The position is located in Maseru, Lesotho and the Project Manager will report to the Director of the ILO Decent Work Team for Eastern and Southern Africa and Country Office (DWT/CO) for Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa located in Pretoria, South Africa
The Project Manager will coordinate closely with the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the broader CAFI project and provide reports to the PMU that contributes to the PMUs overall reporting obligations to the World Bank once approved by both ILO and GTEX/ITC. The Project Manager will lead the project team and will be the direct supervisor of other project staff, including two National Project Officers, a Financial and Administrative Assistant and a driver. Technical backstopping will be provided by the ILO Decent Work Team in Pretoria, the Productivity and Working Conditions team in the SME Unit of the ENTERPRISES Department at ILO Headquarters, Geneva, as well as by the ITC GTEX team, Geneva
Description of Duties: The Project Manager is responsible for the overall strategic, technical, and financial management of the project to ensure the achievement of the project’s planned outputs with the resources provided. Their main duties comprise:
Manage the project team and supervise project staff, including two National Project Officers, a Financial and Administrative Assistant and a driver.
Provide technical support to national implementing partners, T&C relevant Business Support Organizations (BSOs), and other institutions as well as beneficiary enterprises in the T&C sector.
Coordinate with World Bank’s Lesotho Competitiveness and Financial Inclusion Project, ILO’s global SCORE programme and the ITC GTEX Programme, and ensure synergies between projects and programmes.
Oversee the preparation of the project’s work plans and budgets, and coordinate the planning of resources from all sources of funds, in consultation with the ILO SCORE and ITC GTEX programmes.
Lead the identification, development and implementation agreements with national and international productivity as well as T&C supply chain specialists, consultants and service providers to ensure that capacity development and technical guidance is provided as required.
Develop a comprehensive Monitoring and Results Measurement (MRM) system to ensure effective monitoring and reporting of the project and its impact at institutional and firm levels.
Prepare reports and provide relevant information on project progress to the CAFI PMU, implementing partners, DWT/CO Pretoria, SCORE/Productivity Team and relevant ILO departments as well as the ITC GTEX team, and if necessary, make recommendations for changes in the project strategy and approaches.
Develop and maintain excellent relations with donors, workers’ and employers’ organizations, government agencies and line Ministries, Business Development Services (BDS) providers, national implementing partners, beneficiary enterprises and BSOs and other relevant stakeholders, including other development partners supporting the T&C sector in Lesotho, directly or indirectly.
Identify local experts with a good understanding or background in the T&C sector that could be recruited under the project as national consultants.
Coordinate the documentation of good practices and lessons learnt and promote sharing of knowledge and experiences at the national, regional and international levels.
Promote the inclusion of gender equality and non-discrimination in all aspects of the project.
Perform any other related duties required for the project’s satisfactory progress and delivery.
Required qualifications:
Education:
Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in economics, management and business administration, industrial engineering or a related field. A first-level university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in a relevant field with an additional two years of relevant experience will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
Experience:
At least 7 years of relevant experience, including at the international level, with a focus on productivity interventions and improvements or supply chain development in the textile and clothing sector.
Broad knowledge of and international experience in small and medium enterprise development. Work experience in Lesotho or in the Southern Africa region is an advantage.
