ASM Development Expert ASM Development Expert ZAM

Job description

Title: ASM Development Expert

​Requisition ID: 8104
Grade: ISA-NOC
Country: Zambia
Duty Station: Kitwe (with regular travel to Copperbelt and North-Western provinces and to ASM operator sites, as required)
Category: National Consultant
Type of Job Posting: Internal and External
Employment Type: NonStaff-Regular
Contract Duration: 3 months (with extension possibilities up to 3,5 years from EOD)
Application deadline: 07-Oct-2026, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)

Vacancy Announcement
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL
Only nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are considered eligible.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
UNIDO welcomes applications from qualified persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to applicants and employees with disabilities to support full participation in the recruitment process and in the performance of their duties.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability.  The mission UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies to a greater or lesser extent to all SDGs.

The medium-term programme framework (MTPF) is UNIDO’s core strategic document. As the Organization moves from the 2022–2025 cycle to the 2026–2029 MTPF, it sets a renewed vision to support Member States shape their industries for development. The new priorities include renewable and clean energy, sustainable access and climate action, ending hunger through innovation and local value addition, and fair and sustainable global and regional supply chains. Cross-cutting priorities focus on industrial and economic policy advice, skills development, fostering digitalization and artificial intelligence, gender equality and the empowerment of women, supporting youth, promoting cleaner production and circular economy, and leveraging private sector investment and development finance.

Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Sub-regional Offices and Country Offices.

DIRECTORATE OF SDG INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION (IET)

Under the overall direction of the Director General, and in close collaboration with all organizational entities within UNIDO, in particular the Office of Change Management (ODG/CHM), the Office of Legal Affairs and Compliance (ODG/LEG), the Strategic Planning and UN Engagement Division (ODG/SPU), and the Office of Evaluation and Internal Oversight (EIO), the Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), headed by a Managing Director, is responsible for the development of innovative UNIDO services in the areas of agro-industry and agribusiness, sustainability standards and fair production, and climate-relevant or climate-improving technologies. It is also, in collaboration with ODG, responsible for developing innovative technical cooperation concepts, identifying new sources and means of finance and entering into new partnerships with a broad range of relevant stakeholders.

The Directorate houses the Divisions of Coordination and Integration Support (IET/CIS), Quality, Impact and Accountability (IET/QUA), Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR), Innovative Finance and International Financial Institutions (IET/IFI), Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and Climate and Technology Partnerships (CTP). The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions and relevant entities in the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO) and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS).

Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST)

Under the overall guidance of the Director General, the direct supervision of the Managing Director, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), and in close coordination with other organizational entities within UNIDO, the Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST) develops and implements an innovative service package in response to UNIDO’s mandate for fair and responsible local industrial production and trade with a particular focus on building the required skills and capacities and foster a conducive business operating environment to ensure that such production and trade are as inclusive as possible, promoting – among others – the development of human capital through vocational training and industrial skills development. In collaboration with IET/IFI, IET/PPP, TCS/SME, TCS/CPA, and GLO/MSR, the Division will conceptualize and negotiate such services and raise funds from Member States, development partners, IFIs, and the private sector to coordinate their effective implementation and devise ways in which their implementation can be brought to scale. This will include cross-cutting and sector-specific initiatives for sustainable supply/value chain and skills development in industrial sectors where UNIDO has, over the years, accumulated expertise, such as agro-industries, fisheries, textiles, leather, light manufacturing, health, mining, automotive and pharma and others. It will do so through close engagement with Member States, private sector associations, industrial enterprises, international quality, standards and trade-related governing bodies, other UN Agencies (e.g. ILO), development partners, NGOs and consumer associations, as appropriate, ensuring solid and operational partnerships.

 Skills Development, Entrepreneurship and Fair Production Unit (IET/PST/SEF)

The Skills Development, Entrepreneurship and Fair Production Unit supports Member States in integrating into the emerging global systems of fair and sustainable trade and supply chains. It aims 62 to increase employability, strengthen access to decent employment, augment job retention, and increase access to qualified workforce by the industry, through modern technical and vocational education and training (TVET), professional education and entrepreneurship systems essential for driving sustainable transition. Central to its mandate is the commitment to provide the skills required to enabling sustainable supply chain practices, ensuring resilience, particularly at the firm level, and addressing the challenges and opportunities arising from new due diligence regulations. To this end, it provides specialized and country-tailored assistance to Member States to skill, upskill, and/or reskill their labour force and enhance their entrepreneurship capacity, it implements demand driven educational approaches, leverages partnerships with the private sector and strengthens institutional and firm-level capacities that fortify sustainable supply chains, with emphasis on the most vulnerable. It places importance on mitigating unintended consequences stemming from due diligence regulations, ensuring that all actors, especially at firm-level, are equipped to navigate through these changes. The Unit promotes innovation in learning, concepts and norms to augment the quality, relevance, attractiveness and accessibility of TVET for sustainable industrial employment and self-employment for the most vulnerable. The Unit also deploys foresight and planning instruments to guide Member States in developing industrial skills of future employees and respond to re-skilling and up-skilling requirements tailored for sustainable supply chains.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The project “Skills for Decent Employment in Zambian Artisanal and Small-scale Mining in the Critical Mineral Value Chains” addresses the structural constraints facing Zambia’s artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector – informality, low productivity, unsafe working conditions, weak business organization, and limited access to finance, technical and entrepreneurial skills – which disproportionately affect women and youth.

The project pursues two outcomes. Outcome 1 strengthens Zambia’s institutional ecosystem for ASM skills development, supporting national authorities – the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (MMMD), Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS), TEVETA, and the newly established ASM Directorate and ASM Fund – to coordinate, plan and deliver demand-driven training. Outcome 2 equips ASM operators, including women, youth and other vulnerable groups, with improved technical skills and entrepreneurship and organizational capacities for increased access to decent employment along the value chain, through community outreach and awareness-raising, upgraded TVET training centres, and entrepreneurship training linked to markets and finance, including a matching-grant mechanism for ASM operators.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the guidance of the Lead Technical Advisor (LTA), and in close cooperation with the Community Outreach Officers and the Skills Development Expert, the ASM Development Expert will be responsible for the performance of the following main duties:

MAIN DUTIES	Concrete/measurable Outputs to be achieved	Location
Planning /coordination/advice – Provide technical advice to the LTA on ASM operator capacity-building strategy under Outputs 1.2 and 2.3 related to entrepreneurship, governance and organization, and sustainable productive practices; – Plan and coordinate ASM operator screening and selection following the established due diligence procedures in close coordination with the community outreach officers, and coordinate subsequent training and technical assistance activities; – Contribute to the scoping and design of the capacity-building packages for ASM operators including entrepreneurship, business management, and sustainable mining techniques. .	– Technical advice on ASM entrepreneurship strategy provided to the LTA; – ASM operator selection/screening and capacity-building activities scoped, planned and coordinated; – Capacity building support package design contributed to.	Kitwe/Solwezi
Programme/project implementation – Lead scoping and design of a specialized entrepreneurship training program for ASM operators as well as identifying and supervising related service providers, ensuring the program includes tailored modules for women-led ASM operations addressing constraints in negotiation, contracting, pricing, access to finance, cooperative leadership and entry into higher-value activities; – Lead the screening and selection process of ASM operators for participation in project support packages (training, technical assistance, equipment/tools grants, financial mechanisms); – Collaborate with the Skills Development Expert on the TVET centres’ institutional capacity support programs ensuring these reflects the needs to provide training tailored to ASM needs; – Lead the delivery of capacity-building activities to ASM operators, strengthening their business management, governance and operational and productive capacities; – In close coordination with the LTA and associated experts, identify the list of relevant equipment for sustainable practices and/or value addition that could be considered for grant support. – Support ASM operators in linking up with financial services and market development mechanisms under Output 2.3, identifying synergies with complementary initiatives.	– Standalone ASM entrepreneurship training program designed, including women-led ASM operator modules (contributing to the target of 3 ASM/entrepreneurship curricula developed); – ASM operators screened and selected for project support packages; -; – Capacity-building packages delivered to ASM operators (contributing to the target of 9 ASM/entrepreneurship trainings delivered to ASM operators); – Proposal of relevant equipment for sustainable practices and/or value addition equipment for grant support. – ASM operators supported in linking with financial services and buyers.
Programme/project promotion and outreach – Support the dissemination of entrepreneurship and capacity-building achievements to ASM operators, industry stakeholders and partners; – Contribute ASM-sector technical content to project visibility and knowledge products; – Represent the project in ASM-sector forums and stakeholder consultations as delegated by the LTA.	– Entrepreneurship and capacity-building achievements disseminated to ASM operators and stakeholders; – ASM-sector technical content contributed to visibility and knowledge products; – Sector forums and consultations attended as delegated and minutes submitted to the PMU.
Capacity building of the project partners/beneficiaries – Lead capacity-building (training and technical assistance) delivery to selected ASM operators; – Continue follow up and support ASM operators selected by the project in aligning their internal systems and processes with ESG and business standards; – Facilitate ASM operators’ access to, and effective use of, equipment/tools grants and financial mechanisms to be established by the project in due course.	– Entrepreneurial and organizational capacity-building delivered to ASM operators; – ASM operators supported in ESG/business standards alignment; – ASM operator access to equipment/tools grants and financial mechanisms facilitated
Reporting – Provide technical inputs on ASM entrepreneurship and operator capacity-building indicators and achievements for project progress and annual reports; – Report on ASM operator selection, screening and support package delivery progress to the LTA; – Maintain accurate records of ASM operator engagement, training and grant/support package delivery.	– ASM entrepreneurship and capacity-building indicators reported to the LTA and included in project reports; – ASM operator selection, screening and support package delivery progress documented; – ASM operator engagement and training/grant records maintained accurately.
Other duties as required by the LTA – Undertake missions to ASM operator sites and project provinces as required; – Perform other duties as assigned by the LTA in support of the overall achievement of project objectives.	– Missions undertaken as required, with mission reports produced; – Additional tasks completed to the required quality and timeline.

MINIMUM ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS 

Education: Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in engineering, sciences, environment, business administration/economics, or other relevant discipline is required. Specialization in mining/extractive industries, industrial development, vocational/technical education, or a related field, is highly desirable. A first level university degree or an advanced technical college diploma may be acceptable provided it is combined with additional 5 years of professional hands-on experience that is directly relevant to the expertise required by the specific assignment.

Technical and Functional Experience

• At least five (5) years of professional experience in entrepreneurship development, business advisory services or organizational capacity building for micro or small enterprises, including the ASM sector, is required.
• Experience in projects or programs with technical assistance or training packages targeting ASM operations in terms of formalization and sustainable mining practices, is required.
• Experience designing and delivering entrepreneurship or business capacity-building programs with gender-responsive strategies, is required.
• Experience in evaluating the needs, conditions and problems of the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces or a similar province/region in Zambia is desirable.
• Experience in working with government and development agencies in the province and in Zambia is desirable.

• Experience linking micro or small enterprises to financial services, markets or buyers is desirable.
• Experience conducting beneficiary selection or screening processes for grant or capacity-building programs is desirable.
• Experience working with UN agencies or international development organizations is desirable.

Languages: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Fluency and/or working knowledge of Bemba is desirable; working knowledge of Kaonde, Lunda or another language spoken in North-Western province is also desirable.

CORE VALUES AND BE