Employment Support Counsellor

Job Summary The Employment Support Counsellor is responsible for providing career guidance, employability counselling, and job placement support to project participants to improve their access to sustainable employment and income-generating opportunities. The position assesses participants' skills and employment needs, develops individualized employment plans, delivers job readiness support, facilitates linkages with employers and vocational training providers, and monitors employment outcomes. The Employment Support Counsellor works closely with employers, service providers, and project teams to enhance participants' employability and contribute to the successful achievement of project objectives in accordance with organizational policies and donor requirements. Duties and Responsibilities Provide individual and group employment counselling, career guidance, and employability support to project participants. Conduct skills, interests, and employment needs assessments and develop individualized employment action plans. Deliver job readiness training, including CV writing, job search techniques, interview preparation, workplace communication, and career planning. Support participants in identifying suitable employment, internship, apprenticeship, and self-employment opportunities. Establish and maintain strong relationships with employers, private sector companies, vocational training providers, and business associations to facilitate job placement opportunities. Match qualified participants with available job vacancies and coordinate employment referrals and placements. Provide post-placement follow-up and counselling to support job retention and address workplace challenges. Coordinate with project staff to ensure participants receive complementary services, including vocational skills training, entrepreneurship training, business development services (BDS), life skills, and psychosocial support, where applicable. Maintain accurate participant records, employment tracking databases, and case files, and prepare timely reports on counselling, referrals, placements, and employment outcomes. Conduct labour market assessments and identify emerging employment opportunities and skills demands. Promote equal access to employment opportunities for women, youth, persons with disabilities, returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other vulnerable groups. Ensure all activities are implemented in accordance with organizational policies, safeguarding standards, donor requirements, and humanitarian principles. Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor to support the effective implementation of the project. Job Requirements Qualification: · Bachelor’s degree in economics, Business Administration, Economics, Social Science, Psychology, Career Counselling, Community Development or a related field, with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience. · At least relevant professional experience in employment services, career counselling, job placement, livelihoods, vocational training, or workforce development projects Experience: · Experience in managing humanitarian or development projects, with a focus on youth development, migration, protection, TVET and BDS · Strong experience in engaging with stakeholders, including local authorities, INGOs, and UN agencies. · Prior experience working with employers, private sector companies, vocational training providers, and business associations to facilitate employment opportunities. · Good understanding of labour market dynamics, employment promotion, entrepreneurship, and livelihood programming. · Familiarity with community-based approaches, including beneficiary selection, accountability mechanisms, and safeguarding practices. · Have relative experience working with reporting and data collection tools such as Kobo, Survey Monkey, Google forms etc. Skills and Abilities: · Strong understanding of local contexts, including cultural and political dynamics in Afghanistan. · Proficiency in English, Dari and Pashto. Proficiency in other languages will be considered a plus point. · Strong counselling, communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse and vulnerable populations. · Ability to work under stressful conditions, and able to meet tight deadlines.