Workforce Development Team Leader

(Key Personnel)

 

Background Education For Employment – Tunisia (EFE-Tunisie), supporting implementer Chemonics, seeks to hire a Workforce Development Team Leader to support the Tunisia Business Reform and Competitiveness Project II (BCRP II). The Workforce Development Team Leader will oversee all activities for the project’s workforce development component, which focuses on improving the match between skills in demand in the labor market and training provided in order to address structural unemployment. This component includes several major sub-objectives and activities:

• Identify major workforce skill deficiencies and help VTCs and higher education institutions develop demand-driven curricula. 
• Assist in establishing and upgrading career counseling centers. 
• Improve VTCs’ ability to provide technical training based on market projections. 
• Strengthen job placement services to effectively link job-seekers with appropriate jobs. 
• Develop processes for institutions to learn from career counseling center activities. 
• Report on educational metrics emphasizing graduate employability and employment.
• Reach Tunisian youth with information on efforts to improve job services availability.
• Recommend reforms to enable higher education institutions to operate effectively (Option Period Activity). 
• Assist programs in achieving international accreditation (Option Period Activity). 

As key personnel to the contract, the Workforce Development Team Leader will work closely with Chemonics and partners Pro Invest and SSG to: 1) strengthen private sector linkages to education and training institutions and engage them in demand-driven enhancements to curricula and career centers; 2) facilitate innovative partnerships with leading private companies to incorporate technology and avail opportunities for certification to further enhance the employability of Tunisian candidates; and 3) work to strengthen regional social networks, creating an enterprise support ecosystem that brings together government, the private sector, education and training institutions, job placement services, and civil society organizations to deliver easily navigable and location-specific job-seeking support to unemployed individuals throughout the country, with a particular focus on women and youth.

Responsibilities

In order to ensure the success of the USAID Tunisia BRCP II and fulfill EFE-Tunisie’s responsibilities under the work plan, the Workforce Development Team Leader will carry out the following responsibilities:

•  Oversee regional market assessments that combine available data on local labor market needs with focus group discussions with area businesses. 
• Leverage EFE’s relationships with Tunisian ministries and other institutions to secure their approval and support for the curriculum reform process.
• Identify and leverage partnerships with private sector companies to establish technical training, on-the-job training opportunities, and internships.
• Oversee efforts to establish or upgrade 70 Career and Certification Competence Centers (4Cs) with the tools, capacity, infrastructure and resources they need to become modern career counseling providers.
• Oversee Vocational Training Specialist’s work with participating VTCs to identify areas for improvement and developing a services strengthening plan related to labor market demand data, private sector linkages, technology in the classroom, employment training and school-to-work transition support programs, business development support, institutional autonomy and sustainability; and communications and outreach.
• Oversee work with the National Employment and Self-Employment Agency (ANETI) to strengthen their ability to place university and VTC graduates in jobs, and ensure the training delivered by Forsati program offices is in line with labor market demand in their areas.
• Support project sustainability by working with higher education institutions to integrate 4Cs into overall student experience and developing feedback loops between 4C directors, staff, and education institution faculty and administrators to encourage ongoing learning and curriculum reform.
•  Lead creation of a support ecosystem for unemployed job seekers, particularly youth and women, by coordinating with local government, private sector, education and training, and job placement institutions.
•  Work with BRCP II project team to conceptualize and recommend reforms to enable higher education institutions to operate more effectively.
• Expand partnerships for international accreditation of demand-driven skills trainings.
  

Qualifications

The Workforce Development Team Leader must meet the following minimum requirements:

•  Graduate degree in education, human resource development, organizational behavior or other relevant or equivalent field. In circumstances where a candidate possesses exceptional relevant experience but lacks a graduate degree, relevant post-education experience will be considered.
• At least five years of experience in workforce development in a developing country, including experience working with host country training or higher education institutions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, excellent communication skills (verbal and written), outstanding management skills (including ethical management), resourcefulness, flexibility, and creative problem-solving skills.
• Fluency in French and English; proficiency in Arabic is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working with USAID and other USG funders.
•  Familiarity with Tunisia and the economic context of Tunisia.
• 1-3 years’ experience leading a team or project.
• Experience with economic development or job creation projects.

IMMEDIATE OPENING. To apply, please send a cover letter, résumé, salary history to:

[email protected].
Please put “Workforce Development Team Leader” in the subject line of your email.