Technical Advisor, Skills Development at the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (German Agency for International Cooperation) is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries.

In Nigeria, GIZ's portfolio includes among others, a programme to support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its regional integration goals. The programme aims to strengthen sector-specific capacities in the areas of Peace and Security, Customs and Trade as weir as Strategic Management and Organizational Development in the ECOWAS Commission.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Technical Advisor, Skills Development

Vacancy No: 048B
Location: Benin City, Edo
Organisation: GIZ Nigeria, Skills for Youth Employment in Nigeria (SKYE)

Background

• As a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, we are dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security.
• The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe – from the German Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector and governments of other countries.
• We work with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity. Our main commissioning party is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
• The registered offices of GIZ are in Bonn and Eschborn. In 2019, we generated a business volume of around EUR 3.1 billion. Our 22,199 employees, almost 70 per cent of whom are national staff, work in around 120 countries. As a recognised development service provider, we currently have 556 development workers in action in partner countries.
• Furthermore, in 2019, the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), which is run jointly by GIZ and the German Federal Employment Agency, placed 262 integrated experts and 515 returning experts with local employers in our partner countries, or provided them with financial support, advice or other services.
• The GIZ Programme “Skills for Youth Employment in Nigeria (SKYE)” supports the diversification of the economy in Nigeria through the promotion of demand oriented technical and agricultural vocational training and education (A/VET). Apart from the sectors agriculture and construction, the project is focusing mainly on the automotive, ICT and other sectors.
• The strategy of the project is to improve the synergy between measures on the demand side for employment (i.e. skilled persons that followed vocational qualification measures, formal and informal TVET and Agricultural-VET (ATVET) measures) with those of the employment supply side (i.e. promotion of a pro-employment environment in the private sector through e.g. job centers, job fairs, short-term training and internship programmes, etc.).
• The purpose is to develop the match-making between the supply and demand of skilled labor force and hence to contribute to the decrease of youth unemployment in the country.

Responsibilities
The Technical Advisor is reporting to the team leader and has the following responsibilities:

• Manage the skills development interventions of the SKYE project in Edo State with the support of other TAs to ensure access, quality and relevance of training as well continuous monitoring of activities at state level.
• Independently manage tender processes and supervise subcontractors in the organization of skills development programs / interventions.
• Build up personal and institutional capacities in selected Skills Acquisition Centers and foster their willingness to develop and upgrade their performance on demand driven skills trainings.
• Advisory services to partners and government in setting up a coherent system of skills development in Edo State.
• Build up partnerships, networks and dialogue platforms to promote employment in the various intervention regions.
• Support the implementation of the program objectives
• Support the project planning and the conceptual development including preparation and organization and facilitation of planning exercises and their implementation, management, monitoring, evaluation, communication and documentation.

Tasks
The Advisor:

• Organization of sustainable and demand driven short-term trainings
• Identify and select with Edo State partners suitable Skills Acquisition Centers for demand-driven trainings.
• Facilitate and monitor on regular basis the quality and relevance of training provided in the SKYE skills development intervention.
• Analyses lessons learnt and compiles best practices for project implementation.
• Develop ready-to-use strategies, innovative initiatives, and concepts, including guidelines, manuals and procedures.
• Draft reports, articles and other written documents in English.
• In collaboration with the TVET unit, facilitate assessment and verification of SKYE beneficiaries, building of learner’s portfolios and tracking of achievement of competences for all apprentices, keeping data of learner’s result.
• Performs other duties and tasks at the request of management.

Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Business Administration or any Social Sciences discipline.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in training / skills development program design and delivery – preferably within the international development / development cooperation sphere.
• Minimum of three (3) years of proven professional experience in the field of individual and institutional capacity development
• Experience of, and commitment to, continuous organizational improvement and the ability to act as a change agent;
• Strong coaching/mentoring skills;
• Commitment to high standards and continuous improvement;
• Proven experience in working within international teams;
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills (including a high level of empathy paired with the capacity to stay confident, serious, professional and respectful even in critical situations).
• Very good working knowledge of ITC technologies and computer applications (e.g. MS Office);
• Excellent English communication skills, both verbal and in writing.

Desired additional qualifications, competences and experience:

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• International exposure
• Knowledge in issues of gender equality
• Knowledge on employment promotion, TVET or private sector development.
• Language Skills in local languages (e.g. Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Edo/Bini)

Salary
According to GIZ Nigeria Salary scale for Band 4

Application Closing Date
13th December, 2021.