Vacancy Announcement

Temporary Appointment of Project Personnel

Only nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are considered eligible.

Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNIDO welcomes applications from qualified persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to applicants and employees with disabilities to support full participation in the recruitment process and in the performance of their duties.

Organizational Context

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies to a greater or lesser extent to all SDGs.

The medium-term programme framework (MTPF) is UNIDO’s core strategic document. As the Organization moves from the 2022–2025 cycle to the 2026–2029 MTPF, it sets a renewed vision to support Member States shape their industries for development. The new priorities include renewable and clean energy, sustainable access and climate action, ending hunger through innovation and local value addition, and fair and sustainable global and regional supply chains. Cross-cutting priorities focus on industrial and economic policy advice, skills development, fostering digitalization and artificial intelligence, gender equality and the empowerment of women, supporting youth, promoting cleaner production and circular economy, and leveraging private sector investment and development finance.

Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Sub-regional Offices and Country Offices.

Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET)

Under the overall direction of the Director General, and in close collaboration with all organizational entities within UNIDO, in particular the Office of Change Management (ODG/CHM), the Office of Legal Affairs and Compliance (ODG/LEG), the Strategic Planning and UN Engagement Division (ODG/SPU), and the Office of Evaluation and Internal Oversight (EIO), the Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), headed by a Managing Director, is responsible for the development of innovative UNIDO services in the areas of agro-industry and agribusiness, sustainability standards and fair production, and climate-relevant or climate-improving technologies. It is also, in collaboration with ODG, responsible for developing innovative technical cooperation concepts, identifying new sources and means of finance and entering into new partnerships with a broad range of relevant stakeholders.

The Directorate houses the Divisions of Coordination and Integration Support (IET/CIS), Quality, Impact and Accountability (IET/QUA), Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR), Innovative Finance and International Financial Institutions (IET/IFI), Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and Climate and Technology Partnerships (CTP). The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions and relevant entities in the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO) and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS).

Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST)

Under the overall guidance of the Director General, the direct supervision of the Managing Director, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), and in close coordination with other organizational entities within UNIDO, the Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST) develops and implements an innovative service package in response to UNIDO's mandate for fair and responsible local industrial production and trade with a particular focus on building the required skills and capacities and foster a conducive business operating environment to ensure that such production and trade are as inclusive as possible, promoting – among others – the development of human capital through vocational training and industrial skills development. In collaboration with IET/IFI, IET/PPP, TCS/SME, TCS/CPA, and GLO/MSR, the Division will conceptualize and negotiate such services and raise funds from Member States, development partners, IFIs, and the private sector to coordinate their effective implementation and devise ways in which their implementation can be brought to scale. This will include cross-cutting and sector-specific initiatives for sustainable supply/value chain and skills development in industrial sectors where UNIDO has, over the years, accumulated expertise, such as agro-industries, fisheries, textiles, leather, light manufacturing, health, mining, automotive and pharma and others. It will do so through close engagement with Member States, private sector associations, industrial enterprises, international quality, standards and trade-related governing bodies, other UN Agencies (e.g. ILO), development partners, NGOs and consumer associations, as appropriate, ensuring solid and operational partnerships.

Skills Development, Entrepreneurship and Fair Production Unit (IET/PST/SEF)

The Skills Development, Entrepreneurship and Fair Production Unit supports Member States in integrating into the emerging global systems of fair and sustainable trade and supply chains. It aims 62 to increase employability, strengthen access to decent employment, augment job retention, and increase access to qualified workforce by the industry, through modern technical and vocational education and training (TVET), professional education and entrepreneurship systems essential for driving sustainable transition. Central to its mandate is the commitment to provide the skills required to enabling sustainable supply chain practices, ensuring resilience, particularly at the firm level, and addressing the challenges and opportunities arising from new due diligence regulations. To this end, it provides specialized and country-tailored assistance to Member States to skill, upskill, and/or reskill their labour force and enhance their entrepreneurship capacity, it implements demand driven educational approaches, leverages partnerships with the private sector and strengthens institutional and firm-level capacities that fortify sustainable supply chains, with emphasis on the most vulnerable. It places importance on mitigating unintended consequences stemming from due diligence regulations, ensuring that all actors, especially at firm-level, are equipped to navigate through these changes. The Unit promotes innovation in learning, concepts and norms to augment the quality, relevance, attractiveness and accessibility of TVET for sustainable industrial employment and self-employment for the most vulnerable. The Unit also deploys foresight and planning instruments to guide Member States in developing industrial skills of future employees and respond to re-skilling and up-skilling requirements tailored for sustainable supply chains.

Project Context

The project “Skills for Decent Employment in Zambian Artisanal and Small-scale Mining in the Critical Mineral Value Chains” addresses the structural constraints facing Zambia’s artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector – informality, low productivity, unsafe working conditions, weak business organization, and limited access to finance, technical and entrepreneurial skills – which disproportionately affect women and youth. The project pursues two outcomes. Outcome 1 strengthens Zambia’s institutional ecosystem for ASM skills development, supporting national authorities – the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (MMMD), Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS), TEVETA, and the newly established ASM Directorate and ASM Fund – to coordinate, plan and deliver demand-driven training. Outcome 2 equips ASM operators, including women, youth and other vulnerable groups, with improved technical skills and entrepreneurship and organizational capacities for increased access to decent employment along the value chain, through community outreach and awareness-raising, upgraded TVET training centres, and entrepreneurship training linked to markets and finance, including a matching-grant mechanism for ASM operators.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Lead Technical Advisor (LTA), and in close cooperation with the Project Delivery Manager (PDM) and the project team at UNIDO HQ and in the field, the Provincial Coordinator will be responsible for the performance of the following main duties for the provinces of Kitwe and Solwezi:

Main Duties

Planning / Coordination / Advice

• Review project work plans and provide input to the LTA on operational planning and resource needs for the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces;
• Review the province-specific implementation approach and activity schedule for the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces;
• Establish and maintain day-to-day working relationships with local partners (training centres, CSOs, Project Technical Committee (PTC)’s members, local councils, traditional authorities, ASM associations).
• Ensure PTC’s members are engaged and informed throughout the project implementation, organize the PCT meetings under guidance of the LTA and PDM, and systematize feedback and agreements.

Outputs to be achieved:

• Provincial work plan inputs for Copperbelt/North-Western submitted on schedule;
• Local partner contact list and engagement plan maintained and updated;
• Provincial Technical Committee (PTC) meeting organized and minutes produced.

Location: Kitwe or Solwezi

Programme/Project Implementation

• Oversee the day-to-day operational execution of project activities in the province, ensuring alignment with the project's theory of change and logical framework;
• Provide day-to-day coordination and manage short-term consultants, experts and service providers working in the province;
• Coordinate with project’s counterparts at provincial level (e.g. TVET centres and ASM beneficiaries) to ensure successful implementation of activities, and, where necessary, facilitate contractors' execution of works (e.g. training centre upgrades and other infrastructure activities) and services (e.g. training provision, career service support, etc.);
• Maintain internal coordination among the PMU’s members, province-based experts and outreach team members;
• Implement asset management for project equipment and assets in the province, in close coordination with project beneficiaries and national project assistant.

Outputs to be achieved:

• Provincial activities implemented in line with the work plan and logical framework;
• Coordinate the work of short-term consultants and service providers contributing to project activities, with deliverables tracked;
• Contractor works and service providers’ deliverables completed to the required quality and schedule;
• Provincial asset register maintained and up to date.

Programme/Project Promotion and Outreach

• Liaise with local beneficiaries (training centres, CSOs, ASM associations, traditional authorities) to build and maintain project visibility and trust at the provincial level;
• Support the Community Outreach Officers in organizing province-level awareness-raising and outreach activities;
• Represent the project at provincial-level meetings and events as delegated by the LTA.

Outputs to be achieved:

• Local beneficiary engagement records maintained;
• Provincial outreach/awareness activities supported and documented;
• Provincial meetings and events attended, with summary notes produced.

Capacity Building of the Project Partners/Beneficiaries

• Support local training centres, CSOs and government offices in the province to implement project-supported capacity-building activities;
• Facilitate the participation of provincial partners in project training and institutional strengthening activities;
• Provide on-the-ground support and troubleshooting for capacity-building activities delivered by project experts in the province.

Outputs to be achieved:

• Provincial partners' participation in training/capacity-building activities facilitated and tracked;
• On-the-ground support provided, with issues logged and resolved or escalated as needed.

Reporting

• Provide regular (at least monthly) provincial activity updates to the LTA and PDM;
• Contribute provincial-level inputs to project progress and annual reports;
• Maintain accurate records of provincial project activities, assets and beneficiary engagement.

Outputs to be achieved:

• Monthly provincial updates submitted to the LTA/PDM on schedule;
• Provincial inputs to progress and annual reports submitted on time;
• Provincial records and documentation maintained and accessible.

Other Duties as Required by the LTA / UNIDO HQ Management

• Undertake field travel across the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces and, as required, to other project provinces, to support project activities and to Luapula province;
• Participate in regular meetings for project coordination and reporting, UNIDO divisional and unit level meetings as required;
• Perform other duties as assigned by the LTA/HQ management in support of the overall achievement of project objectives.

Outputs to be achieved:

• Field travel undertaken as required, with trip reports produced;
• Additional tasks completed to the required quality and timeline.

Minimum Organizational Requirements

Education

Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in business administration, social sciences, project/programme management, engineering (preferably in mining/extractive industries), or other relevant discipline is required; A first level university degree or an advanced technical college diploma may be acceptable provided it is combined with additional 5 years of professional hands-on experience that is directly relevant to the expertise required by the specific assignment.

Technical and Functional Experience

• At least five (5) years of professional experience in coordinating the implementation of development/technical cooperation programmes/projects at national level, is required.
• Experience in evaluating the needs, conditions and problems of the country or similar country in the region is required.
• Experience in evaluating the needs, conditions and problems of the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces or a similar province/region in Zambia is required.
• Experience liaising with local government, community organizations, training institutions or the private sector at provincial/district level, is required.
• Experience/knowledge of other development agencies donor communities, private sectors, government and relevant institutions in the country, or similar country in the region is desirable.
• Experience in working with government and development agencies in the province and in Zambia is desirable.
• Experience coordinating work with consultants, service providers or contractors is desirable.
• Experience in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector or extractives industry is desirable. Knowledge of the Copperbelt/North-Western ASM context is desirable.
• Experience working with UN agencies or international development organizations is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Fluency and/or working knowledge of Bemba is required; working knowledge of Kaonde, Lunda or another language spoken in North-Western province is desirable.

Core Values and Behaviors

Core Values

• EXCELLENCE – Deliver high-quality results; continuously improve performance.
• INTEGRITY – Uphold ethical standards; act transparently and responsibly.
• INCLUSION – Promote respect, diversity, and fairness.
• HUMILITY – Show self-awareness; value others’ contributions.
• HUMANITY – Act with compassion; align work with sustainable development.

Core Behaviors

• CONNECT & COLLABORATE – Build trust through effective communication and teamwork; share knowledge and embrace diversity.
• ANALYSE & PLAN – Use data and evidence to inform decision-making; plan proactively and prioritize effectively.
• DELIVER RESULTS WITH POSITIVE IMPACT – Take ownership and deliver high-quality outputs; align work with UNIDO’s mission and objectives.
• LEARN AND DEVELOP – Continuously develop skills and capabilities; seek feedback and share knowledge with others.
• ADAPT AND INNOVATE – Respond flexibly to change; embrace innovation and new approaches.

Additional Information

This appointment is limited to the specified project(s) only and does not carry any expectation of renewal.

Employees of UNIDO are expected at all times to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for jobs at UNIDO.

All applications must be submitted online through the Online Recruitment System. Correspondence will be undertaken only with candidates who are being considered at an advanced phase of the selection process. Selected candidate(s) may be required to disclose to the Director General the nature and scope of financial and other personal interests and assets in respect of themselves, their spouses and dependents, under the procedures established by the Director General.

How to Apply

Visit the UNIDO website for details on how to apply: www.unido.org

Applications should be submitted through the UNIDO Online Recruitment System:

Application Deadline: 17 September 2026, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)

NOTE: The Director General retains the discretion to make an appointment to this post at a lower level.

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Email: recruitment@unido.org

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