Company
Palladium
Location
Remote
Full-time/Part-time
Part-time
Employment Type
Consultancy
Project Overview and Role:
The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 7-year and €134 million programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to create a prosperous future for 230,000 young women and men in the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel & West Africa and Horn of Africa regions. The Fund will be supporting initiatives in 12 focus countries that will offer youth, in particular young women, opportunities for work that is demand-driven and productive, offering a stable income and safe working conditions, and that is contributing to their personal development and social protection.
The portfolio of projects is selected from business cases that were proposed by private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions. Each business case has outlined scalable solutions for creating more and better jobs and income generating opportunities for youth. Solutions in particular focus on an integrated approach that addresses the shortcomings on the demand side (jobs) and supply side (skills) and bridging the mismatch between these two in the labour market.
CFYE has defined its approach to decent work and job quality improvement which is also one of its learning themes. Operationally within CFYE, this means that all Implementing Partners (IPs) must meet decent work standards; and that some IPs have Job Quality Improvement targets as part of their contract and milestones.
The focus of this assignment will be supporting; (1) developing and delivering a standard TA package of tools and approaches for job quality improvement to be used across CFYE’s portfolio, and (2) supporting work under the Decent Work and Job Quality learning theme at a portfolio level.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant is supposed to provide:
A) Strategic advisory on measurement and pathways to improving job quality. Under this we expect the consultant to provide the following deliverables:
– Advise on measurement of job quality improvements.
– Lead and/or advise on and contribute to learning activities and knowledge products on job quality. Identify priority and most common job quality needs and challenges to meeting targets for IPs across countries, sectors and worker profiles; as well as pathways to success, including building on learnings through the delivery of TA.
B) Technical Assistance on Job Quality to our implementing partners. Under this we expect the consultant to provide the following deliverables:
– Develop a Standardized Technical Assistance Package (STAP) for job quality improvement for our private sector implementing partners with a set of case studies, tools and approaches that may vary according to (1) country, (2) sector and (3) worker profile
– Prepare and deliver an introductory workshop for implementing partners on job quality.
– Identify those IPs with critical needs on job quality together with country leads.
– Develop a framework for follow-on business clinics and 1:1 TA. Provide support to those IPs (identified under 2c.) with job quality TA to meet their contractual targets for Improved jobs where needed.
– Organize capacity building for CFYE staff on job quality, consisting of an introductory session and operational training pack.
The advisor will operate across; Fund Level – providing strategic advisory, Country Level – support country team’s delivery, and
Implementing Partner Level – as relevant, develop case studies on specific implementing partners with effective job quality improvement solutions.
Level of Effort:
Up to 36 days between the period from mid-January 2024 through May 2023 (with potential for additional work related to CFYE’s Decent Work risk-based approach beyond the initial contract).
Reporting:
For this assignment, you will report to the Technical Assistance Team Lead and work closely with members of the Results, Data and Impact team and the Technical Unit.
Required Qualifications:
– At least a Master’s degree in a relevant field of study (sociology, development studies, economics, business or similar).
– In-depth understanding of international frameworks on decent work (ILO etc) and job quality.
– Ability to translate such frameworks and guidelines into practical tools and deliverables for SMEs to apply.
– Extensive experience (10+ years) working on job quality across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East in the broader context of multi-country projects.
– Experience providing strategic advice to project directors/managers and SME owners/management.
– Strong understanding of the context of working with SMEs in CFYE’s target countries, ideally demonstrated through project experience immediately working with such SMEs.
– Strong affinity working with youth.
– Experience in developing training materials and delivering (remote) training sessions on the topic.
Deadline: 18 December 2023.
About Palladium
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value.
We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits. For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved – and is committed to continuing to improve – economies, societies and most importantly, people’s lives.
Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.