Inclusive Employment Officer

Introduction

The position falls under the development cooperation project “Promoting Decent Work for Syrian Refugees in Host Communities”. The project is funded by the KfW Development Bank and links to ILO Programme and Budget 2026-2027 Outcome 6 and CPO TUR 159 (Policies and programmes implemented by constituents aimed at protecting migrant workers' rights and promoting decent employment for the Syrian refugees and migrant workers).

The project aims to facilitate the entry of Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens from host communities into the labour market and to help them develop, strengthen and upgrade their skills and competences as required. The overall objective of the proposed project is to enhance formal employment for Syrian refugees under temporary protection (SuTP) and Turkish citizens and to create formal sector jobs.

The project builds on ILO interventions on the Syrian refugee crisis in Türkiye since 2014, promoting comprehensive short- and medium-term employment-rich measures to be implemented within the framework of Türkiye’s overall response and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). The project is implemented by the ILO in close cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, and Social Services (MoFLSS) , the national authorities and the social partners in various provinces, including Ankara, Sanliurfa, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Mersin, İstanbul, İzmir, Bursa and Konya.

The project has three outcomes

- Outcome A: SuTP are qualified to participate in the formal labour market.

- Outcome B: Turkish public employment services are strengthened to support SuTP and disadvantaged Turkish citizens to access the formal labour market.

- Outcome C: Transition to formality is facilitated for SuTP and Turkish citizens.

The current phase of the project has an increased focus on mainstreaming gender and inclusion of persons with disabilities in terms of policy, planning, and programme interventions. The Inclusive Employment Officer will work as a member of the KfW Project Team to ensure effective design and implementation of the related project activities by providing technical expertise on employment policy and programme with strengthened outcomes for inclusion.

Reporting lines

The Inclusive Employment Officer will report to the Project Manager under the overall supervision of the Director of the ILO Office for Türkiye.

Description of Duties

1. Be responsible for the timely and effective implementation of project activities related to inclusive employment, with a specific focus on the employment of refugees and other vulnerable groups from amongst women, youth, and persons with disabilities and enhance synergies within the other projects that are implemented by the ILO Office for Türkiye.

2. Provide specialised knowledge and technical input on mainstreaming inclusion in employment to the ILO team and ensure access to legal and policy advice to/ from the government and with social partners on issues related to formal and decent work throughout the implementation of related project activities.

3. Identify and lead research on areas of inclusion and employment particularly for refugees, youth, women, and persons with disabilities, and areas of intersectionality.

4. Organize and lead awareness raising and knowledge sharing meetings regarding inclusion and employment, particularly related to decent and formal work for refugees and other vulnerable groups in Türkiye.

5. Keep abreast of developments related to employment of refugees and vulnerable groups flag bottlenecks and advise on necessary actions to overcome them with a view to reach the outcomes of the project.

6. Analyse relevant documents, statistics, and information on inclusion and employment produced by the project, government and research institutions, universities and other relevant organisations and provide written analysis on the findings to management.

7. Liaise with government departments, social partners and other stakeholders on data collection, information exchange, and evidence generation related to policies and programmes for inclusive employment.

8. Brief ILO specialists, project experts and visiting officials and provide relevant information on relevant project activities.

9. Undertake regular missions to project sites and conduct regular meetings with stakeholders and beneficiaries, as deemed necessary.

10. Any other duties as assigned by the Project Manager and The Director of the ILO Office for Türkiye

Required qualifications

Education

First level university degree in economics and administrative sciences, social sciences, or a relevant technical field. An advanced degree in studies on labour economics and industrial relations or a master’s in business administration would be a strong advantage.

Experience

• A minimum of three years of experience in project management; employment policy, programmes, and projects including for refugees and other vulnerable groups, gender mainstreaming, disability inclusion, and designing research

• Proven experience in working with government institutions and/or social partners (workers’ and employers’ organizations) on issues covering employment policy and programmes, including for refugees and other vulnerable groups, gender mainstreaming, and disability inclusion.

• Prior experience of working with national or international development partners would be an asset.

Languages

Excellent written and spoken English and Turkish.

Competencies

Among nine ILO core competencies, following competencies are particularly important for this position: Communication, Collaboration, Sensitivity and Diversity, Client orientation, Ability to organize work of own and others paying attention.

• Good knowledge of the context and challenges for refugees and other vulnerable groups on formal employment in Türkiye.

• Knowledge of the ILO’s mandate and decent work agenda.

• Political awareness and understanding of socio-economic factors.

• Ability to interpret and work within applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures.

• Research and analytical skills as well as drafting skills.

• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders.

• Ability to manage competing priorities.

• Strong presentation skills, in Turkish and English effectively: both orally and in writing.

• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.