UNICEF recruits 01 Programme & Planning Specialist, P-3

Programme & Planning Specialist, P-3, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Job Number: 525280 | Vacancy Link

Locations: Africa: Burkina Faso

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.

For every child, a voice

Armed attacks and insecurity in Burkina Faso have triggered an unprecedented humanitarian emergency in the East, Center, North and in the Sahel regions. 170,447 (estimate 53 per cent children) people have been uprooted from their homes – over half of them since the start of 2019. Around 11,000 people have also fled to neighboring Mali for safety. In the rural areas, agriculture is the principal source of income and sustains around 80 per cent of the population. In 8 of the country’s 13 regions, severe acute malnutrition has exceeded the two per cent emergency threshold.

More than 95 per cent of the internally displaced population are currently living in host communities, depending for most part on the already limited humanitarian aid available. This is putting further strain on an already fragile scenario as violence and drought have triggered alarming levels of food insecurity and malnutrition last year. This year, more than 676,000 people are facing chronic food insecurity, including 587,000 children under five years who are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The rise in insecurity and armed attacks has forced 2,024 schools (Govt. of Burkina Faso, Min. of Education, June 2019) to close, depriving some 330,292 children (158,541 girls) of education in six regions, including some 9,285 teachers have been affected by the current armed conflict. The northern Sahel region accounts for nearly half of the schools closed.

With an estimated 30,000 children in Burkina Faso affected by the crisis in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection, there is urgent need to delivery faster, more effective and at-scale humanitarian response. In this regard, UNICEF and in partnership with relevant government institutions, child protection and humanitarian non-governmental organizations, and local communities, are working together to provide much needed child protection assistance to displaced populations, including vulnerable children and their families in host communities.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Social Policy, gender and planning, monitoring and evaluation, the Planning and Programme specialist provides technical support to the office’s strategic planning functions for the UNDAF, the country programme document and other planning documents. The post also provides technical assistance to strategic planning of national policies, strategies and programmes, including strengthened decentralized planning (e.g. municipality level) through incorporating child rights, gender equity and result-based management. Finally, the incumbent supports regular update and capacity strengthening of UNICEF staff and implementing partners about new guidelines on planning, programming and programme management.

Summary of Key Results

1. Effective knowledge management and systems developed and utilized to strengthen area/country programme management.

2. Situation Analysis prepared/updated, critical programme intervention points/measures identified, and programme work plans/recommendations/reports prepared.

3. Programme planning and programming effectively coordinated with sections to improve programme performance, monitoring system and the quality programme documents (CPD, UNDAF, Programme review reports) timely prepared.  Gender/sex disaggregated data and inputs relevant to country programme provided as integral part of planning and programming.

4. Rights and gender based, and results-based programming approaches fully incorporated into all phases of programme and projects processes.

5. Commitment and institutional capacities of the national and local partners in planning and gender- and child- rights based programming effectively gained and established.

6. Rights perspective and advocacy at the national, community and family levels incorporated in policy analysis for establishing and elevating UNICEF’s credibility in national and international policy debates.

7. Effective partnership and collaboration facilitated and maintained for advocacy, technical cooperation, programme development/management/coordination with focus on support to the government’s decentralized process, including information sharing and networking with the governments and partners.

Key Accountabilities , Duties and Tasks

1.  Knowledge Management for Programmes

Ensure that area/country programmes are strengthened by knowledge management through data collection and analysis, complete and accurate reporting as well as participation in the Programme Knowledge Network system of « lessons learned » and other corporate-level databases.

Participate in information exchange through donor and media visits as well as in the development of training and orientation materials.

2. Programme Development and Management

Contribute to the preparation of the Situation Analysis for programme development. Administer a consistent and transparent monitoring system, providing accurate analysis of country level socio-political-economic trends and their implications for ongoing programmes and projects. Support preparation of programme work plans as required. Responsible for preparation of program recommendations for inclusion in formal programme documentation, and new approaches, methods and practices. Assist in establishing programme work plans and monitors progress and compliance.

3. Programme planning and strengthened multi-sectoral programming

Carry out a rigorous and transparent approach to planning and programming exercises in consultation with the Deputy Representative, to improve efficiency and quality of programme documents (CPD, UNDAF, etc)

Ensure effective use of the evidences such as situation analysis, needs assessment and other analysis undertaken in planning and programming.

Participate in annual sector review meetings with government counterparts.  Contribute to the office’s planning milestones including organization of a Mid-term review and strategic reflection/planning workshops to produce quality CPD.

Participate in UNDAF coordination mechanisms and contribute to the knowledge sharing and networking at the UN level to strengthen programming and planning. Support the organization of UNDAF review meetings, CCA and UNDAF planning progress in collaboration with Chief, SP/PME and the Deputy Representative.

Assist the different programme sections for identifying and implementing intersectorial synergies and provide technical support to programme task forces.

Assist the different programmes for regular update and monitoring of the Enterprise Risk Management library.

4.  Rights-Based and Results-Based Programme Management Approach

Assure the quality of gender- and child rights-based programmes through consistent and effective planning, design, implementation, monitoring and/or evaluation of programmes and projects. Bring coherence, synergy and added value to the programming planning and design processes using a results-based management approach.

Ensure viable recommendations on project implementation, alternative approaches, and optimal utilization of resources that contribute effectively to the fulfilment of the rights of children and women. Systematically incorporate these recommendations in planning and programming of new programmes or programme initiatives to ensure achievement of stated objectives.

5.  National and Local Capacity Building/Sustainability

Provide government authorities (national and local) and other partners with technical supports and guidance to plan and organize training programmes for the purpose of capacity building on child right- and gender-based and result-based approaches to programming and programme sustainability.

Provide technical support to the government with enhanced local development plans (municipality level) through development of tools, methodologies and piloting of new guidelines, as well as documenting and scaling up proven approach/strategies to local planning.

Support the operationalization of partnerships on local development and child-friendly municipalities including the partnership with municipal governments and other emerging partners (e.g. mining industry) to leverage and optimize the use of resources for local development plans.

Ensure the building or reinforcing of the commitment and institutional capacities of the national and local partners starting with taking a strategic approach to the identification of these partners and partnerships, including building innovative partnerships on child rights and local development.

6. Rights Perspective and Advocacy at the National, Community and Family Levels

Conducts policy analysis from a children’s and women’s rights perspective and advocacy at the municipality, community and family levels for credibility in national and international policy debates.

Support the government and partners with developing tools and guidelines to promote participatory, child- and gender-based programming and planning at decentralized level.  Promote the organization goals of UNICEF through advocacy and policy dialogue with focus on local authorities (e.g. municipalities).

7. Partnership, Coordination and Collaboration

 Develop partnerships and collaboration with internal and external counterparts, including those of the UN and national partners, in order to improve the ability to collect and disseminate development data and information, exchange information on programme/project status and implementation and movement/distribution of supplies. Establish and maintain linkage to the Regional Programme Knowledge Network to ensure the availability of current and accurate programme data.

Collaborate with the Operations Section to establish and maintain sound internal controls supportive of programming endeavours and to coordinate financial and supply management requirements and accountability.

Maintain collaboration with Regional Advisers and HQ Officers for effective overall coordination on programmes.

Plans, develops and implements multi-sectoral programme(s) by collaborating with the government and other partners. Provide leadership in provision of technical advice, negotiation, advocacy and promotion of area/country level goals, leading to agreement on practicable and priority actions to be supported by UNICEF programme and country level cooperation.

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

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields is required: Social Sciences, International Relations, Government, Public Administration, Public Policy, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or another relevant technical field.

*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience with focus on relevant areas such as planning, programming, social policy and advocacy/partnerships.

Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.

Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are:

Core Values

Care

Respect

Integrity

Trust

Accountability

Core competencies

Communication [ II ]

Drive for results [ II ]

Working with people [ II ]

Functional competencies

Leading and Supervising    [ I ]

Formulating Strategies and Concepts [ II ]

Analyzing   [ II]

Applying technical expertise [ II ]

Planning & organizing [ III ]

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

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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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

Closing Date Mon Aug 12 2019 00:55:00 GMT+0100 (Afr. centrale Ouest)