Project Manager – Professional Training (M/F) At Expertise France

Reporting department: Operations Department – Department of Human Capital and Social Development

Line manager: Head of the Professional Training, Integration, Employment (FPIE) Department

The Project Manager will be in permanent contact with a project manager from Expertise France headquarters, to support him in carrying out his missions.

Subordinate relationships:

– Technical Assistance Intervention Manager (48 months)

– Administrative and financial manager of Assistance interventions (60 months)

– Technical Assistance Intervention Assistant (48 months)

The volume of expertise required for this position is 60 months in residential. The position will be based in Paris with possible travel abroad.

The following list is not exhaustive, the missions and activities stated are not restrictive and may evolve according to needs.

Under the supervision of the Head of the Professional Training, Integration, Employment Department of Expertise France, the Project Manager will be responsible for:

Technical support to the facility

· Provide technical input or feedback, as appropriate, as an expert in DSP and/or vocational training and employment.

· Participate in the drafting of ToRs for expert missions (with the support of Hub staff and experts) and the selection of expert profiles to carry out technical assistance interventions on behalf of EF;

· Mobilize expertise for private sector engagement, promotion of vocational training and employment, including sectoral and value chain approaches within Expertise France.

Management and coordination of technical assistance interventions on behalf of EF:

· Coordinate and support the implementation of TEI activities within Expertise France

· Coordinate the management of prospecting development in the agency’s partner countries for technical assistance interventions

· Support or lead the coordination of activities and dialogue (in the country of technical assistance intervention)

Coordination with other consortium agencies:

· Ensure technical exchange and coordination with liaison officers from other partners within the Hub (project coordination office based in Brussels)

· Ensure the technical, administrative and financial link with the corresponding bilateral agencies

Monitoring and evaluation :

· Monitoring and evaluation of agency activities

· Coordinate learning and knowledge management at the implementing agency level

· Undertake technical consultancy engagements independently or in collaboration with other TEI staff.

This recruitment process is undertaken as part of the TEI-OP Skills and VET project, which aims to strengthen the training/employment balance in sub-Saharan Africa.

This €75M project will be implemented for a period of 60 months, from February 2024 to December 2028, by a consortium of European partners, namely:

• Enabel (Belgium)
• Expertise France (EF, France)
• Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI, Finland)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ, Germany)

General objective of the project: The provision of skills development and Technical Education and Vocational Training in sub-Saharan Africa meets the skills needs of the EU Global Gateway and other flagship initiatives while improving the employability of women and men in sub-Saharan Africa.

Specific objective: Skills and vocational training interventions are geared towards decent employment opportunities in selected sectors and value chains under the Africa-Europe investment initiatives, including the Global Gateway (GG ).

Results/Products:

Pillar 1 (Technical Assistance Facility) – Led by EF

– R1: Decent employment opportunities in (sub)sectors and value chains, including those that meet EU Global Gateway priorities, are identified and assessed at national level.

– R2: Improved capacities of VET actors for the development of VET services relevant to identified decent employment opportunities.

Pillar 2 (Organization of regional events promoting PPPs in VET) – Led by Edufi

– R3: Increased exchanges between the private sector, VET stakeholders and the public sector on partnerships for opportunity-driven VET at national and regional level.

Pillar 3 (Call for project proposals supporting the opportunity-based approach in VET) – Led by GiZ

– R4: Improved range of VET measures focusing on opportunities in specific (regional) value chains and Global Gateway initiatives.

The Technical Assistance Facility aims to support EUDs and EU Member State agencies to better (re)orient their sectoral or skills, VET or DSP projects/programmes towards concrete employment opportunities ( paradigm shift from a supply-driven approach to an opportunity-driven approach), notably those created by the Global Gateway.

Pillar 1 will be coordinated by Expertise France. The support provided consists of two stages, which will be addressed jointly or separately depending on the needs:

– Step 1: Assess and identify employment opportunities in (sub)sectors and/or value chains (outcome 1) supported by the GG and other EU-Africa flagship initiatives, with private sector partners and authorities involved. Possible Facility activities under this outcome include an analysis of value chains and/or sectors with the greatest needs and employment potential in sub-Saharan African countries. The evaluation will be closely linked to existing and/or planned interventions under the GG (and other flagship initiatives). Monitoring activity will be maintained throughout the TA implementation period to ensure that the TA responds to identified opportunities.

– Step 2: Formulate recommendations to improve the conceptualisation, implementation and monitoring of responsive skills and VET measures using identified opportunities, provide consultative support on how to implement the processes change required and develop and adapt the respective tools if necessary (Outcome 2). In particular, the opportunities arising from the activities of the GG and other flagship initiatives are of paramount importance.

Building on support provided under Outcome 1, or similar work carried out by other partners and stakeholders, the Technical Assistance Facility will analyze existing TVET provision in a given sector and will provide recommendations and tools for TVET stakeholders to adjust their training offering to better meet the needs of the private sector and employment opportunities created by the Global Gateway. The activities supported by the Technical Assistance Facility under Result 2 aim to identify pathways to operationalize the paradigm shift in TVET.

The Technical Assistance Facility will respond to specific requests from EUDs and EU MS, in consultation with national/regional partners, who intend to exploit employment opportunities emerging from the Global Gateway and other initiatives and focusing on specific (sub)sectors and value chains. The operational guidelines for the Technical Assistance Facility will be developed in the inception phase of the project (January 2024 to June 2024).

In this context, Expertise France is recruiting a Project Manager whose mission will be to ensure overall coordination between EF, the Consortium and the Hub over the entire duration of the project (5 years) and to be the focal point overall TEI for EF within the Agency.

Qualifications:

The desired profile is that of a candidate with higher education (minimum bac +5 level) in public policies / employment and professional integration policies / professional training / political science / development policies or any other diploma related to the position.

SKILLS :

• In-depth and proven knowledge of the areas of professional training, employment or private sector development in international contexts, particularly in Africa
• Skill in managing international development projects in the vocational training and/or employment sector
• Skills in managing multicultural teams and leading networks of public and/or private actors
• Perfect command of English, both spoken and written
• Perfect command of French, both spoken and written.
• Demonstrated ability to write, argue, organize and summarize
• Ability to work on simultaneous services/tasks, to manage time and priorities, to work under pressure and to take on increased workloads from time to time
• Qualities in managing institutional relations, analytical and synthesis skills and an ability to work under pressure, good mastery of office software
• Good leadership skills, strong interpersonal and communication skills, sense of diplomacy

Experience required:

• Professional experience of at least 10 years, particularly in the areas of professional training, employment and/or private sector development in Africa.
• Experience in project management, including proven experience in financial and contractual management in an international setting
• Availability for missions abroad