Career Counselling Specialist

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

Timor-Leste is an LDC with lower-middle income status that relies on its natural oil and gas revenue-based sovereign wealth Petroleum Fund for its annual state budget. Besides this fund, there are no other substantive sources of income. Economic diversification with a focus on job creation and poverty reduction is a great need. Timor-Leste already has 30% of the population living below the national poverty line and 46% are multidimensionally poor. 70% of Timor-Leste’s population live in rural areas, most of whom (64.2%) are dependent on subsistence agriculture. This young nation has 74% of its population under 35 (Census 2015), and according to the 2018 Labour Market Outlook, 20.3% of the youth population (aged 15-24) were not in employment, education or training (NEET). 78% of the people between the age of 15 to 64 were not employed, of which around 36% were youth aged 15 to 24 years.

There is more demand for laborer with vocational skills as well as ‘soft’ skills. Long-term investment in human capital is needed to produce skilled human resources to meet the labor market demand— something that requires increased investment in quality education. However, in the short- and medium- term, many initiatives can be taken to prepare youth with the required soft skills, have greater access to the right information, enhance their readiness for the work world through internships/mentorships and meet the labor market demand. At the same time, more efforts are needed to develop SMEs to increase employment and income opportunities, particularly for women, people with disability, unemployed youth, and poor and vulnerable communities.

Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Skills (YEES) Project aims to tackle two most pressing issues in Timor Leste’s youth employment: 1) limited opportunity of being employed and 2) limited opportunity of being entrepreneurs for youth and migrant workers. The project is mainly funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for six years starting in 2022. This project will focus on producing two medium-term sub-outcomes: 1) youth become employed and 2) youth become entrepreneurs, which will contribute to UNSDCF/CPD outcome 2: By 2025, institutions and people throughout Timor-Leste in all

their diversity, especially women and youth, benefit from sustainable economic opportunities and decent work to reduce poverty, with three interrelated outputs: • Output 1: Youth obtain skills, competencies and knowledge to be employed. • Output 2: Service providers are available to deliver holistic support to enhance employability. • Output 3: Youth, including migrants/returnees, obtain skills, knowledge and services to start or expand their business

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of YEES Project Manager, the UN Volunteer International Career Counselling Specialist will:

• Develop a career counselling module to be adopted by the government officials, university, training center, and all related stakeholders. • Provide day-to-day career counselling sessions to youth by offering resources such as assisting in job searches, creating resumes, and preparing for interviews that will help youth to be prepared academically for professional success and in taking the next step toward their goals. • Provide training of trainers on career counselling to government officials in all project areas. • Provide support to the whole component of youth employment of the YEES Project that includes soft skills development, internship, job fair, and online job portal development. • Perform any other related duties as required.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/expected outputs

• As an active UNDP team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNDP and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to [UNDP]; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to [UNDP] procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and [UNDP] in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards [UNDP]’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

• Experience in developing the module and training in career counselling or people development-related areas, either in university or other educational institutions, training centers, or any other relevant institutions. • Experience in working with youth in youth empowerment or youth employment areas. • Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, including the ability to liaise effectively at project management levels. • Ability to communicate and function effectively in an international, multicultural environment. • Ability to work effectively in a team.

Timor Leste is half of a tropical island on the Australian continental shelf characterized by a rugged mountain chain running east-west that divides the country into a generally warmer north coast and a milder south coast. The capital city, Dili, is located in the north.

Climate: The climate along the coast is relatively warm hot year-round with an annual average temperature of 30°C. There are two distinct seasons: the north-east monsoon season, which runs from November to March, constitutes the rainy season throughout the country. The south- east monsoon season, which runs from March to October, constitutes the dry season with some rain on the southern coast but otherwise dry and windy conditions in the rest of the country. The climate inland with its high mountains can be very cold with an annual average temperature of 15°C.

Health: At the moment, Stamford clinic serves as a recommended medical facility for UN staff. It has two approved UN physicians that can perform primary healthcare and simpler treatments or recommend medical evacuation to Singapore. There is a national hospital with some international staff and a limited number of other private clinics in Dili. For more complex medical treatment and assessment, it is necessary to evacuate to neighbouring countries such as Darwin or Singapore.

Diet, Food and Water: Most staple foods can be found in the markets such as rice, meat, vegetables, cooking oil, salt and sugar. There are many local markets around Dili as well as four supermarkets that are stocked with imported goods, mainly from Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and China. Dili has a large number of restaurants, cafes and bars. There is a variety of food ranging from Western to Southeast Asian fare. You can also find several local restaurants with less expensive meals. The price range for a meal can range from $3 to $14+.

Telecommunications: At the moment, there are three telecommunication providers in country, Timor Telecom and Telcomcel and Telemor. While Timor Telecom has been long present, Telcomcel and Telemor were newly launched in Timor-Leste, and started operating in February 2013. The SIM cards cost $2-3 and pre-paid/pulsa cards range from $1 to $50. Further, depending on UN Agency, you may receive a PIN code to make international phone calls that will be charged to your VLA.

Hotels: The UNV Field unit in Dili will help arrange your initial accommodation in a hotel, at your expense. Most of the hotels in Dili are aimed at internationals and offer a good level of comfort with airconditioned rooms and en-suite bathrooms. You can expect to pay from $30 to $50 per night.

Permanent Accommodation: Expect that your accommodation will range from the very basic to adequate, although many private houses in Dili have been renovated to a reasonable or even considered ‘luxurious’ level of comfort. The rate of reconstruction and renovation in the districts has been much slower than in Dili. Accommodation is far more likely to be of a very basic level Cost range from $250 to $600 per month. Note on Covid19 vaccination requirements Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy.