Component 2 Team Lead (Employment)

Job Description

Project Overview and role

The goal of the USAID E4 Activity is to increase employment and jobs through increased private productivity and competitiveness. The theory of change is: “For the number of jobs to increase, businesses must grow; and for businesses to grow, constraints preventing growth must be removed.” Work performed under the E4 IDIQ is divided into three components:

Component 1: Enterprises – Fostering Competitive Industries

Component 2: Employment – Developing a Capable Workforce and Entrepreneurship

Component 3: Enabling Environments – Creating Conditions for Jobs and Investment

The FGI Task Order will increase the competitiveness of high-growth industries to provide jobs and incomes for Central Asia’s growing workforce, propelling the region toward self-reliance. FGI will transform market systems in ways that help high-potential firms and sectors grow, foster market linkages to match demand for workforce skills with training offered to youth and women, link entrepreneurs to high-growth markets, and build more business- and worker-friendly policy environments and institutions to sustain private sector–driven growth.

In Component 1, in selected sectors, Palladium will facilitate partnerships with “anchor” firms, i.e. firms with significant capacity to stimulate economic growth through developing large numbers and vertical chains of demand and supply sides of the market and enhance horizontal sector alliances of private sector firms including anchor firms, industry associations, and training and education providers. As the partnerships and alliances evolve, it will become clear what shortcomings and gaps in the workforce availability and quality exist, which will be addressed in Component 2.

The objective of Component 2 is to support development of skilled workers and entrepreneurs to support emerging industries. In Kazakhstan, many firms, particularly SMEs, report challenges identifying, recruiting, and training workers. Even though the country has begun to design, adopt, and implement Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) strategies, there is still lack of coordination between training institutions and the private sector to match skills to market requirements along with minimal presence of labor market infrastructure for employers and workforce participants to connect.

Purpose of the Position

Team Leader – Component 2 in cooperation with and under coordination of the Palladium team working in Component 1 will address the above challenges through:

• promoting market-driven training and education that meet the requirements of the targeted sectors through public-private partnerships (PPPs) and market linkages for workforce development (WFD);
• strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems and integrate them within the targeted sectors.

Team Leader – Component 2 will be fully responsible to achieving objectives of Component 2, supervise WF Specialists in countries of Central Asia, and work in close cooperation with teams of Component 1 and Component 3.

Responsibilities

• Strategize how to improve and strengthen HR function of anchor firms and in selected sectors and propose solutions
• Identify local business development services providers for WF development initiatives
• Define market requirements such as competency gaps, occupational standards, etc. in the field of the workforce development and propose new or improved programs, curricula and delivery models to address the gaps identified
• Build and strengthen linkages among industry experts, buyers, and investors that can provide business plan feedback and link start-ups to markets and capital aimed at rewarding innovations that can be scaled up to improve sector competitiveness
• Identify business incubators and/or accelerators in the country to host sector-specific programming and scale the outreach necessary to deliver training to entrepreneurs
• In partnership with incubators and accelerators, sector alliances and anchor firms, identify innovation challenges and grant opportunities to address those challenges
• Identify other grant opportunities to fund upgrades enabling incubators to deliver high-quality services to entrepreneurs as well as services targeted at women entrepreneurs, such as childcare, legal advice and counseling for women
• Pitch events organized by Palladium to local entrepreneurs, link them to expertise and financial support, expand them into B2B networking opportunities and ensure that their profile is raised with anchor firms and financial institutions participating in the events
• Identify opportunities to foster PPPs of training and education providers with anchor firms or alliance partners willing to invest directly in WF skills development
• Develop career counselor services at TVETs and universities to enable the private sector to better attract, develop, and retain talent, which may include promoting participation of sector firms in career fairs and other matchmaking events
• Develop training programs that promotes career progression for women and youth
• Liaise with other donor programs and public sector initiatives design to bolster workforce development.

• Track, monitor, evaluate and report on results after each activity of Component 2 to Palladium

Requirements

• Degree in relevant discipline (business, administration, communications, development, etc.)
• At least 5 years of experience working in the relevant field
• Demonstrated skills and understanding of the WF development in the private sector
• Experience developing public private partnerships with large firms and business associations
• Experience in designing and procuring trainings
• Experience working with women and youth programs
• Ability to work under pressure and meet hard deadlines
• Experience managing several activities at a time
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams with a focus on social inclusion
• Experience reporting to multiple lines
• Creativity, agility and team spirit
• Excellent communication skills
• Fluent in verbal and written English and Kazakh. Additional language abilities in Uzbek, Russian, and/or Tajik is a plus.

About the Organization

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, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.