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For every child, Advocacy

UNICEF South Africa

UNICEF South Africa Country Programme (2020-2025) is aligned with the Government of South Africa’ National Development Plan for 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). The programme supports the Government of South Africa to meet its commitment to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in line with international conventions and standards. The country programme is guided by the principles of children’s rights, equity, gender equality, inclusion and resilience, and supports evidence-based, integrative and innovative programming. The vision is that ‘all girls and boys in South Africa, especially the most disadvantaged and deprived, realize their rights’.

The programme focuses on: early childhood development; early learning and quality education; adolescent development and participation; social and child protection; social policy and child rights advocacy and programme effectiveness (planning, monitoring, evaluation, HACT, innovation, external communication and partnerships).

The programme is based on ‘leaving no child behind’, realizing ‘rights for all children in South Africa. Programme planning, monitoring and evaluation in line with key UNICEF programming principles is increasingly critical to the delivery of results for children in South Africa, given the particular relevance of UNICEF programming principles – (1) leaving no one behind, (2) human rights-based approach to development or (3) gender equality and women’s empowerment – to the South African context. Innovation, including technology for development (T4D), is also increasingly vital to achieving sustainable and scalable results for children, as challenges linked to climate change, lack of employment opportunities, broken educational systems, inequities, increased disparities and digital divides are continuing and growing with speed.

With planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) and innovation as critical, cross-cutting functions that contribute to programme effectiveness outcomes, this post is responsible for providing strategic leadership to planning, monitoring, evaluation and innovation within the office and for providing in-house technical support in planning, monitoring, evaluation and innovation for programming by all sections.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager ensures that UNICEF South Africa has strategic and results-based programme planning strategies and documents; useful, valid, and reliable information on the situation of children’s and women’s rights; relevant, effective, and timely use of programme monitoring information and insights for strategic and programmatic decision making, including insights for coverage, coordination, and coherence in emergency contexts. More specifically, the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager will lead the first area, ensuring the alignment of programme planning, monitoring, and corporate reporting.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Programme Planning and the Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Plan (IMEP):

• Support the Country Office and national partners to develop a well-prioritised and realistic programme plan, and monitoring and evaluation activities, collaboratively to deliver results for children.
• Lead development of the Country Programme Document (CPD), Country Programme Management Plan (CPMP), Results Framework, Programme Strategy Notes (PSNs), and Country Office Programme Workplans.
• In coordination with the Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Plan (IMEP)Committee, make professional contributions to and provide technical assistance for the planning and establishing the major research, monitoring and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF’s multi-year and annual IMEPs, in consultation with child-rights and implementing partners.
• Support developing and coordinating the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) M&E plan and reporting requirements from a sound rights and results-based programming process.

2. Situation Monitoring and Assessment:

• Ensure that the Country Office and national partners have a timely and accurate measurement of change in conditions in the country or region, including monitoring of socio-economic trends and the country’s wider policy, economic or institutional context, to facilitate planning and to draw conclusions about the impact of programmes or policies. 
• In coordination with other stakeholders, support the collection of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and other key social development indicators data to improve national planning.
• Support partners in establishing and managing national statistical databases, ensuring key indicators are readily accessible to key stakeholders. Potential uses include Situation Analysis, Common Country Assessment, Early Warning Monitoring Systems, and Mid-Term Reviews.
• Develop a Situation Monitoring and Assessment system owned by all key partners which supports the preparation of country-level statistical and analytic reports on the status of children’s and women’s rights issues; and allows, when opportunities emerge, to influence developmental and social policies.
• Provide technical support and coordinate global reporting obligations, including national reports on progress toward the SDGs and Key Results for Children (KRC)fulfilment.

3. Programme Performance Monitoring and Reporting:

• Ensure the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans, including emergency plans.
• Coordinate analysis of quality information collected and disseminated with the participation of all concerned partners to assess progress towards expected annual multi-year results and oversee the gathering and analysis of relevant and strategic information needed to manage the Country Programme.
• Strengthen and harmonize the Country Programme Monitoring systems, the Monitoring Information Systems (MIS) maintenance, biannual programme reviews, and corporate programme reporting (RAM, KRC, CRAVE, CSIs, UNINFO)Provide technical support to ensure that a set of programme performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary, with inputs of all concerned partners to assess progress towards expected annual and multi-year results in the context of the multi-year and annual IMEPs, the Annual Management Plan and Annual Work Plans, as outlined in the Programme Policy and Procedures Manual.
• Coordinate with partners to ensure that monitoring systems are properly designed and that data collection and analysis from field visits are coordinated and standardised across programmes to feed into programme performance monitoring, with special attention to humanitarian response.
• Drawing on monitoring and analysing key programme performance and management indicators, provide professional input to management reports, including relevant sections of the annual reports.

4. M&E Capacity Building:

• Ensure that the monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society – are strengthened, enabling them to increase and lead monitoring and evaluation processes.
• Enhance the monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society – to meet the expectations and requirements of their positions and responsibilities.
• Develop and maintain guidance, tools, templates, and materials for planning, monitoring and reporting in the UNICEF SharePoint site, the hub for all planning, monitoring and reporting activities.
• Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of M&E function among all staff members through communication, training, learning and development activities organization wide.
• In close collaboration with partners, ensure that an M&E capacity-building strategy for UNICEF/UN staff national partners and institutions exists in the context of the IMEP or UNSDCF M&E plan. Pay particular attention so the capacity needs of national partners such as professional evaluation associations will be strengthened with involvement in evaluation processes and possibly through specific capacity-building initiatives.
• Collaborate on implementing capacity-building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners.
• Utilise a range of appropriate skills-building strategies, including self-learning, seminars and workshops and practical experience to build the knowledge and skills of UNICEF and UN staff in understanding and to apply new M&E policies, tools, and methods to fulfil their responsibilities. Similarly, design and implement strategies suited to the skills needs of national partners.
• Actively seek partnerships with knowledge institutions to identify capacity gaps and develop strategies to address them.

5. Networking, Knowledge Management and Sharing:

• Ensure that the UNICEF office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF M&E developments and the UNSDCF M&E system that contributes to and benefits from organizational learning on effective M&E management.
• The UNICEF office is linked to wider UNICEF and UN M&E developments in a way that both contribute to and benefit from organizational learning on effective planning, M&E, and results management.
• Collaborate with Regional M&E Advisers and HQ Evaluation Office for overall coordination of priority research, monitoring and evaluation activities, especially those of regional scope requiring the coordinated effort of multiple countries.
• Partner with the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser to ensure that current and accurate M&E data and results are included in regional reports, multi-country studies, and knowledge-sharing networks.
• Undertake lessons-learned reviews on successful and unsuccessful M&E practices and experiences at the national level, and ensure they are shared as appropriate. Similarly, pay attention to M&E knowledge networks to identify innovations and lessons learned that may be relevant for the CO and partners to improve their M&E function.
• Support coordination of UNICEF inputs to UN-wide planning, monitoring, and reporting requirements.
• Coordinates knowledge management and strengthen the documentation of best practices and ensure effective sharing and generation of knowledge between UNICEF South Africa and other global & regional actors.

Impact of Results:

The efficiency and efficacy of direction provided by the PME Manager to the Country Management Team and the wide range of stakeholders contribute to the successful results-based planning and monitoring of programmes that in turn, result in the improved country office and national stakeholders’ development planning, performance, and achievement of concrete and sustainable results for children in South Africa. Effective planning, monitoring, and reporting enhance UNICEF’s capacity and credibility in delivering highly effective programmes and concrete and sustainable results that directly improve services to mothers and children in the country.

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree in social sciences, statistics, planning development, planning, or related social science field.
• Work Experience: Eight years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme planning, and monitoring. Practical experience in emergency programming, including preparedness planning and active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme, is an asset.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is considered as an asset.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency. 

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…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Functional Competencies:

• Analyzing (III)
• Applying Technical Expertise (II)
• Planning & Organizing (III)

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. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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:

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.

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

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

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.