- Job ID: 13863
- Department: RO-Asia and the Pacific
- Organization Unit: CO-Islamabad
- Location: Lahore
- Contract type: Fixed Term
Under article 4.2, paragraph (e) of the Staff Regulations, the filling of vacancies in technical cooperation projects does not fall under Annex I of the Staff Regulations and is made by direct selection by the Director-General.
In order to support the best informed process in the filling of the above-mentioned vacancy by direct selection, the ILO invites interested candidates to submit their application online by the above date.
The following are eligible to apply:
- ILO Internal candidates in accordance with paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex I of the Staff Regulations.
- External candidates*
*The recruitment process for National Officer positions is subject to specific local recruitment and eligibility criteria.
The ILO values diversity among its staff and welcomes applications from qualified female candidates. We also encourage applicants with disabilities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org .
Technical cooperation appointments are not expected to lead to a career in the ILO and they do not carry any expectation of renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment in the Organization. A one-year fixed-term contract will be given. Extensions of technical cooperation contracts are subject to various elements including the following: availability of funds, continuing need of the functions and satisfactory conduct and performance.
*Conditions of employment for external candidates: In conformity with existing ILO practice, the appointment of an external candidate will normally be made at the first step of this grade.
Introduction
Better Work is a unique partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), dedicated to improving labour standards and enhancing competitiveness in global supply chains. Following several years of consultations with Pakistan’s tripartite constituents, Better Work Pakistan (BWP) was launched in 2022 as a three-year pilot programme.
During its pilot phase, the programme focused not only on improving partner factories’ compliance with international labour standards, working conditions, and business competitiveness, but also on strengthening the broader enabling environment for sustainable industry growth. Key areas of intervention included promoting freedom of association and collective bargaining, enhancing labour dispute resolution mechanisms, and building the capacity of government, employer, and worker organizations to foster more effective and inclusive social dialogue.
The programme successfully engaged more than 130 textile and garment factories across Sindh and Punjab. An independent evaluation of the pilot phase found that Better Work Pakistan made a significant contribution to improving labour compliance, strengthening workplace social dialogue, and enhancing the business competitiveness of participating factories. Building on these positive results, the ILO’s tripartite constituents have called not only for the continuation of the programme but also for its expansion to achieve greater scale and impact.
Phase II of Better Work Pakistan is planned to commence in 2026, with an expanded scope of activities and outreach. To support this growth, the programme aims to recruit additional Enterprise Advisors in Punjab, subject to the availability of funding.
With offices in Karachi and Lahore, Better Work Pakistan supports garment and textile factories across the country. In its next phase, the programme will continue to work closely with ILO constituents to advance the priorities of Pakistan’s Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), while maintaining strong collaboration with other ILO initiatives operating in the sector and related areas.
Functions of the Enterprise Advisor
To provide professional level factory services with a view to support sustainable improvements in compliance performance and enterprise development. This includes conducting independent enterprise assessments against labour standards, delivering training services to management and worker representatives, provision of tailored advisory services to strengthen internal systems and sound industrial relations, and reporting on factory performance according to BW guidelines and quality requirements. The incumbent is also expected to contribute to the broader work with constituents. His/ her particular thematic focus within the team will be determined once the incumbent is in the post, based on the team’s overall skills.
Reporting Line
The position will work under the direct supervision of the Team Leader Operations of Better Work Pakistan and the overall guidance of the Programme Manager of Better Work Pakistan. The Country Director of the ILO Office in Pakistan (CO-Islamabad) is the Responsible Chief.
Description of Duties
- Using Better Work’s Compliance Assessment Tool, independently conduct assessments of enterprises’ labour standards and management systems;
- Independently produce high-quality reports in English on (i) assessment findings, (ii) recommendations for improvement, (iii) enterprise improvement plans and (iv) progress reports on implementation;
- Review the assessment and progress reports of other advisors as part of the Better Work peer-review quality assurance system;
- Provide high-quality, enterprise-level advisory services designed to improve enterprise performance. These services will include general coaching, facilitating labour management committees, providing technical advice and conducting training tailored to identified needs at the factory;
- Design, customize, and facilitate Better Work training events and initiatives tailored to the needs of factories and stakeholders, ensuring effective knowledge transfer, capacity building, and sustainable improvements in working conditions;
- Contribute to and strengthen the continuous coaching and training of Better Work Pakistan (BWP) team members, factory managers, and other social partners, in close collaboration with Better Work Global, to enhance capacities, promote best practices, and support sustainable workplace improvement
- Lead and assist in contextualizing Better Work and ILO tools, products, best practices and methodologies for application and knowledge sharing at both the enterprise and national levels, ensuring their relevance to local needs, stakeholder priorities, and programme objectives.
- Work closely with colleagues and tripartite constituents to negotiate, develop, and implement MOUs and action plans that strengthen partnership, foster ownership, and improve the overall effectiveness and sustainability of the programme.
- Manage and maintain information within Better Work’s management systems, including STAR/ASTRA, SharePoint, and other relevant platforms, ensuring data accuracy, timely reporting, effective knowledge management, and professional communication and coordination among colleagues
- Actively support the implementation of the programme’s monitoring, evaluation, research, and knowledge management activities, facilitating the collection, analysis, and sharing of data, evidence, and good practices to strengthen programme delivery and impact.
- Provide technical leadership for a key thematic area, collaborating with BWP and BWG to identify opportunities, develop project proposals, manage implementation, monitor performance, and deliver sustainable outcomes and measurable impact.
- Design, organize, and facilitate evidence-based industry seminars and multi-stakeholder dialogues to raise awareness of key labour and workplace issues, encourage knowledge exchange, and support collective action at the sectoral level
- Other duties as required by the supervisor.
Required qualifications
Education
Internationally recognised university degree in human resource management, adult education, international development, industrial engineering, enterprise development, law or other relevant fields.
Experience
Two years of professional experience in the textile and ready-made garment industry, occupational safety and health (OSH), social dialogue /industrial relations, capacity building in the private sector, adult education, industrial engineering, corporate social responsibility (particularly in the field of labour standards compliance and non-compliance remediation) or other relevant fields. Candidates with experience in the textile and ready-made garment sectors are strongly encouraged to apply.
Languages
Good English and Urdu communication skills, both oral and written.
- Good analytical skills;
- Good knowledge of the Pakistani labour-related laws and regulations;
- Good group facilitation, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills and proven experience in delivering classroom training;
- Good understanding and knowledge of industrial processes, social dialogue, labour standards, social standards compliance, occupational safety and health, or other relevant areas and how higher compliance with national and international labour standards can be promoted as part of the responsibilities of this post;
- Understanding of enterprise-level human resource management, production and quality systems;
- Good understanding of corporate social responsibility and labour compliance issues in global supply chains;
- Ability to monitor the effectiveness of training and capacity-building initiatives undertaken by partner organizations/ consultants;
- Self-motivated and able to work independently in outcomes-based work culture as well as contribute to the work of a team;
- Good drafting skills and demonstrated ability to prepare reports.
- Capacity to sensitively liaise and network with a range of stakeholders including staff, donors, international buyers, government officials, management, unions and NGOs;
- Ability to work with word processing and computer software packages required for work and other software packages for producing information materials;
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes
- Clear commitment to mainstream gender in project activities.
Fraud warning
The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account - @ilo.org - should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.
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