Regional Desk Officer - Latin America and Caribbean

The Senior Relations Specialist is responsible for planning, organising, and coordinating ACTRAV's work in the Latin America and Caribbean region, focusing on workers' organisations. The role involves advising senior ILO officials, coordinating regional activities, and managing development cooperation projects.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organise, coordinate and monitor ACTRAV’s relations work in the Latin America and Caribbean region in coordination with the Director of ACTRAV.
• Determine regional priorities consistent with ILO and ACTRAV plans and trade union organisations’ priorities.
• Support planning, managing and monitoring work assigned to Specialists in Workers’ Activities in Regional, DWT/CO and ILO offices and liaise with the Programme Officer in the Turin Centre.
• Provide advice to ACTRAV’s Director, HQ and field teams, and senior officials on matters concerning workers’ organisations.
• Represent the ILO at official events and conferences.
• Provide advice on policies related to workers and employers’ organisations and ensure consistent application of such policies.
• Coordinate servicing of the region’s members of the Workers’ Group in various official meetings and support discussion processes.
• Review major ILO reports and documents, provide comments and approve communications and press releases.
• Undertake missions to Member States to build relations, review situations and provide advice on ILO policies and activities.
• Recommend actions on personnel, budgetary, procedural and operational matters relating to the Desk.
• Conceptualise, formulate and prepare development cooperation projects for donors and manage their implementation and reporting.
• Provide policy and technical advice to Decent Work Support Team specialists and external consultants.
• Check and verify work plans of Workers’ Activities Specialists and coordinate technical and annual reporting.
• Contribute to ACTRAV’s work teams on Programme and Budget, Strategic Plan, Decent Work Country Programmes, Global Jobs Pact, Social Justice Declaration and SDGs.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree in economics, labour law, public administration, industrial relations, political science or other relevant field.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) with an additional two years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• At least ten years of professional experience at national level dealing with workers’ organisations issues, including at least seven years at the international level in a senior position.
• Excellent command of one ILO working language (English, French or Spanish) and working knowledge of another (one of these languages must be English).
• In-depth knowledge of the ILO’s work, policies, programmes and procedures.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of workers’ organisations and labour-related programmes, issues, practices and policies.
• Excellent knowledge of development concerns and needs of countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region related to trade union organisations and other constituents.
• Political insight and sound judgement.
• Discretion and high sense of responsibility, judgement and diplomacy.
• Ability to present and advocate policy changes in difficult circumstances.
• Ability to develop links with and attract major donors for resource mobilisation.
• Ability to make authoritative judgements and assume managerial, financial, administrative and supervisory responsibilities.
• Ability to provide authoritative advice and guidance to senior officials and constituents and negotiate sensitive matters with tact and discretion.
• Ability to take initiatives, plan and organise work according to priorities.
• Ability to represent the organisation and deliver speeches at a high level in a tripartite environment.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent leadership and management skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills for complex policy analysis and report production.
• Good working knowledge of standard computer software.
• Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relationships.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment with gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour.

Skills

• Labour Law
• Industrial Relations
• Political Science
• Workers' Organisations
• Labour-related Programmes
• Trade Union Organisations
• Policy Advocacy
• Resource Mobilization
• Managerial Responsibilities
• Finance Management
• Administrative Management
• Supervisory responsibility
• Negotiation
• Work Planning
• Public Speaking
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication
• Leadership
• Management
• Policy Analysis
• Report Production
• Standard Computer Applications

Languages

English, French, Spanish