Title: Access and Inclusion Team Lead Program: USAID Industry-led Skills Development (ILSD) Program Location: Tbilisi, Georgia IESC is a leading U.S. nonprofit organization that fosters private sector development in the economically developing world. Since 1964, we have delivered lasting solutions that have resulted in more than 1.5 million jobs in 137 countries. We partner with businesses, cooperatives, entrepreneurs, jobseekers, and governments to sustainably build capacity, create jobs, and grow enterprises, sharing proven skills and experience that improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities around the world. Our major funders today are the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), among others. IESC is implementing the USAID Industry-led Skills Development Program (the Program) in Georgia. The purpose of the Program is to develop industry-relevant human capacity that contributes to high-value employment opportunities and increased economic competitiveness in Georgia. The Program achieves this by systematically engaging employers to equip Georgians with skills demanded in sectors with high growth potential and creating direct linkages between training programs and employment opportunities. The Program prioritizes interventions under three components:
- Component 1: Incentivize private sector engagement in skills development;
- Component 2: Establish skills training programs demanded by the private sector;
- Component 3: Increase access to training opportunities for rural and priority populations.
Under the direction of the ILSD Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP), the Access and Inclusion Team Lead works full time and is based in Tbilisi. The Access and Inclusion Team Lead leads activities to extend training and skills development models leading to high-value employment opportunities in rural areas in order to better serve unemployed and under-employed priority populations, while also enhancing access to a proximate trained labor pool for rural business. The Access and Inclusion Team Lead plays a leading role in facilitating initiatives that either replicate successful training programs from bigger cities like Tbilisi or Batumi into rural areas or extend offerings of schools in these areas into rural settings and support entrepreneurship training that facilitates pathways into higher-value jobs, i.e., grants under Component 3, although the Access and Inclusion Team Lead may also oversee selected grants under other components, depending on Program need, in addition to any relevant non-grant activities.
Roles and Responsibilities: Oversee and provide technical oversight to a portfolio of grant activities with a particular focus on Component 3 grants and other grants with an emphasis on activities outside of Tbilisi; Lead activities to establish and extend strong linkages between training providers based in larger cities and those in rural areas; Identify and work with public and private sector partners to deploy successful training models, for piloting in rural locations through innovative institutional partnerships; Design grant criteria, serve on Grants Evaluation Committee, and monitor grants for ideas and programs to achieve impact for target beneficiaries in rural and priority populations; Ensure systems are established and maintained to consolidate learning, capture best practices, and help project grant recipients turn knowledge into replicable and scalable models for skills training delivery; Participate in regular meetings of senior management related to implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and grants administration and contribute to ILSD deliverables and progress reports as assigned.
Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in business administration, education, or related field; Master's degree preferred; Strong knowledge of Vocational Education and Training (VET), and the VET sector in Georgia in particular; Experience providing technical oversight for VET activities and/or operations, including via grants or other government or donor assistance activities; Knowledge of and experience in facilitating Private Sector Engagement in skills development; Demonstrated leadership and integrity, proven organizational skills; Maturity, professionalism, and a positive attitude; Willingness and ability to travel in Georgia's regions on a regular basis for the purpose of grant oversight, program outreach, and other purposes; The right to live and work in the Republic of Georgia is required; and Fluency in Georgian and English, including strong English writing skills.How to apply: Please submit a Curriculum Vitae in English. Applications will be accepted through December 9, 2024, and evaluated on a rolling basis. Finalists will be contacted by IESC. IESC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in selection and employment practices.