PMU Field Officer, Level NO-2, Fixed Term Appointment, Central Region (Kabul), Jalalabad, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Kandahar (Afghanistan)

Contract

This is a NO-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-2 contracts.

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.

Working for UNICEF: https://youtu.be/43aiG4w2q_M?t=2

UNICEF in Afghanistan: https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/

For every child, a fair chance

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 past two decades have seen important progress on child rights, yet while much has been achieved, sharp disparities remain. In most countries, inequality is higher today than a generation ago, including in middle income countries where a majority of the world’s poor children now live. The rapid pace of urbanization and the growing youth bulge in Africa and parts of Asia will require significant expansion of the provision of essential services for children. These challenges are compounded by the scale and complexity of crises triggered by conflict, natural disasters or epidemics. The global community faces these challenges when the political and economic environments pose challenges of their own, testing the world’s commitment to protecting the most vulnerable. In this environment, strong and consistent leadership of UNICEF is critical to enable the achievement of results for children.

Job organizational context

The situation in Afghanistan remains exceptionally complex, with a protracted emergency situation, characterized by recurrent natural disasters, an increased number of people living in poverty, continued internal displacement, unprecedented levels of food insecurity, further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This complexity has greatly impacted the situation of children and women in the country. The withdrawal of United States military forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the establishment of a de-facto government by the Taliban has exacerbated the complexity and uncertainty of the situation. UNICEF is required to rapidly adapt our ways of working to address the multiple operational constraints present in the highly volatile and unpredictable context. This includes the need to establish a Programme Management Unit that will provide operational and transactional capacity to the Afghanistan Country Office to ensure urgent lifesaving and resilience building programmes can continue.

The Afghanistan Programme Management Unit’s (APMU) Field Officer will report to the PMU Field Coordinator. He/she will be based in Field Offices (either Mazar I Sharif, Herat or Kandahar) and will be responsible to provide technical oversight for upstream activities of implementing partners including third party monitors.

Purpose for the job:

In anticipation of agreements with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other major donors to implement programme interventions in the context of Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) is looking for a PMU Monitoring Officer to ensure that all downstream activities (monitoring surveys, post distribution monitoring, end line, programmatic visits) are implemented in a timely fashion and according to PMU risk analysis and HACT assurance activities. The incumbent will also oversee the implementing partner work to address grievances and feedbacks in the field.

How can you make a difference?

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Under the direct supervision of the PMU Field Coordinator, the PMU Field Officer, NO2 will perform the following tasks:

1. Personal data verification and registration support
   1. Plan with implementing partners registration activities to optimize data collection timeline
   2. Flag errors and inconsistencies in registration exercises
   3. Supervise registration and third-party monitor verification exercises
   4. Ensure data protection and privacy principles are respected by partners and that UNICEF Integrity principles are upheld by all partners’ staff
   5. Monitor data collection progress and coordinate with PMU Field Coordinator update to Beneficiary Data Management unit in Kabul
2. Community Facilitation oversight between partners, beneficiaries and FSPs
   1. Coordinate the work of community facilitation between implementing partners and Financial Service Providers to:
   2. Develop adequate sensitization material
   3. Ensure optimal assistance deliver calendar
   4. Embed Local Security staff recommendation in distribution plans
   5. Oversee helpdesk onsite support during cash transfer activities
   6. Ensure partners and FSP activities are organized in an inclusive manner with regards to gender and disability needs
   7. Conduct analysis of reported challenges identify trends on issues arising and problematic areas and report back to the PMU.
3. Grievances redressal
   1. Oversee Grievance redressal mechanism SOP implementation by Implementing partners in the field
   2. Provide guidance to implementing partners on grievances redressal prioritization across different categories of grievances (complaints, negative feedbacks, sensitive grievance, data changes, etc)
   3. Recommend adequate sizing of implementing partners grievances officers’ teams to address the evolving caseload of grievances in the field
   4. Ensure unaddressed grievances by partners are minimized and make sure partners strive to address all grievances within acceptable timeline

Any other tasks requested by the supervisor.

Impact of Results:

The role of the Field officer is essential to contribute to the overall quality of the implementation by ensuring upstream activities for cash transfers are implemented in a timely manner and according to the highest quality standard. Ensure that emerging issues are brought to the attention of the PMU coordinator and addressed in good time. The work of the field officer is essential to ensure that UNICEF, implementing partners, TPM and FSP work is coordinated to deliver high quality cash transfer programming.

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

Education: A university degree in social sciences or related technical field.

Experience: Two years of progressively responsible professional work experience at national and international levels in the area of programme implementation.

Knowledge and skills:

• Experience in implementing individual cash transfers interventions
• Experience in emergency settings
• Familiarity with grievances redressal mechanisms
• Knowledge of the cash transfers programme cycle

Language: Fluency in English and knowledge of the local language is a requirement. Knowledge of another UN language an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

Core Values

Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability

Core competencies

• Builds and maintains partnerships;
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness;
• Drives to achieve results for impact;
• Innovates and embraces change;
• Nurtures, leads and manages people;
• Works collaboratively with others;
• Thinks and acts strategically;
• Manages ambiguity and complexity.

Functional Competencies:

• Formulating Strategies and Concepts [I]
• Analyzing [I]
• Planning and Organizing [II]
• Applying Technical Expertise [II]
• Communicating [II]

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

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:

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

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either: a role with direct contact with children, works directly with child, is a safeguarding response role or has been assessed as an elevated risk role for child safeguarding.

Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) applies.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply