Partnerships Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

UNICEF Malawi Country Programme (2019-2023) is aligned with the Government of Malawi’s Growth and Development Strategy (MDGS III) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The programme supports the Government of Malawi 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 Malawi, especially the most disadvantaged and deprived, realize their rights’. The programme focuses on early childhood (parenting, high-impact social services, early stimulation, and learning), middle childhood and adolescence (learning, multi-sectoral services, active citizenship), communities (decentralized services and systems, community ownership, social norms), programme effectiveness (monitoring, evaluation, HACT, Innovation, Social Protection and Social Policy and External Communication. The programme is based on ‘leaving no child behind’, realizing ‘rights for all children in Malawi’. The UNV Partnerships Officer reports to the Partnerships Specialist. Under the guidance and supervision of the partnership’s specialist, the partnership Officer will:

Assist in generating the reporting tracker and review of reports for quality assurance

Support the partnership specialist in proposals reviews, developing quality proposals and ensuring grants are managed according to donor’s guidance and UNICEF principles

Assist in updating UNIISON with new proposals and opportunities

Support the partnership specialist in preparation of donor briefs for donor meetings

Support in reviewing donor agreements ensuring that they are in line with UNICEF rules and regulations.

Support in Managing grants ensuring that over and under spending are tracked and flagged accordingly.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Partnerships Specialist, the UN Volunteer, Partnership Officer, will perform the following tasks:

Review and clear all reports due to the Deputy Representative (Programme) before submission to the donors.

Ensure that all the reports submitted to the donors are also submitted in the UNICEF Fiori system and approved by the Deputy Representative (Programme) or HQ as the case may be.

Coordinate review and submit all proposals prepared to the Deputy Representative Programme for review and clearance before submitting to the donor.

Monitor the grants expiration dates and signal to the Chiefs of Sections any pending or overdue reports in order that they can make sure the funds are fully utilized and reported on.

Review all the funding agreements and make sure that they are in line with UNICEF guidance and clear it with HQ before they are signed by the representative.

Prepare donor briefs for the Country Representative and Deputy Representative Programmes as required and when attending donor meetings

Ensuring effective grants management by flagging under and overspending to the Section Chiefs

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day).

Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.

Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.

Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Integrity: Maintains high ethical standards; takes clear ethical stands; keeps promises; immediately addresses untrustworthy or dishonest behavior; resists pressure in decision-making from internal and external sources; does not abuse power or authority.

Commitment: Demonstrates commitment to UNICEF’s mission and to the wider UN system; demonstrates the values of UNICEF in daily activities and behaviors; seeks out new challenges, assignments and responsibilities; promotes UNICEF’s cause.

Communication: Speaks fluently; expresses opinions, information and key points of an argument clearly; presents information with skill and confidence; responds quickly to the needs of an audience and to their reactions and feedback; projects credibility; structures information to meet the needs and understanding of the intended audience; presents information in a well-structured and logical way.

Working with people: Shows respect for the views and contributions of other team members; shows empathy; listens, supports and cares for others; consults others and shares information and expertise with them; builds team spirit and reconciles conflict; adapts to the team and fits in well.

Drive for results: Sets high standards for quality of work; monitors and maintains quality of work; works in a systematic, methodical and orderly way; consistently achieves project goals; focuses on the needs and satisfaction of internal and external partners; accepts and tackles demanding goals with enthusiasm.

Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement.

one or more of the following areas is required: programme management, communication, grants management, resource mobilization, partnerships, and fundraising; two years of which should be in developing countries.

Located in Southern Africa, Malawi is landlocked, sharing its borders with Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. The country has an estimated population of 18.6 million (2019), with over eight native ethnic groups make up the population. The country’s official languages are Chichewa and English, which over half of the population is capable of speaking. Malawi remains one of the poorest countries in the world despite making significant economic and structural reforms to sustain economic growth. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, employing nearly 80% of the population, and it is vulnerable to external shocks. The political climate is more stable than it has been in the past. Volunteers moving to Malawi can expect warm temperatures between November and April, when it is also prone to equatorial rain and thunderstorms, with the heavy rains reaching their zenith around March. Malawi is generally a very peaceful country and volunteers should be fairly safe. Nevertheless, there is crime but it is most often opportunistic. For residential security, UNICEF will ensure compliance with Residential Security Measures as defined by UNDSS.