Economic Recovery Specialist-Employment & Labour Market Engagement

Organization: Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Deadline: 24 Sep 2025

Job Description

Overall purpose of the role

The Economic Recovery Specialist is the technical lead for the implementation of the economic recovery component of the Mixed Migration Programme, with a particular focus on employment pathways, market oriented apprenticeships, employer engagement, skills to employment linkages and labour market integration.

The Specialist is responsible for designing, strengthening and quality assuring market oriented and protection sensitive economic pathways that enable migrants, returnees, transit populations, at risk youth and other vulnerable people on the move to access decent employment, paid apprenticeships, skills recognition and certification, and other viable income generating opportunities.

The Specialist applies a Market Systems Development approach to identify and address the constraints that prevent people on the move from accessing and sustaining employment opportunities. Rather than relying on standardised livelihood packages, the Specialist ensures that programme support responds to participant skills, experience, aspirations, documentation status, mobility intentions and actual employer and labour market demand.

The Specialist leads the technical development of employment and apprenticeship pathways, strengthens relationships with employers and other labour market actors, and ensures that programme interventions contribute to improved labour absorption and sustainable employment rather than creating parallel or permanently subsidised employment mechanisms.

The Specialist works closely with Economic Recovery Officers, the Labour Mobility & Skills Recognition Officer, Protection, MEAL and Programme Management to ensure that participants are appropriately profiled, referred and supported across skills recognition, apprenticeships, employment and regular labour mobility pathways

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

1. Labour Market Engagement, Employment Pathways & Private Sector Partnerships

• Lead analysis of high demand sectors, occupations, skills gaps, employer recruitment practices and barriers affecting migrants, returnees and at risk youth.
• Design market oriented employment pathways that respond to real labour demand and participant profiles.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with employers, industry associations, business networks and other labour market actors.
• Identify systemic barriers to recruitment, retention and advancement and develop practical responses with market actors.
• Facilitate linkages between participants and employers through authorised employment services and referral mechanisms.
• Strengthen approaches that enable employers and market actors to contribute placements, supervision, technical expertise, resources or other forms of support.
• Oversee placement, retention and transition tracking and use findings for continuous improvement.

2. Market Oriented Paid Apprenticeships & Employer Incentives

• Lead the design, quality assurance and adaptive management of paid apprenticeship models in high demand sectors with realistic pathways into employment or self employment.
• Establish clear criteria for employer selection and ensure apprenticeships promote decent work, occupational safety, non discrimination and protection.
• Provide technical guidance on apprenticeship duration, workplace learning, supervision and transition planning.
• Design and oversee time bound, market aligned employer support or incentive mechanisms that increase labour absorption without creating long term subsidy dependence.
• Work with employers to address practical constraints related to recruitment, onboarding, supervision and retention, while encouraging them to contribute their own resources and expertise.
• Document lessons and continuously refine apprenticeship and incentive models based on employer and participant evidence.
• 3. Skills Recognition, Participant Placement & Employability
• Strengthen pathways linking prior informal skills to competency assessment, certification and employment, in close coordination with the Labour Mobility & Skills Recognition Officer, MoLS, CoC centres and TVETs.
• Prioritise occupations for skills recognition based on employer demand and labour market evidence, ensuring certification is linked to concrete employment opportunities.
• Establish practical systems for matching and placing participants into apprenticeships, employment and other economic opportunities.
• Maintain an updated mapping of employers, apprenticeship opportunities and employment services.
• Provide technical guidance on workplace readiness (communication, work ethics, occupational safety, financial literacy and rights) that responds to actual employer requirements.
• Ensure all placement processes are protection sensitive and free from exploitation, discrimination or unsafe conditions.
• Provide technical guidance to Economic Recovery Officers on identifying suitable participants and maintaining clear boundaries with formal labour migration services.
• 4. Integration with Labour Mobility Pathways & Market Systems Approaches
• Establish clear interfaces between local employment/apprenticeship pathways, skills recognition and regular labour mobility options.
• Contribute labour market analysis to determine when local employment, skills recognition or formal labour mobility is the most appropriate pathway for participants.
• Ensure participants who may benefit from skills recognition or regular labour mobility are identified and referred through authorised systems, while maintaining clear technical boundaries with specialised labour migration advice.
• Apply Market Systems Development (MSD/M4P) principles to identify and address underlying constraints rather than temporary or parallel solutions.
• Avoid approaches that create permanent dependence on programme subsidies and identify opportunities for market actors to contribute to sustainable employment systems.
• Document evidence of what works and why, and use it to adapt the portfolio.
• 5. Partnerships, Monitoring, Learning & Technical Quality Assurance
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with employers, industry associations, TVETs, CoC centres, BDS providers, employment services and government counterparts (especially MoLS).
• Represent DRC in relevant technical coordination forums as delegated.
• Work with MEAL to define and track key indicators (placement, apprenticeship completion, employment transition, retention, skills certification).
• Analyse participant and employer feedback to drive continuous improvement and contribute technical inputs to donor reports, learning products and programme reviews.
• Provide ongoing technical mentoring and quality assurance to Economic Recovery Officers.
• Ensure all employment and apprenticeship interventions remain protection sensitive, inclusive and consistent with safeguarding and Do No Harm principles.

Experience and technical competencies:

• At least 3 years of progressive experience in livelihoods, economic recovery, employment promotion, Market Systems Development/M4P, entrepreneurship, skills development, labour market systems, financial inclusion or reintegration programming
• Experience of Market Systems Development/M4P, private sector engagement is highly advantage
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing or quality assuring market oriented economic pathways, employment programmes, apprenticeship models, private sector engagement or financial inclusion interventions
• Experience working with migrants, returnees, displaced communities, vulnerable youth, women, persons with disabilities, or crisis affected populations in Ethiopia is strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of mixed migration dynamics, returnee reintegration, and economic drivers of irregular migration in Ethiopia and the Eastern Route.
• Practical experience with skills assessments, counselling, referral systems, and case management.
• Knowledge of green/climate resilient livelihoods
• Experience engaging private sector employers, financial institutions (banks/MFIs), and government counterparts (especially MoLS or similar) is highly desirable.

EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)

• Bachelor’s degree(BA) or MA in economics, business management, entrepreneurship, labour studies, development studies, migration studies, sociology, social work, public administration, or a related field.

LANGUAGE: (indicate Fluency level)

• Full Proficient of English language
• Knowledge of local language is an advantage

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies: 

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 12 Months

Contract Type: National Contract

Band: G2

Designation of Duty Station: Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

Start date: 15 October 2026

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National employees

How to Apply

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than three pages) in English through: >> https://drc.ngo/jobs/job/?id=176742. Applications sent by email will not be considered

Please ensure that your CV does not exceed three pages. Applications with CVs longer than the specified limit may not be considered.

Closing date for applications: September 24, 2026

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.

Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status, or other protected characteristics

We strongly encourage female candidates to apply for the position!

We encourage only qualified Ethiopian Nations to apply. DRC considers all applicants based on merit.