Labor Mobility Specialist

About the Project

Through the Private Sector Engagement Modernization Contract (PSEMC), Dexis supports the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Hub to expand and deepen collaboration with the private sector to achieve greater development outcomes. The PSE Hub’s mission is to create the institutional conditions, operating infrastructure, and capacity necessary to expand engagement with the private sector in the United States and partner countries. The PSE Hub works to transform and modernize how USAID does development by institutionalizing USAID’s PSE policy and delivering capacity- and systems-building support for PSE across all sectors, operating units, and countries where USAID operates. PSEMC provides technical assistance and capacity building to USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices in support of PSE.

About the Position

Since FY 2019, USAID has invested more than $14 million to provide ongoing technical assistance to the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to expand access for their citizens to temporary work abroad opportunities in the United States and beyond. USAID partners with teams within the Ministries of Labor in Guatemala and Honduras and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in El Salvador to build their capacity to ethically recruit, vet, and support their citizens’ access to temporary work abroad opportunities. USAID’s work has primarily focused on the Ministries’ capacity to connect workers with temporary labor opportunities to the U.S. via the H-2A and H-2B visa programs.

Recognizing the impact that USAID’s support has had on the lives of northern Central American workers by connecting them with work abroad opportunities, LAC, in coordination with the interagency, is designing a regional labor mobility initiative, “Alianza de Movilidad Laboral para las Américas,” commonly known as the “Labor Neighbors Initiative”.  This Initiative will build on existing and new work of USAID, the Department of Labor, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to expand access to lawful and protective labor pathways for eligible workers from Latin America and the Caribbean.  This interagency initiative will build a regional labor mobility network under Pillar 2 of the Los Angeles Declaration. This will be achieved through regional engagements and exchanges to share best practices and lessons learned, as well as through limited technical assistance to help countries enable circular temporary labor migration that benefits and protects workers and addresses growth-inhibiting labor shortages.

The Labor Mobility Specialist will focus on improving systems to match eligible interested, ethically recruited temporary foreign workers from Latin America and the Caribbean with critical labor needs in destination countries.

This is a one (1) year, remote-eligible position requiring occasional travel. 

Responsibilities

• Design, identify, and develop best practices for collecting relevant information including employment history, skill sets, certifications, and other relevant experience from potential temporary workers
• Develop and implement systems to showcase skills of available workforce to potential employers to facilitate matches with employers for labor pathways and connect candidates with training and skills development aligning with employer needs
• Coordinate with other entities with existing open source systems or systems in development to match workers to employers
• Engage private sector, business community members, and industry representatives to understand their needs for workers, as well as for information and customer service support
• Provide expert guidance to priority labor source countries to improve the efficiency of their labor mobility units to provide employers with key information around potential workers

QUALIFICATIONS

• MS/MA (or higher) with eight (8) or more years of work experience or a Bachelor’s degree and 10 years of work experience or 15+ years equivalent relevant work
• Experience engaging and managing interactions with private sector, industry stakeholders, and international financial institutions
• Experience designing and operating platforms and database systems
• Experience working in Latin America and the United States on labor mobility
• Experience engaging relevant counterparts (e.g. foreign government, International Development Agencies; International Financial Institutions; Civil Society)
• Ability to communicate effectively with senior representatives from public and private sectors
• Ability to travel as required
• Language Proficiency: English (IV) & Spanish (III)

All applicants are measured on how they foster a climate of respect in interactions with others, value differing perspectives, and treat others in a fair, equitable, and culturally sensitive manner.  All employees and consultants are expected to value diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in performing everyday duties and responsibilities.