Program Officer – TVET & Skills Development (ESTI)

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: African Union (AU)

Deadline: September 15, 2026

Job Description

Organization Information

Reports to: ESTI Director
Directorate/Department/Organ: ESTI
Number of Direct Reports: 2
Number of Indirect Reports: 1
Job Grade: P3
Number of Positions: 1
Contract Type: ALD

Purpose of Job

To provide strategic, technical, and operational support in the implementation of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 26-35), the Continental TVET Strategy (2025–2034), and the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2034) including policy harmonization, Member State support, programme development, partnership coordination, and results-based management of education and skills development initiatives at continental and regional levels with a specific emphasis on strengthening competency-based and outcome-based TVET systems, occupational standards harmonization, and the integration of skills development for regional economic integration and labor mobility.

Main Functions

• Support the implementation of Continental Education Strategy for Africa and the Continental TVET Strategy, including roadmaps, action plans, and flagship initiatives.
• Provide technical advisory services to AU leadership, Member States, and RECs on education, TVET, and skills development policies and systems reforms.
• Coordinate continental clusters and technical working groups on TVET, higher education, and skills development.
• Drive the promotion of work-based learning, cooperative training, and industry-led curriculum development to ensure TVET outputs are directly aligned with the demands of the private sector and emerging industries.
• Support policy harmonisation, quality assurance, and qualifications frameworks at continental and regional levels, with a strong focus on occupational standards development, competency-based assessment, certification systems, and the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
• Support the translation of continental strategies into investable national and regional programmes and projects.
• Support project development in collaboration with partners and development finance institutions.
• Coordinate multi-stakeholder partnerships with development partners, RECs, private sector, and technical agencies.
• Provide technical support in monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and results-based management of education and skills programmes.
• Support high-level policy dialogue, ministerial processes, and heads of state convenings on education and skills development.
• Contribute to knowledge management, policy communication, and advocacy related to education and skills development.

Specific Responsibilities

Programme Coordination and Implementation

• Champion the implementation of Outcome-Based Education and Training (OBET) modalities across Member States, supporting the transition from supply-driven to demand-driven TVET systems through robust deliver and performance tracking frameworks.
• Support the operationalisation of the Continental TVET Strategy (2025–2034) and its associated implementation instruments, including workplans, results frameworks, and reporting tools.
• Support the implementation of CESA through coordination of technical clusters, expert groups, and thematic workstreams.
• Prepare programme plans, budgets, progress reports, and management briefs in line with AU programme and budget cycle requirements.
• Ensure systematic monitoring of programme performance, risks, and results using AU results-based management tools.

Policy Advisory and Technical Support

• Provide technical advisory services to Member States and RECs on education, TVET, skills development, and workforce development reforms.
• Contribute to the development, review, and updating of continental policy frameworks, guidelines, and implementation instruments.
• Support harmonisation initiatives related to qualifications frameworks, skills recognition, and quality assurance systems, including ACQF-related processes.
• Provide technical inputs to statutory meetings, ministerial conferences, and high-level policy processes.

Member State Support and Programme Development

• Coordinate technical assistance to Member States for the translation of continental strategies into national and regional programmes and projects.
• Support the design and formulation of programme and project proposals, including concept notes, logical frameworks, and budgets.
• Contribute to the development of investment-ready education and skills development programmes in collaboration with partners and development finance institutions.
• Support Member States in designing and scaling regional TVET integration projects, Centers of Excellence, and mobile/digital TVET labs that foster cross-border skills mobility and address the specific needs of vulnerable groups, including refugees and IDPs.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Coordination

• Support coordination with development partners, technical agencies, RECs, private sector, and other stakeholders involved in education and skills development.
• Contribute to the management of joint programmes, partnership agreements, and collaborative initiatives.
• Facilitate technical meetings, consultations, and coordination platforms with stakeholders and partners.

High-Level Convening, Communication & Advocacy

• Support the organization of high-level events, including ministerial forums, heads of state summits, and continental policy dialogues.
• Contribute to policy advocacy, strategic communication, and stakeholder engagement on education and skills priorities.
• Oversee preparation of policy briefs, technical notes, speeches, communiqués, and official reports.
• Support visibility and communication campaigns for continental education and skills initiatives.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Master’s degree in education, Comparative Education, Management of Vocational Education, or a closely related technical field, with at least 7 years’ relevant experience; with 3 years at Expert Level

or
• Bachelor’s degree with 10 years progressive experience in education and skills development with 3 years at expert level

• Progressive experience in education and skills development policy, programme management, or technical advisory services at national, regional, or international level.
• Demonstrated experience in programme planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting using results-based management approaches.
• Experience supporting policy harmonisation, quality assurance, or qualifications frameworks is an asset.
• Experience working with governments, regional organisations, and international development partners.
• Proven ability to support multi-stakeholder coordination and high-level policy processes
• Demonstrated experience in TVET systems reform, specifically in occupational standards development, outcome-based training, and quality assurance/assessment frameworks.

Required Skills

• Solides compétences en matière d’analyse et de planification stratégique.
• Excellentes compétences en communication écrite et orale.
• Solides compétences en coordination, négociation et gestion des parties prenantes.
• Capacité à gérer des priorités multiples et à obtenir des résultats dans un environnement dynamique.
• Maîtrise des outils bureautiques standard, associée à des compétences avancées en analyse de données pour le suivi et le reporting fondés sur des données probantes dans le domaine de l’EFTP.

Leadership Competencies

Strategic Insight
Managing Risks
Developing Others
Change Management

Core Competencies

Teamwork and Collaboration
..Learning Orientation
Effective Communication
Accountability awareness and Compliance

Functional Competencies

Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
Job Knowledge and Information Sharing
Continuous Improvement Focus

.TENURE OF APPOINTMENT:

The appointment will be made under an Appointment of Limited Duration contract for a period of eleven months renewable.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING:

The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

LANGUAGES:

Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

REMUNERATION:

The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of 78,641.08 US$ inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and 96,921.34 US$ inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Applications must be submitted no later than September 15, 2026 11h59 p.m. EAT.

-Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.

-Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas (Bac+2), Bachelor’s degrees (Bac+3), Master’s degrees (Bac+5) and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.

-The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

-Candidates from least represented and underrepresented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles.

Least represented countries: Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Somalia.

Under represented countries: Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Sudan and Tunisia.