PIU Senior Self-Employment Specialist

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population toward the cost of the Employment Support Project Position/Title: PIU Senior Self-Employment Specialist Project/Office: Employment Support Project (ESP) under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population Project Implementation Unit: The PIU will be responsible for the procurement, financial management, social and environmental requirements, as well as monitoring and regularly reporting on the implementation of the three components, in compliance with World Bank fiduciary and reporting requirements. Scope of activities: The Senior Self-employment Specialist will be a team member of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) supporting the implementation of the “Employment Support Project” and will report to the PIU Coordinator. He or she will be expected to provide input into implementation and outputs of the project’s Component 1 and Component 2. The PIU Senior Self-employment Specialist will be responsible for development of methodology and action plans for activities under Component 1 and Component 2, and monitoring and evaluation of their progress to ensure achievement of the Project objectives and targets according to the approved workplans within the World Bank guidelines and applicable requirements). Responsibilities and tasks of PIU Senior Self-employment Specialist: Implement activities under Components 1 and Component 2; Provide inputs to the update of the POM and other Project documents; Supervise the work of the business trainers, and mentors and other trainers engaged under the Project; Establish and maintain regular communication with the business trainers and mentors to ensure high quality technical and advisory support to project beneficiaries; Provide advice on the content of the training material for Entrepreneurship and Business Skills Development; Collect and review the feedback on the quality of deliverable of trainers and mentors and submit recommendations for processing payments; Monitor and report about the quality of provided training in entrepreneurship and business development to project beneficiaries; Implement and monitor all processes for the Matching Grant award and well as other programs to be implemented within the Project; Monitor the implementation of the vocational training courses within the Project; Work with the Consultant team for creating the mechanism of recognition of informal skills and competences. Work with existing business associations in implementation of this task; Work with the state institutions in identifying occupations for the international certification and further implementation of the task; Work with the state institutions for strengthening the capacity of the Vocational Training Centers under the ministry; Regularly inform the related staff from the World Bank and PIU Coordinator on the progress and the outstanding issues; Participate in workshops and round-tables to present the project outcomes to all stakeholders as well as at international, regional and national related events; Monitor Project activities implementation as determined in the workplans, update the plans as required; Participate in preparation of the Annual Workplan for each year, as well as Quarterly Plans if required; Make required arrangements for and participate in the Bank supervision missions; Interact with other PIU members in order to support the Project’s other activities; Contribute to update the project results framework; Write and comment on the Project reports and reports prepared by the Consultants; Contribute to the preparation and submission of Project Progress Reports and any other required project reports as required; Develop the terms of reference and contribute to the preparation of bidding documents for all activities to be procured under Components if required Minimum requirements to become an eligible candidate for the position of PIU Senior Self-employment Specialist: Resident of Azerbaijan, ability to communicate freely in Azerbaijani and English languages; Master’s degree in a leading national or international higher educational institution; At least 10 years of international professional experience in planning and implementation of World Bank and other international projects; Experience in implementation of projects in self-employment or education spheres; Proven experience in the implementation of national qualification frameworks, including the Azerbaijan National Qualifications Framework (AzNQF); Demonstrated expertise in designing and developing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs; Good knowledge of regulations, institutional arrangements and business processes for social assistance in Azerbaijan; Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision, strong analytical, organizational, writing abilities; Excellent interpersonal skills: proficient computer user; strong skills in oral and written presentations The duration of the full time (time based) assignment is till December 30, 2025 with 3 months of probation and further extension subject to satisfactory performance. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant selection method set out in the World Bank Procurement Regulations. Applicants should send CV (with diplomas and certificates) to the following email address: E-mail:  office@esp.az Application deadline: July 30, 2025 Note: * Please mention the Project and name of vacancy in the mail subject * Only short-listed candidates will be contacted