Junior Professional Officer Position, Programme Officer- Adolescent Skills and Employability (Re-advertisement)

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Job no: 552406

‍Position type: Fixed Term Appointment

‍Location: Nepal

‍Division/Equivalent: Kathmandu(ROSA)

‍School/Unit: Regional Services Div (SAR), Kathmandu

‍Department/Office: Reg Serv - Prog Section, Kathmandu

‍Categories: Adolescent Development, Programme Management

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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, an advocate

How can you make a difference?

Responsibility I: Skills Development and Employability

Summary of duties

• Provide technical guidance to country offices on the preparation, design, and updating of adolescent and youth skills development and employability programmes to ensure that current and comprehensive data on relevant issues is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy, advocacy, and interventions. This includes supporting adolescent and youth skills and employability strategies in various contexts: formal and non-formal education settings, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), entrepreneurship, and targeting NEET through multiple pathways.
• In cooperation with others, undertake regional analysis and research on the situation of adolescent and youth skills development and employment, support sector-specific analysis of data, support the evaluation of existing programmes to determine their effectiveness, and recommend alternative solutions that work best in the different contexts of the countries of the region, including emergency contexts.
• Provide technical contribution in strategic programme discussions on the planning of relevant programmes: support country offices to formulate, design, and prepare programme proposals for the sector, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Global Strategic Plan. Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes and ensure integration, coherence, and harmonization of programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achieve results as planned and allocated.
• Co-create strategies to support the integration of 21st-century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration in formal and non-formal education, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), including in emergency contexts, to prepare adolescents and young people for 21st-century jobs.
• Institutionalize and share best practices and available knowledge on skills integration, skills assessment, skills packages for multiple pathways of training, formal and non-formal approaches, community-based or emergency settings, and support evaluations of existing programmes when they occur.
• Collaborate across sectors to improve integrated emergency responses for adolescents focusing on skills, particularly skills for employability.
• Engage with the Generation Unlimited Secretariat (Gen-U) at both RO and HQ levels to guide and support the operationalization of Gen-U in pilot countries, as well as develop strategies for engagement in other countries in the region.

Responsibility II: Gender Equality

Summary of duties

• Support the acceleration of progress on gender equality in skills development and employability within the region and provide support to COs in strengthening gender-responsive and transformative programming, through ensuring the attention to gender within relevant Skills Training and Employability Sector Plans.
• Support organizing and participating in advocacy events through mobilizing multi-sectoral partnerships and capacity development at regional and country levels with a special focus on equity, gender, and inclusion and promoting research, evidence building, and good practices in these areas.
• Support the Gender focal point in ROSA to co-ordinate UNGEI and accelerate progress on Girls' Education and gender in education within the region, including strengthening partnerships with governments, UN agencies, and other organizations working in the field of gender in education, in particular UN agencies, regional Asian bodies, key bilateral agencies, and civil society organizations.

Responsibility III: Meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement

Summary of duties

• Support and guide country offices to integrate meaningful adolescent and youth engagement within their programmes, aligned to the current Global Strategic Plan, linking with empowerment approaches and experts in HQ: disseminate available resources, facilitate capacity development on meaningful engagement within the region.
• Support country offices and develop strategies to support adolescents and youth as active change-makers within formal and non-formal skills development and labour market systems.
• Institutionalize and share best practices and available knowledge on the benefits of meaningful engagement to achieving programmatic in formal, non-formal, community-based, and emergency and fragile contexts.
• Collaborate across sectors to improve integrated emergency responses for and with adolescents and youth as change partners.

Responsibility IV: Strategic Management, Monitoring and Delivery of Results

Summary of duties

• Plan and collaborate with internal colleagues at RO and COs to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators to assess/strengthen performance accountability coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for adolescents.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews, and annual reviews to assess progress and determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths, and weaknesses in programme management.
• Identify lessons learned and use the knowledge gained for planning adjustments and timely interventions to achieve goals.

Responsibility V: Advocacy, Networking and Partnership Building

Summary of duties

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships through networking and advocacy across the region with local/national governments, UN system agencies, partners, donors, internationally recognized institutions, NGOs, funding organizations, research institutes, and private sector to reinforce cooperation and/or pursue opportunities to promote goals and achieve sustainable and broad results on skills development and employability in the region.
• Collaborate closely with Education and C4D to develop modalities for adolescent and youth education and skills training as part of UNICEF’s increased commitment to working with and for young people.

Responsibility VI: Innovation, Knowledge Management, and Capacity Building

Summary of duties

• Apply/introduce innovative approaches and gender-responsive/transformative practices on adolescent and youth skills to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Explore non-traditional channels such as T4D to deliver skills and employability training and broker partnerships with the private sector to design, test, evaluate and scale up innovations.
• Keep abreast of research, benchmark, and implement best practices on skills development and employability.
• Assess, institutionalize, and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
• Organize and implement capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders to promote sustainable results on related programmes/projects.

Learning elements and expectations:

Upon completion of the assignment the JPO will have/will be able to:

• Have sufficient knowledge on ASE programming and program implementation.
• Have strengthened country office collaboration through efficient and effective technical support provided to the development and implementation of ASE programming.
• Have executed ASE advocacy initiatives and products that have an impact on the ability of UNICEF to promote social, political, and economic action and changes in behaviours, social attitudes, beliefs and actions by communities, individuals and societies on youth employment, education, skilling, and empowerment.
• Have contributed in building and developing programs with young people that target approaches to enhancing skilling and employability and other thematic programme areas.

The JPO training programme includes the following learning elements:

• Developing scalable signature programme offerings co-created with country offices and young people.
• Building effective fundraising and communication materials that result in resources for UNICEF.
• JPO Orientation Programme – Designed towards development of professional skills and personal insights into performance and collaboration and create an understanding of how the organization functions and carries out its work around the world
• E-learning opportunities in performance management: create the conditions for high performance and development
• E-learning opportunities on basic UNICEF programme & operational strategies: assimilate UNICEF’s approaches to programming and operations, thematic programme areas as well as cross-cutting functional areas
• JPO Coaching & Mentoring Programme – driven by individual needs and targeted towards insights into organizational culture and targeted training opportunities and support
• Stretch assignments- opportunity, normally from to max of six months that goes beyond the current description and creates an opportunity to learn new skills in a different Duty Station, Division or Section
• Career Transition Programme tailored to support the JPOs in their final year with their future career aspirations
• The JPO position includes a Duty travel and training allowance (DTTA) of $4000 per year which may be used for learning activities related to the assignment and career development.
• To learn more about the JPO Programme, please visit the following link: Junior Professional Officer Programme | UNICEF Careers

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

• Citizenship of a developing country that appears on the list of the following eligible countries for the Dutch JPO Programme http://www.nedworcfoundation.nl/pdf/List%20of%20eligible%20countries%20%20November%202018.pdf
• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in  one of the following fields is required: international relations, political science, economics social and behavioural science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, public relations, or another relevant technical field. Part of the candidates' academic training must have taken place in a developing country that appears on the following list of eligible countries of the Dutch JPO Programme:http://www.nedworcfoundation.nl/pdf/List%20of%20eligible%20countries%20%20November%202018.pdf
  *A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with qualifying experience (at least 3 years of relevant working experience) may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree
• Minimal 2 years to maximum of 4 years relevant paid working experience in one or more of the following areas is required social development programme development, education, execution or planning, private sector engagement, public advocacy, civil society engagement, results-based fundraising.
• Working experience within the UN system should not exceed 50% of the relevant working experience including UNV, paid UN internships and UN consultancies.
• All paid work experience since obtaining Bachelor’s degree will/can be considered.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Note: This post is opened in the context of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme sponsored by the Government of the Netherlands and is addressed exclusively to NATIONALS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES THAT APPEAR ON THE LIST OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES ELIGIBLE FOR THE DUTCH JPO PROGRAMME. The selected candidate should be available to start the position within 2 months after selection.

http://www.nedworcfoundation.nl/pdf/List%20of%20eligible%20countries%20%20November%202018.pdf

For criteria see the website of Nedworc Foundation:

Junior Professional Officer Programme - Nedworc Foundation

Please read the criteria and FAQ section carefully before considering applying

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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Advertised: Dec 19 2022 Nepal Standard Time

Application close: Jan 16 2023 Nepal Standard Time

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