UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, protection 

II. Organizational Context and Purpose for the job

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. 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 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.

Positioned among East, West, and North Africa, and close to the Middle East, Sudan is surrounded by pre-existing crisis and complex emergencies in an unpredictable, volatile and rapidly evolving region. By size the third biggest country in Africa, with a diverse population of around 42 million people. Sudan's children make up half of the total population, and the past two decades have seen their lives significantly improve: fewer girls and boys are dying before their fifth birthday, primary school attendance is increasing, immunization coverage is high and the country remains polio free.

Recent developments, such as the 2019 revolution, the global Covid-19-pandemic, created new challenges and opportunities. The space for civic engagement including notably for youth and women’s groups, widened and presented a space for new types of engagement. In addition, following the ousting of the previous regime, strides were made for legal reform and policy development providing a stronger framework for realizing the rights of girls and women.

The military coup of 25 October 2021 brought about a more fluid environment with uncertainties in the implementation landscape.

Heavy fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces

(RSF) erupted on 15 April 2023, displacing more than 2.6 million people within Sudan, and an additional 757,000 people to neighboring countries. Millions of the most vulnerable children and families are caught in the crossfire with no or limited access to essential services including water, food, healthcare, and safety.

The first 10 months of 2023 has witnessed a four-fold increase in the number of grave child rights violations verified in Sudan, as compared to 2022 figures reported in the 2022 UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict.

UNICEF is implementing interventions to address response, mitigation, and prevention of gender-based violence, alongside the nexus humanitarian-peace-development.

Job organizational context:

The Program Officer reports to the Chief of Section, with dot lines to the Programme Partnership Manager (for the Sudan Free of FGM Initiative

Purpose for the job:

Under supervision of the Chief of Section, with dot lines with the Programme Partnership Manager, the incumbent will perform a variety of knowledge management, programme/project/financial monitoring and analysis, and secretariat functions in support of the Child Protection Program, and particularly the Sudan Free of FGM Initiative, jointly implemented  by the  United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund and the World Health Organization, in order to strengthen overall management of the Joint Programme and the analysis of Value for Money.

How can you make a difference? 

III. Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Knowledge Management for Programmes and Reporting
2. Financial Management
3. Program Monitoring
4. Coordination and Partnership
5. Programme Development and Management

1. Knowledge Management for Programmes and Reporting
• Contribute to the child protection program by supporting knowledge management through providing professional assistance in 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 with partners as well as in the development of training and orientation material by providing professional technical assistance.
• Participate in the preparation of, and making professional contribution to, the preparation of programme reports required for the management.
• Identify and maintain a solution for a secure, cloud-based file-sharing platform to archive and organize all shared programme files for the three participating agencies and the donor
• Organize and arrange administrative aspects of meetings, workshops, trainings, and other events, including joint monitoring visits and field-based activities
• Ensure case studies, human interest stories, lessons learnt, and learning/adaptive actions are documented and shared with all relevant stakeholders, partners, donor and beneficiaries.

2. Financial Management
• Monitor programme implementation progress and compliance.
• Monitor the allocation and disbursement of programme funds, making sure that funds are properly coordinated, monitored and liquidated.
• Takes appropriate recommendations or actions to optimize use of programme funds.
• Support the development of financial management strategies and tools, including a framework and system for financial analysis of key activities to determine costing and value for money, flow of funds, and donor accountability
• Collate required financial tracking information, including flow of funds to government partners, from the participating UN agencies, and identify gaps and other quality issues
• Prepare consolidated quarterly and annual financial reports with the participating agencies
• Monitor financial plans and expenditures including monthly cash forecast for funds, providing routine updates and flagging any emerging concerns with the Partnership Manager

3. Program Monitoring
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, annual reviews, and other learning events with key stakeholders to assess progress, formulate recommendations and lessons learnt, and engage stakeholders to take action and find proactive and efficient solutions
• Undertakes field visits to monitor and assess programme implementation and decides on required corrective action.
• Collaborate with partners to carry out a rigorous and transparent approach to evaluation and participate in the major programme evaluation exercises in consultation with the Representative, the Operations Officer, the Evaluation Officer and others to improve efficiency and quality of programme delivery. Participate in annual sector review meetings with government counterparts. Collaborate and prepare annual program status reports in a timely manner, as required.

4. Coordination and Partnership
• Organize and, in the absence of the Programme Partnership Manager, facilitate meetings amongst the participating agencies based on programme governance requirements
• Support the participating agencies to monitor activities to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems and share information with the Partnership Manager
• Ensure timely communication with partners on all program related issues through meeting minutes, action points, Gantt charts, and other programme management tools and support
• Support effective integration and synergy of all activities by all agencies
• Update participating agency staffing profiles, context/event log (related risk register) and support partner and intervention mapping, as necessary

5. . Programme Development and Management
• Provide professional technical assistance in the preparation of the Situation Analysis for programme development and management by collecting and analyzing data and monitoring implementation progress.
• Contribute to the identification of critical intervention points and measures by administering a consistent and transparent monitoring system;
• Analyse country level socio-political-economic trends and their implications for ongoing programmes and projects.
• Draft or prepare programme work plans as required.
• Propose adjustments/changes in work plans
• Propose program recommendations for inclusion in formal programme documentation, and new approaches, methods and practices for supervisor.

IV. Impact of Results

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Program Officer to programme preparation, planning and implementation, contributes to the achievement of sustainable results to create a protective environment for children against harm and all forms of violence, and ensures their survival, development and well being in society. Success in child protection programmes and projects in turn contributes to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide programme services for mothers and children that promotes greater social equality in the country.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Program Officer Level 2- Port Sudan-National.doc

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

Minimum requirements:

VII. Recruitment Qualifications

Education:

University degree in in Business, Public Administration, Financial Management, Social Sciences, Development Planning, Planning, or other related field or comparable academic and professional qualifications

Experience:
A minimum of two years of professional experience Program Development, Program Management and Monitoring, and Financial Management, or related areas, is required.

Experience working in a conflict-affected context is an asset.

Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is considered an added advantage

Language Requirements:

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

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

VI. UNICEF values and competency Required (based on the updated Framework)

i) Core Values Core Values: · Care · Respect · Integrity · Trust · Accountability · Sustainability

ii) Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities) *
 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 here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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:

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

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.