​Requisition ID: 7913 
Grade: ISA-NOC 
Country: Syrian Arab Republic 
Duty Station: Damascus 
Category: National Consultant 
Type of Job Posting: Internal and External
Employment Type: NonStaff-Regular
Contract Duration: 4 months with possibility of extension
Application deadline: 03-Sep-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.

 

The Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS), headed by a Managing Director, ensures the Organization's application of strategies and interventions for sustainable industrial development related to environment, energy, Micro, Small and Medium-Enterprises (MSMEs), and digitalization. The Directorate also oversees the Organization's normative contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through industrial policy advice and capacity development. Through coordination in-house and with Member States and industry stakeholders, it ensures that the services provided in these areas contribute to effective and appropriate technical, business and policy solutions and are focused on results, scaling up and positioning UNIDO as a leading platform for industrial development in developing countries and global fora. The Directorate is responsible for the Division of Industrial Policy Advice and Capacity Development (TCS/IPC), and technical Divisions of Circular Economy and Green Industry (TCS/CEG), Energy and Climate Action (TCS/ECA), Climate Innovation and Montreal Protocol (TCS/CMP); MSME Competitiveness, Quality and Job Creation (TCS/SME); and Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (TCS/DAI). Leveraging the diverse skill sets of UNIDO personnel and the services provided by the two TC directorates, TCS collaborates closely with IET to develop and implement programmes and projects, aiming at enhancing synergy and complementarity and maximizing UNIDO corporate performance and impacts on the ground. The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions as well as with relevant entities in all Directorates across the Organization.

 

The position is located under the Division of Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (TCS/DAI) promotes digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence as well as associated technologies as part of innovation ecosystems consisting of productive capacities in manufacturing, services and digital firms, with the purpose to advance the competitiveness of industries and manufacturing firms in Member States. It helps industries to benefit from the rapid progress in digital and convergent technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), ensuring a smooth transition towards safe and secured cyber- physical industrial systems and a smart society and mitigating any negative adverse effects on employment and quality of work. Through the Division's services, the productive transformation is the key, by integrating industrial businesses, dynamic entrepreneurship, and acceleration services, and by applying technological innovation to smart manufacturing, smart energy, smart agribusiness and others, in developing countries, transition and emerging economies, with emphasis in developing countries to provide the opportunity to technologically catch up instead of falling behind industries in more advanced countries.

 

PROJECT CONTEXT  

Project number: 5

Project title: Weaving hope: upgrading the Syrian Arab Republic's garment industry and workforce

 

Under the framework of UNIDO's Industrial Recovery Programme for the Syrian Arab Republic (2026-2030), this project addresses the challenges facing Syria's garment and textile sector. A decade of crisis has left its institutional backbone—technical and vocational training centres, laboratories, and business development services—severely outdated, disconnected from modern technologies, and unable to support private enterprises. This breakdown blocks productivity gains, quality improvement, and any prospect of re-entering regional or international markets.

Funded by the Government of Italy, UNIDO's "Weaving Hope" intervention strategically focuses on rehabilitating this essential technical ecosystem. The approach will focus on advanced technology and digital transformation to accelerate the efforts and investment needed for the textile sector to rebuild its position regionally and globally and ensure the provision of advanced skills and technologies to make up for the deterioration experienced during the past 15 years.

 

This project is designed in full synergy to complement ILO activities on decent work and functions as the indispensable technical-infrastructure pillar of the broader "Weaving Hope" initiative (currently implemented by ILO). By the end of the 24-month implementation, the project will achieve its core output: technical support centres upgraded to serve as national hubs for skills, technology, and advisory services, thereby creating a self-sustaining foundation for the sector's recovery, competitiveness, and job creation.

 

Outputs of the project

Output 1: Technical Support Centres and Institutions strengthened and upgraded.

 

Objective of the project

 Impact: to enhance productivity, skills, and quality of the Syrian textile sector through adoption of advanced manufacturing solutions.

 Outcome: Textile technical centres and institutions deliver new or enhanced services and market-relevant skills through the adoption of advanced technologies and digital transformation.

 

The project’s intervention shall aim at:     

• Mapping the existing technical centers to identify capacity gaps and to align with local, regional and international market needs consistent with the sectoral mapping established by the ILO;
• Selecting 1-2 technical centre(s) based on the mapping results and conducting a diagnosis to upgrade their technical, managerial, and operational capacities;
• Based on the diagnosis, modernizing the training curricula and building instructor or training capacity to deliver market-relevant programs;
• Providing modern technology, machinery, and tools needed to enhance the services of the selected technical centre(s);
• Establishing accredited quality certification programs in alignment with international standards;
• Implementing continuous on-the-job training, and apprenticeship programs through platforms for collaboration and exchanges of expertise (with similar regional/international institutes);
• Organizing SME outreach and service-awareness activities, including information sessions, technical clinics, demonstration days and firm-level consultations in coordination with the upgraded centre(s), BDS, Chambers of Industry, sector associations and ILO-supporter enterprise engagement activities.

 

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF EXPERT

Activities

The National Project Coordinator works under the supervision of the Project Manager and the Senior Adviser (SA), and in cooperation with the UNIDO teams at Headquarters and in the field. The assignment is weighted approximately 60 per cent project management and coordination and 40 per cent technical support, and covers the following duties:

Main Duties	Concrete/measurable outputs to be achieved	Expected duration	Location
Project management and coordination duties
1. Project implementation planning and management Examine the preliminary project document and analyze other ongoing or recent initiatives and studies related to trade and industrial development specifically in the textile industry. Under the supervision of the Project Manager (PM) and the Senior Adviser (SA), plan, organize and manage the day-to-day implementation of Output 1 activities in Syria. Maintain the rolling work plan and track delivery against schedule and budget; organize and provide full logistical support to expert missions, field visits, workshops and training events; obtain the permits, security clearances and administrative authorizations required; Prepare Terms of Reference for national recruitment and procurement on the basis of technical inputs from the SA and the international experts; identify obstacles, risks and delays and propose mitigation measures.	1. Inception work plan 2. Draft ToRs for national recruitment and, ToRs for procurement, technical reports, summaries of meeting procurement, presentation and other relevant documents prepared	Continuous	Damascus, Syria (home-based)
2. Coordination with ILO, national institutions and sector stakeholders Act as UNIDO's operational focal point in Syria towards ILO (implementing partner of the wider Weaving Hope initiative), the Ministry of Industry, technical and vocational institutions, Chambers of Industry, sector associations and business development service providers. Ensure complementarity with ILO activities and avoid duplication; secure access to the ILO sectoral mapping and enterprise engagement data; obtain and maintain the institutional access on which the technical work depends; ensure synergies with programmes of other organizations active in the sector.	1. Joint UNIDO–ILO operational coordination arrangement for Output 1 agreed and documented 2. ILO sectoral mapping and enterprise data obtained and transmitted to the SA and international experts 3. Coordination meetings with ILO and with national counterparts	Continuous	Damascus, Syria (home-based)
3. Monitoring, reporting, communication and knowledge management Operate the monitoring and reporting system for Output 1 in accordance with the project logframe and the arrangements established by the monitoring expert. Establish and maintain a coherent information system covering each project activity; prepare the periodic reporting; contribute to communication, visibility and dissemination in cooperation with the communication expert; and maintain and archive the complete project record.	1. Monitoring sheet aligned to the Output 1 logframe populated and updated monthly 2. Monthly progress reports in English. 3. Inputs to the inception report, to steering committee meetings and to the annual progress report. 4. Activity records (short narrative, photo documentation, participant data) applied at every project event. 5. Complete project record archived and handed over at end of assignment.	Continuous	Damascus, Syria (home-based)
Technical support duties
4. Technical support to the mapping, centre selection and technical diagnosis Support the Senior Adviser and the international expert(s) leading the mapping of textile technical support centres and the diagnosis of the selected centre(s), contributing textile-sector expertise and national grounding. Comment on the draft assessment instruments; organize, accompany and conduct the field data collection, including equipment inventories, laboratory walk-throughs and instructor and management interviews; verify the technical accuracy and completeness of the data collected; translate and contextualize technical findings between Arabic and English; and organize the national validation of the selection recommendation and of the upgrading roadmap.	1. Written technical comments on the draft assessment instruments submitted to the lead expert. 2. Field data collection organized and completed. 3. National contextualization inputs to the mapping and selection report and to the technical diagnosis (sector structure, enterprise demand, institutional mandates, utilities and infrastructure constraints, local cost and availability data) 5. National validation workshop organized with the selected centre(s) and the Ministry of Industry.	Continuous	Damascus; field missions to Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Rural Damascus
5. Technical support to equipment specification and skills gap analysis Support the Senior Adviser and the international experts in preparing the technical specification package for machinery, laboratory and digital equipment, and the skills gap analysis underpinning curricula modernization and the Training of Trainers (ToT). Verify the local feasibility of the proposed technology; mobilize enterprises, instructors and sector bodies for consultation; review draft technical deliverables for national relevance; and prepare the ground for the ToT.	1. Local feasibility inputs to the draft technical specifications: 2. Site-readiness checklist completed on site per centre with remedial actions and cost estimate. 3. Enterprise consultation for the skills gap analysis organized and conducted 4. Written review of the draft revised training modules and of the ToT plan. 5. ToT preparation completed.	Continuous	Damascus and selected centre site(s)

 

MINIMUM ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS 

 

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in textile engineering or textile technology, or in industrial, mechanical or chemical engineering, industrial management, economics or business administration with demonstrated specialization in the textile or garment industry, is required. Alternatively, a first level university degree or an advanced technical college diploma may be acceptable provided it is combined with additional 5 years of professional hand-on experience that is directly relevant to the expertise required by the specific assignment. A qualification in project management is an asset.

 

Technical and functional experience:

• At least five (5) years of professional experience in the coordination or management of donor-funded industrial development, private sector development or technical and vocational training projects, including work planning, budget and activity monitoring, procurement and recruitment support, and results-based reporting, is required.
• A solid technical background in the textile and garment industry – covering one or more of spinning, weaving or knitting, dyeing and finishing, or garment manufacturing – sufficient to support international experts on equipment assessment, laboratory capability, production technology and skills profiling, is required.
• Demonstrated experience in organising and conducting field data collection, enterprise surveys and institutional assessments, including the preparation of expert missions and field visits, is required.
• Knowledge of the Syrian textile and garment sector, its enterprises and its technical and vocational institutions, and demonstrated experience of working in Syria, is required.
• Experience of working with UN agencies or international organisations, and of coordination with government institutions, chambers of industry, sector associations and business development service providers, is desirable.
• Familiarity with international textile standards and quality systems (ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 17025, OEKO-TEX, ISO/ASTM test methods) and with business development services or value chain development for SMEs is desirable.

 

Languages: Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required

 

 CORE VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

 CORE VALUES:

• Excellence – Deliver high-quality results; continuously improve performance
• Integrity – Uphold ethical standards; act transparently and responsibly
• Inclusion – Promote respect, diversity, and fairness
• Humility – Show self-awareness; value others’ contributions
• Humanity – Act with compassion; align work with sustainable development

CORE BEHAVIOURS:

• Connect & Collaborate - Build trust through communication and teamwork; Share knowledge and embrace diversity
• Analyse & Plan - Use data and evidence for decision-making; Plan proactively and prioritize effectively
• Deliver Results with Positive Impact - Take ownership and deliver quality outputs; Align work with UNIDO mission and objectives
• Learn and Develop - Continuously develop skills; Seek feedback and share knowledge
• Adapt and Innovate - Respond flexibly to change; Embrace innovation and new approaches

This appointment is limited to the specified project(s) only and does not carry any expectation of renewal.
Employees of UNIDO are expected at all times to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for jobs at UNIDO.

All applications must be submitted online through the Online Recruitment System. Correspondence will be undertaken only with candidates who are being considered at an advanced phase of the selection process. Selected candidate(s) may be required to disclose to the Director General the nature and scope of financial and other personal interests and assets in respect of themselves, their spouses and dependents, under the procedures established by the Director General.

Visit the UNIDO website for details on how to apply: www.unido.org

NOTE: The Director General retains the discretion to make an appointment to this post at a lower level.

Notice to applicants:
UNIDO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. If you have received a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Vacant positions within UNIDO are advertised on the official UNIDO website. Should you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of UNIDO and requesting payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unido.org