoting decent work in heavy industry sectors.
• Maintain updated knowledge on emerging trends and policy developments in promoting decent work in heavy industry sectors.
• Draft and contribute to the development, peer review, and editing of guidance notes, working papers, reports, publications, and other knowledge products.
• Synthesize and share best practices and lessons learned, considering synergies with other technical areas of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda.
• Identify capacity-building needs of constituents to advance decent work in heavy industry sectors and formulate proposals to address them. 1
• Support resource mobilization efforts for new projects and activities, leveraging collaboration opportunities with partners and proposing new initiatives in promoting decent work in heavy industry sectors. 1
• Participate in working groups, consultations, and forums at national, regional, international, and inter-agency levels to collaborate with potential and existing partners. 1
• Organize and facilitate meetings and events related to promoting decent work in heavy industry sectors, preparing technical documents and presentations, and drafting summary reports.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in engineering, law, economics, social sciences, or another relevant field. A first-level university degree in the mentioned fields or another relevant field, combined with two additional years of relevant experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• At least five years of experience in specific economic sectors, preferably in heavy industry sectors.
• Excellent command of one of the ILO's working languages (English, French, Spanish). Knowledge of a second language would be an asset.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in a relevant field such as engineering, law, economics, or social sciences. Alternatively, a first-level university degree in one of these fields, along with two additional years of relevant experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience:
The position requires at least five years of experience in specific economic sectors, with a preference for experience in heavy industry sectors. This experience should include technical and strategic support roles related to promoting decent work.

Languages:
Candidates must have an excellent command of one of the ILO's working languages (English, French, Spanish). Knowledge of a second language is considered an asset, particularly for external candidates whose mother tongue is not one of the ILO's working languages.

Additional Notes:
The initial contract will be issued for a period of twenty-four months, with the external candidate undergoing a probation period for the first two years of their assignment. Any extension of the contract beyond the probation period is subject to satisfactory conduct and performance. The ILO emphasizes a zero-tolerance policy towards exploitation and abuse, ensuring that no staff member or beneficiary is victimized. The ILO does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.