Team Leader

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About the Project

Matching Skills for Jobs (MSJ) is a project of the Swiss Development Agency and is being implemented by Swisscontact in Kosovo. The project is currently in its main implementation stage, running from 1 December 2024 until 30 November 2029.

The central objective of the MSJ project is to help women and men in Kosovo, including disadvantaged and excluded groups, benefit from a properly functioning labour market through attractive and industry-relevant VET. This support enables them to gain professional skills, access decent employment, raise private sector productivity, and contribute to a workforce that responds to industry needs.

MSJ Outcome 1: Strengthen the effective functioning of VET governing institutions so they can provide higher-quality and more relevant VET in close partnership with the private sector.

MSJ Outcome 2: Assist the private sector in increasing labour productivity and addressing skills needs through advanced and specialised work-based training solutions developed in cooperation with public and private VET institutions.

Position Summary

Swisscontact is looking for a dynamic and experienced Team Leader to deliver strategic, managerial, and financial leadership for the Matching Skills for Jobs (MSJ) project in Kosovo.

Reporting to Swisscontact and acting as the main counterpart for the donor and key stakeholders, the Team Leader will be responsible for ensuring that the project is implemented effectively, efficiently, and with a strong focus on results, in line with donor requirements and the project’s theory of change.

The role includes leading a multidisciplinary team of eleven professionals and promoting a working culture based on collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous learning. The position also ensures strategic alignment across all project outcomes while encouraging adaptive management, systems thinking, engagement with the private sector, and sustainable impact.

The Team Leader will supervise all project outcomes, while coordination and implementation of Outcome 1 activities will take place in close cooperation with the Deputy Team Leader, who will oversee the day-to-day management of this outcome and its related stakeholder engagement. By working closely with the Deputy Team Leader and the broader project team, the Team Leader will secure strong coordination, synergies among project outcomes, and achievement of project objectives.

This is a full-time position based in Kosovo.

Duties and responsibilities of the Team Leader

Strategic Leadership and Project Management

• Provide overall strategic guidance and leadership for the project.
• Maintain consistency and integration across project outcomes and interventions.
• Drive adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making processes.
• Ensure delivery of project objectives, outputs, and outcomes.
• Steer interventions toward sustainable and systemic impact.
• Lead project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting processes.
• Safeguard the quality, timeliness, and compliance of project deliverables.

Team Leadership and Coordination

• Lead and oversee the project team.
• Build a collaborative, high-performing, and learning-oriented team environment.
• Support staff development, performance management, and capacity building.
• Ensure strong coordination across project components and stakeholders.

Stakeholder Engagement and Representation

• Represent the project in dealings with donors, government institutions, private sector actors, and other stakeholders.
• Lead strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement processes.
• Maintain effective communication and reporting with the donor.
• Contribute to national, regional, and international knowledge-sharing and coordination processes.

Financial and Administrative Management

• Supervise financial planning, implementation, and monitoring in accordance with donor and Swisscontact procedures.
• Ensure that project resources are used effectively and efficiently.

Monitoring, Learning, and Quality Assurance

• Ensure effective implementation of knowledge management systems, monitoring, and results measurement (MRM).
• Encourage learning, reflection, and adaptive management throughout the project.
• Support evaluations, reviews, audits, and strategic learning processes.

Minimum requirements

• Master’s degree in economics, education, social sciences, business administration, or another relevant field.
• 10 years of professional leadership experience, including substantial experience in leading projects and teams of comparable scope.
• Strong understanding of skills development, VET systems, private sector engagement, and inclusive systems development approach.
• Proven experience in stakeholder coordination and partnership development.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, organisational, and leadership abilities.
• Experience managing donor-funded projects and budgets.
• Excellent communication, reporting, and presentation skills.
• Excellent command of English and Albanian; knowledge of Serbian is considered an advantage.
• Experience working in Kosovo or within the Western Balkans context is considered an advantage.

Key Competencies

• Strategic leadership and decision-making.
• Team management and coordination.
• Stakeholder engagement and negotiation.
• Adaptive management and problem-solving.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Results orientation and accountability.

Required documents

• CV
• Motivation letter
• Contact details of three professional references

Expected starting date: 1st July 2026.

Application deadline: 23:59, 14th June 2026.