Principal Adviser, Sahel, P-6, West & Central Africa Regional Office (based in Senegal)

Job Number: 529309 | Vacancy Link

Locations: Africa: Senegal

Work Type : Fixed Term Appointment

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does – in programmes, in advocacy, and in operations.

Over the years, and despite national and international efforts, the Sahel has faced a repetition of severe food and nutrition crises. The convergence of weak economies, underdeveloped agriculture, limited livelihood options, natural hazards including droughts and floods, environmental degradation due to the impact of climate change, exponential demographic growth, and frequent epidemics have all resulted in a steady rise in vulnerability and more frequent humanitarian emergencies. Large pockets with very limited access to social services exacerbate the situation. Furthermore, the rise in the insecurity has largely aggravated the already precarious situation of many communities. Ever since the crises in Libya and Mali, and the spread of the Boko Haram related conflicts, the entire Sahel region is facing unprecedented destabilization with far­ reaching consequences for the populations. Limited national capacities, including for border control, and insufficient responses have led to increased flows of migration throughout the region as well as northwards.  The vulnerabilities of the region are now compounded by the presence of transnational criminal organizations and violent extremist groups, benefitting from the widespread flows of arms and illicit trafficking. All this has had a dramatic impact on human rights and humanitarian conditions for children and their families.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF WCARO seeks a Principal Adviser, Sahel who will serve as an authoritative adviser to the Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director and the Regional Office programme team, the Regional Management Team, and Country Offices on strategies and multi sectoral programmes towards building resilience in the Sahel, bringing coherence across child survival interventions, education and protection, working with relevant Sahel Government institutions/officials. The Principal Adviser will build on and leverage existing strategies while developing new approaches and generating knowledge that will sustainably improve UNICEF’s work in the Sahel, working very closely with sister UN agencies in the context of UNISS (United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel).

The Principal Adviser Sahel reports directly to the Regional Director and works closely with the Deputy Regional Director. The position has direct and substantive work relations with all regional office sections, especially bringing scale and sustainability to child survival and development interventions in the Sahel Region.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

The position will bring coherence to the UNICEF approach in achieving the Key Results for Children in the Sahel by leveraging the humanitarian/development/Peace nexus. The incumbent will coordinate with sections to adopt a resilience perspective in their interventions in the Sahel throughout programme/project life cycle: situation analysis, planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. This includes direct interventions, capacity building, advocacy, alliance building, innovation, and knowledge and evidence generation for scale-up with a strong focus on prevention.

Key functions and accountabilities:

Leadership and representation

As indicated by the Regional Director, represents UNICEF in high level meetings and consultations on the Sahel, in UN and broader contexts

Management

Direct the development, formulation, and management of UNICEF’s strategy in the Sahel clearly articulating the vision for realizing the rights of children around resilience in the context of the UN coordinated strategy for the Sahel.

Planning and monitoring

Plan, monitor, and leverage resources for adaptation of resilience practices in the Sahel by generating and using evidence-based policy and programming tools, as well as tools that will measure impact.

Evidence-based programmatic technical leadership

Provide oversight of the regional guidance for resilience-related programming for the Key Results for Children in the Sahel.

Advocacy, networking, and partnership-building

Guide and oversee the development and maintenance of high-level relationships with UN agencies, donor organizations, Sahel organizations, international and national NGOs, academic institutions, professional networks, and others to strengthen attention to and investment in resilience within the regional development framework.

Knowledge generation, management, and capacity development

Manage knowledge acquisition and analysis of resilience-related programming through documentation, annual reporting, assessment of good practices, accountabilities and analyses of management resources.

Fundraising

Propose, prepare and follow up on strategic plans for resource mobilization and allocation, based on the priority results for Children in WCAR, and country priorities. Develop multi agency initiatives to leverage resources for UNICEF ‘s objectives for children in the Sahel, working closely with country offices.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Qualifications:

Advanced university degree in social sciences (nutrition, health, education, WASH, environment, or climate change) or other relevant disciplines. Qualifications in urban development or planning is also an asset. Management experience essential.

A minimum of thirteen (13) years of relevant work experience focused on developing countries, in areas related to development cooperation, social sectors

Familiar with children’s rights and gender in the context of high vulnerability and/or fragile countries.

Excellent analytical and writing skills, advocacy and presentational skills is required.

Fluency in English and French (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language spoken in the Africa region is a strong asset.

For every child, you demonstrate…

Core Values

Integrity

Respect, Care and Trust

Accountability

Leadership Competencies

Delivers Results

Engages and Nurtures

Demonstrates Self-Awareness

Manages Complexity and Change

Creates and Maintains Impact and Partnership

Innovates and Takes Risks

Functional Competencies:

Formulating strategies/concepts (III)

Analyzing (III)

Relating and networking (III)

Deciding and initiating action (III)

Persuading and influencing (III)

Leading and supervising (III)

View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

This position is classified as “rotational” which means the incumbent is expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Closing Date Fri Feb 14 2020 21:00:00 GMT+0100 (Afr. centrale Ouest)