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For every child, results.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Strategic Office Context

The position is based in Bhairahawa Field Office under UNICEF Nepal Country Office and serves Lumbini Province of Nepal. The office extends collaboration and partnerships with provincial and local governments and coordinates with government authorities, development partners, Civils Society Organizations (CSOs), stakeholders and communities to synergize programme objectives and contribute to improve children’s wellbeing and in bringing sustained results in Lumbini Province.

The Programme Officer reports to the Chief of Field Office (CFO) as the direct supervisor and to Chief Climate Resilience, DRR, Environment Sustainability Section and Chief of Planning and Monitoring Section as the technical supervisors. The position will broadly support the provincial and Municipal level Child-friendly planning, budgeting and advocacy, right and result-based planning, annual work-planning, review, reporting and monitoring, and disaster preparedness and emergency responses and Disaster Risk Reduction in Lumbini Province. This position seeks guidance and technical support from the CFO and the two sections: Planning and Monitoring and Climate Resilience, DRR and Environment Sustainability Section

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose for the job:

Under the general guidance and supervision of the Chief of Field Office, the Programme Officer (Planning & DRR) will support strengthening the integrated and result-based planning, monitoring, review and evidence-based reporting system, build capacity of staff and partners on programmatic assurance, results, risk informed and rights-based planning, management and reporting, emergency preparedness and response.  This position will coordinate and provide technical support to the province and local governments in local level planning process. The Programme Officer will provide advocacy and technical support to local governments in child focused planning & budgeting. This position will support province and local governments in the formulation of legal framework for DRR, Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan and Local Disaster Climate Resilience Plan and ensures mainstreaming of prevention, mitigation, preparedness and adaption into governments’ annual, sectors and periodic plans. This position will provide technical support to strengthen the capacity of provincial and local governments to effectively prepare and respond to emergencies and establish a knowledge management mechanism to document and share information, best practices and lessons learnt.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks:

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Setting standards for Programme performance planning, monitoring, review and reporting
• Strengthening capacity of local governments on child-focused planning, programming, and budgeting.
• Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive policy and programming.
• Emergency preparedness response and disaster risk management
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

Setting standards for Programme performance planning, monitoring, review and reporting

• Provide technical support in the process of developing and monitoring Annual Work Plans, including reporting on progress including the intersectoral programme results.
• Provide technical support in organizing and managing joint annual/mid-year progress reviews of field offices ensuring consistency with output results set out in the CPAP and contribute to the Annual Management Plan.
• Monitor follow-up actions at province and local levels based on management decisions resulting from Country Office performance monitoring and evaluation.
• Support the programme components to effectively monitor and report on the intersectoral programme results, cross sectoral programme component results and field office results to facilitate programme coherence and convergence where appropriate. 
• Coordinate implementation of Field Monitoring Module and Trip Modules in eTools for planning, reporting and monitoring of programme assurance activities and field monitoring by field offices.
• Liaise with Planning and Monitoring section in building capacity of staff and partners in right & result-based planning, partnership management and field monitoring using the recent tools and technologies such as FMM.

Strengthening capacity of local governments on child-focused planning, programming, and budgeting.

• Provide technical support to province and local governments in strengthening local level planning process ensuring inclusive process and mainstreaming children, gender and social inclusion, disability, DRR, climate change, energy and environmental sustainability components aligning with the government’s policies and priorities.
• Take lead on child-focused planning and budgeting based on the budget analysis, provincial/municipality level profiles and specific evidence that are carried out in close collaboration with Social Policy section.
• Provide support to province and local governments in strengthening their capacities to develop plans that are inclusive and address the needs of the most vulnerable populations including children, women, people with disability, vulnerable and marginalized population.
• Liaise with Social Policy, Governance and Evidence section in building capacity of staff and partners in public finance management, child-focused planning, budgeting and service delivery.

Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive policy and programming.

• Extend and establish partnerships with province and local governments, development partners, stakeholders, networks, civil society organizations, community groups, local leaders, private sectors and other UN agencies  to support sustained and proactive commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child, and to achieve global UN agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Supports collect, correct, update and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children, impact of climate change on children, disaster risks based on the vulnerability analysis and positive impact of child-centered services, which can be utilized as the advocacy tools in influencing province and local levels decision-makers.
• Create public awareness on the identified emergency-prone situations and established early warning mechanism in enhancing emergency preparedness.

Emergency preparedness response and disaster risk reduction and management

• Provide technical assistance in risk analysis at the provincial level to identify emergency- prone conditions/situations and contribute to early warning and ensure timely and effective emergency preparedness and response.
• Provide technical assistance to local government and partners for the development of integrated contingency plans, integrated disaster and climate risk management plans and  ensure its integration in province and local level plan and programme.
• Assist local government in integrating integrated Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change, Energy and Environment Sustainability (CEE)in province and local levels policies, plans, and sectoral programs.
• Ensure the mainstreaming of DRR and CEE components: disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and adaptation in the province and local levels annual plans.
• Facilitate partnership and collaboration with UN agencies and national partners, in order to improve the ability to disseminate and exchange information on DRR, CEE and Emergency preparedness and response including effective information management.
• Facilitate government counterparts at subnational and local levels to strengthen emergency preparedness, response and DRM network non-government organizations, humanitarian organizations, local government to strengthen their capacity in humanitarian situation.
• Support in the design, implementation and monitoring of programmes related to Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Sustainability (CEE) including policy advocacy and multi-sectoral coordination on CEE interventions/programmes at provincial and municipal levels.
• Liase with Emergency/DRR section in strengthening capacity of staff, and partners on Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) and Climate, Environment, Energy, Disaster risk reduction and recovery (CEED).
• Monitor the preparedness and response actions for effective emergency response at province and local levels, ensuring end-use monitoring of the supplies and the accountability to affected population (AAP).

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned from reviews, evaluations and field experiences for integration into broader knowledge development planning, review of programming and result indicators, and management efforts.
• Provide support to  province and local governments in strengthening their information management and linking that to the national information platform.
• Research and report on best and cutting edge practices for developing  and knowledge products.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: A University Degree in sociology, rural development, business administration or other social science related disciplines is required.

Work Experience: A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in social      development analysis, planning and programming is required.

Experience of working in emergencies and the knowledge on emergency planning, preparedness and response, result-based planning and child-friendly local governance is highly desirable.

Relevant experience in program/project planning and monitoring in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Nepali language is required.

Knowledge/fluency in local language is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

Core Competencies

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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

We are committed to fostering a diverse workforce by implementing a wide range of inclusive measures. These include paid parental leave, 24 weeks of maternity leave, and 16 weeks of paternity leave. Female employees are allowed to have designated time off for breastfeeding, and our Kathmandu office has a creche that enables parents to bring their babies to work. Further, we offer flexible work arrangements that help align personal and professional goals. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits. 

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

Kindly be informed that this is a re-advertisement.  Candidates who have previously applied for this position, kindly be assured that your application is still on record, and do not need to submit another application. Thank you for your interest.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

NOTE: For this position, eligible and suitable Female candidates and candidates from the under-represented ethnic groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.