Head of the project to support the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector in Pakistan

Job Description

As a federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development.

Pakistan is facing enormous economic and social challenges. Until now, the potential for sustainable economic and social development has not been realised in full. One main reason for this is the poorly qualified workforce, which is partly a result of the continued fragmentation of the current technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system in Pakistan. This is due in particular to the insufficient systematic involvement of the private sector in the prevailing reform processes. As a result, the training courses provided lack sufficient relevance and quality in terms of their content to be able to prepare graduates for gainful employment. The project aims to improve the employability of graduates by means of cooperative and competence-based training measures, is implemented nationwide and follows a multi-level approach. It is divided into four fields of activity: (1) Involvement of the private sector; (2) operationalisation of the reformed TVET system; (3) capacity development of TVET staff; and (4) implementation of reformed TVET courses.

As the head of the project, you will be responsible for the implementation of the project from a technical, content-related and organisational perspective. This will include two cofinancing arrangements (with the EU for EUR 43.5 million and with Norway for EUR 4.5 million) and a total volume of EUR 62.5 million. The main responsibility of the position is: Leadership

Your area of ​​responsibility will include the following activities in particular:

• Leadership of a team of around 80 national and 10 international experts
• Coordination and pooling of measures and activities for all your project’s fields of activity, in close consultation with the officers responsible for implementation
• Planning, steering, organisation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting to the country director, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the EU
• Identification of necessary adaptations to the conceptual design as well as the development, modification and realignment of the project
• Strategy development, operational planning, monitoring and evaluation
• Responsibility for the use of funds and financial planning
• Stakeholder management with partners and other relevant actors in Pakistan and Germany
• Coordination of all activities with other GIZ projects in the sustainable
• economic development sector
• Updating and/or modifying the project design, taking into account the five success factors of Capacity Works

• University degree in vocational education, business administration, economics or a related subject
• Proven management expertise with many years of experience in the management of complex development cooperation projects (preferably in Asia and in fragile contexts) or in the private sector
• Extensive experience of leading large, international teams which have included experts and managerial staff
• Knowledge of the areas of TVET and employment promotion, particularly system reform projects in English-speaking countries
• Knowledge of the management of EU cofinanced projects is an advantage
• Extensive commercial skills and a proven record of good financial management
• Excellent communication and networking skills, as well as intercultural competence
• Constructive approach towards dealing with challenges, strong negotiation skills and the ability to cooperate with internal and external partners
• Fluent English, both spoken and written

The security situation in Pakistan is frequently tense. Special precautionary measures apply to GIZ employees on the ground. You must comply with GIZ’s security requirements at all times. In the interests of security management, staff therefore need to be flexible in adapting their mobility and way of working, especially when conducting official journeys to the project regions. Please also ensure that you always consult the country-specific information issued by the German Federal Foreign Office. A review as to whether the location is suitable for families will be carried out at the end of the year.

In Islamabad, the security situation is mostly relaxed with no restrictions placed on mobility. The climate is continental. In addition to various sports facilities in the city, swimming and hiking is also possible in the surrounding area. There are extensive shopping facilities, and adequate medical care is available.

Pollution from particulate matter in the place of assignment exceeds the permissible limit in Europe many times over. In the course of the selection procedure and medical check-ups for recruitment, you will receive information on appropriate protective measures and behaviour.

The position requires a willingness to travel to the provinces in a professional capacity.

Please note that we basically can only receive and process applications sent via our e-recruiting system. Following the confirmation of your successful application, kindly check your spam / junk mail folder on a regular basis, since some provider classify emails form our recruiting system as spam.

GIZ would like to increase the proportion of employees with disability, both in Germany and abroad. Applications from persons with disabilities are most welcome.

About the Organization

We create prospects for people and with people. As GIZ has an international mandate, we offer a multicultural working environment. We are committed service providers and dedicated professionals, even under difficult circumstances. We take pride in enabling our employees to develop their professional and personal skills. There are plenty of reasons to join our motivated team – ranging from the diverse challenges you will face on a daily basis in one of our 130 partner countries, to the broad scope you will have for shaping your work.