Project Officer (PO) – Western Balkans (H/F) At Expertise France

Project or context description

SOCIEUX+ EU Expertise on Social Protection, Labour and Employment (hereafter SOCIEUX+ or the Facility), is the technical cooperation facility set up by the EU through co-funding from France, Spain and Belgium and the resources managed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA). The Facility is implemented by a partnership composed of agencies from EU Member States: Expertise France (the partnership lead), Fundación Internacional y para Iberoamérica de Administración y Políticas Públicas (FIIAPP) from Spain, Belgian International Cooperation on Social Protection (BELINCOSOC) and the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel).

SOCIEUX+ recognises the impact of social protection and employment in reducing poverty and vulnerability. It supports the efforts of EU Partner Countries, in particular low- and middle-income countries in promoting inclusive and sustainable social protection and employment systems. SOCIEUX+ also complements the efforts made through other European Union initiatives.

SOCIEUX+ is results-oriented and demand-driven only. It responds to the direct requests of public institutions and social partners organisations in EU Partner Countries. SOCIEUX+ actions can be implemented in 155 eligible countries and territories worldwide. New countries from the Western Balkans will also have access to the support of SOCIEUX+ in the coming weeks. SOCIEUX+ fosters the efforts of the partner countries in the reform, development and extension of their social protection and employment systems, and labour policies. It enhances the capacities to better design, manage and monitor inclusive, effective and sustainable employment strategies and social protection systems. The Facility implements short-term technical cooperation actions based on peer-to-peer exchange supporting cooperation between EU Partner Countries’ experts from public administrations, social partners and mandated institutions and their peers from EU Member States.

SOCIEUX+ also develops knowledge by capitalising on the experience of its actions.

Mission description

The incumbent will join the Facility Management Team (FMT) responsible for the processing, assessment requests and implementation of short-technical cooperation actions. The position will be located fulltime in Brussels, Belgium, with possible travel outside of the EU, especially in the Western Balkans. The FMT is currently distributed between Brussels, Paris and Madrid. FMT members based in Brussels include the Team Leader of the FMT, a thematic coordinator, a technical advisor, a communication officer, a coordinator for knowledge development, a knowledge development officer, an associated project officer supporting knowledge activities, a monitoring and evaluation officer and a total of six project officers. FMT members based in Paris include the Deputy Team Leader, two associated programme officers and a technical advisor. In addition, an associated programme officer is based in Madrid. The overall FMT is under the supervision of the Team Leader, supported by the Deputy Team Leader.

*Under the direct supervision of the Team Leader and the Deputy Team Leader, the incumbent implements tasks and duties for the processing (reception, assessment and instruction,) of requests submitted by several Western Balkan countries and implementation (formulation, implementation, monitoring & evaluation and closure) of short-term technical cooperation actions as per SOCIEUX+ Standard Operating Procedures.* The main tasks and duties of the incumbent include:

• Liaising with requesting and partner institutions of SOCIEUX+;
• Assessing and providing a recommendation to the eligibility and relevance of requests received by SOCIEUX+;
• Formulating and planning SOCIEUX+ actions and their onsite short-term technical cooperation activities;
• Preparing and overviewing the overall implementation of actions;
• Identifying, selecting and mobilising suitable practitioners and/or supporting organisations that be mobilised for short-term-peer-to-peer-exchange missions in EU Partner Countries
• Coordinating with the backstopping FMT members (associated programme officers) for the logistics of SOCIEUX+ activities;
• Coordinating with FMT members with transversal duties (the Communication officer and Monitoring officer) for the briefing, accompanying and debriefing of mobilised experts;’
• Liaising and coordinating SOCIEUX+ activities and experts missions with stakeholders in EU Partner Countries;
• Maintaining communication networks and contact lists of relevant individuals and stakeholders of SOCIEUX+ actions;
• Reviewing and validating deliverables of mobilised experts;
• Compiling and produce action evaluation reports documenting, among others, the results of actions, the achievement of indicators and lessons learned for knowledge development;
• Planning of follow-up actions;
• Adequately reporting, archiving and maintenance of relevant information on requests and actions under his/her portfolio;
• Compiling and filing any documentation related to actions and activities; and,
• Administrative closing of requests and actions;

The incumbent is also to contribute to the general operations of SOCIEUX+, among others the overall reporting, monitoring and evaluation of SOCIEUX+.

The incumbent will closely liaise duties and tasks related to SOCIEUX+ actions with the thematic coordinators of the Facility. The incumbent will also liaise with all relevant FMT members for general operations of the Facility.

The incumbent also performs other task and duties related to operations of SOCIEUX+ as assigned by the Team Leader and the Deputy Team Leader.

The tasks and duties may involve travel abroad outside the duty station at local, national and international level.

Required profile

Essential requirements:

Qualifications and skills

• University degree in social sciences, public policies, economic or other relevant fields;
• Working proficiency in one language of the Western Balkans region
• Knowledge of Cyrillic alphabet

General professional experience

• Minimum of 3 years’ professional experience in drafting, conceptualizing and managing projects in international development and/or areas related to the themes of social protection, labour and employment;
• Proficient in standard IT tools (Microsoft office tools: Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint);
• Experience in working in a multi-cultural and lingual environment.

Additional assets (to be considered of added-value in selection process but not essential):

• Practical knowledge and experience of EU cooperation tools and processes including project cycle management;
• Experience or sound understanding in one of the following: socio-economic, social protection, labour and employment challenges in low- and middle-income countries;
• Practical knowledge of social protection, labour or employment institutions in EU member states or international challenges;
• Experience in policy advice and/or capacity-building (including peer-to-peer exchanges among public sector experts).
• Previous experience in international cooperation or/and EU public administration or/and social partner organisations