Program Associate - South-South Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)

Volunteering Communications & PR

Overview

Support UNICEF's South-South Triangular Cooperation initiatives for child outcomes.

You have:

• At least 3 years of professional work experience at the national and/or international level in international development, partnerships, project management or in communication, or other relevant programmes.
• Excellent oral and written English skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.).
• Have affinity with or interest in Children’s rights, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The 2025 launch of the India - UN Global Capacity-Building Initiative further elevated India's role by pairing Indian digital, health, skills and statistical innovations with demand from partner nations, accelerating SDG progress through structured exchanges, pilot projects and institutional partnerships. This evolving architecture positions India as a trusted knowledge provider, technical collaborator, and diplomatic bridge for the Global South - a trajectory that aligns closely with India's own ambitions for Viksit Bharat 2047 and its expanding global development footprint.

UNICEF India seeks to deepen it support to GoI s vision to expand their SSTC portfolio offering a unique opportunity to amplify results for children everywhere. To help carve out the emerging SSTC Agenda for UNICEF India, UNICEF office in Delhi is looking for a UNV specialist. The UNV Specialist will provide high-quality technical and programmatic support to the UNICEF India Country Office, Government ministries, and partner states to institutionalize and upscale SSC as a driver for better child outcomes aligned with UNICEF's global SSTC Strategy, SPSP agenda, and the GoI's development diplomacy priorities.

Given UNICEF's global mandate, we facilitate cross learning among partner countries, sharing good practices on various themes of child development and wellbeing. Our deep technical expertise across the spectrum of child related sectors combined with our presence in over 190 countries and territories puts us in good stead to anchor South-South Cooperation efforts to promote global child outcomes.

UNICEF works in the sectors of child health and nutrition, water and sanitation, education and protection. Identifying best practices and matching them with technical assistance needs to facilitate linkages in translating knowledge, expertise and support are key components of a future ready agenda for children. UNICEF is working to strengthen their partnership with GOI in this area, systematically engaging stakeholders in India and regionally/ globally, as well as building projects for knowledge and technology transfer from India to other developing countries with common challenges. A few priority thematic areas are identified, and a medium-term roadmap has been developed. A multifunctional team comprising of policy, partnerships and communications is anchoring the effort.

For UNICEF, partnering in these exchanges strengthens India’s contribution to global child-centred policy dialogue, supports the Government’s ambition to scale its development diplomacy towards Viksit Bharat 2047/2048, and ensures that Indian best practices help accelerate progress for children well beyond India’s borders. This national UNV position is to support these efforts within the organization to develop, document and coordinate these efforts.

Within the delegated authority and under the direct supervision of Chief, Social Policy and Social Protection in UNICEF India, and under general guidance of Deputy Representative, Programs, the UNV for SSTC for Children will:

• Provide technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout programming cycle on child focused SSTC at UNICEF. • Facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress, knowledge management, reporting, and dissemination. • Coordinate and document meetings with key partners meetings, knowledge forums, technical sessions, review meetings etc. • Working with the program team, drawing up a work plan, monitoring and reporting against progress. • Support finalization of various draft programming documents including concept notes, explanatory notes, etc. • Develop and maintain a repository of key stakeholders on the initiative, support the team in liaison with partners, donors and stakeholders. • Maintain reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned. • Support periodic programme reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and plan future actions. • Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for program team, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress. • Research, benchmark and report on best and cutting-edge practices within UNICEF on SSTC • Coordinate and collaborate with other partnering UNICEF country offices in guiding project development. • Support strategizing and planning of key SSTC advocacy initiatives around priority thematic areas. • Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned, good practices for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders. • Support documentation of innovative approaches and good practices for implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results. • Develop and maintain a dedicated, user-friendly internal and external ECM (sharepoint) site on SSTC as a key repository to facilitate sharing of lessons, best practice case studies and related articles and stories. • Generate and share stories and case of impact of key initiatives. • Any other related tasks, as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Results/expected outputs With guidance from and as an active team member of the SSTC team at UNICEF, the UNV will deliver the following results.

1. Strengthened coordination and operational support for SSTC partnerships: Timely and well-organized coordination for SSTC activities by ensuring all partner meetings are efficiently scheduled, documented, and followed up, resulting in improved workflow and stakeholder engagement.
2. High-quality program documents produced to enable SSTC initiatives: Prepared concept notes, pitch notes, briefing materials, and PowerPoint decks that meet UNICEF quality standards and directly support the design, approval, and promotion of SSTC engagements.
3. Enhanced knowledge management system for SSTC: Contributes to the development of knowledge products (case studies, briefs, summaries) and ensures the SSTC SharePoint repository is systematically updated, well-structured, and accessible, improving institutional memory and learning across teams.
4. SSTC team work planning aligned with results and performance monitoring in place: an RBM-aligned work plan for the SSTC team developed and maintained, with periodic progress reviews, and ensured timely tracking and follow-up of agreed actions to support effective team delivery.
5. Demonstrated contribution to volunteerism and development impact: a final results statement summarizing achievements, lessons learned, and contributions to volunteerism, peacebuilding, and development, highlighting the added value of the UNV assignment to UNICEF and partners.

Professionalism, Integrity, Teamwork and respect for diversity, Commitment to continuous learning, Planning and organizing, Communication, Flexibility, Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance, and commitment towards UNICEF's mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

• At least 3 years of professional work experience at the national and/or international level in international development, partnerships, project management or in communication, or other relevant programmes; experience with development organizations is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization. • At least 3 years of professional experience preferred in areas of advocacy, social mobilization, communication, program planning and public advocacy and/or related areas in development organisations. • Experience and competency in general M&E, knowledge management and reports drafting required. • Excellent oral and written English skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills. • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development. • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel. • Ability to work in multi-functional team, dual role of leading as well as collaborating across teams. • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment. • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines. • Sound security awareness. • Have affinity with or interest in Children’s rights, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

The assignment will be based in New Delhi. New Delhi is the capital city of India, experiences a diverse climate and has distinct living conditions influenced by its weather, infrastructure, and culture. A melting pot of cultures, languages, and cuisines, reflecting the diverse nature of India. Overall, living in Delhi offers a mix of modern urban life with deep-rooted traditions and challenges typical of a large, bustling metropolis.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. This position is based in New Delhi. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. National UN Volunteers are expected to be culturally sensitive and adjust to the prevailing culture and traditions.

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to the UN Volunteer is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents - except for UN Community Volunteers), as well as final repatriation (if applicable). You can check full entitlements at https://app.unv.org/calculator .

• Monthly Voluntary Living Allowance (VLA): INR 70,158.41 • Entry lump sum (one-time payment) • Relocation costs at beginning and end of assignment if duty station is outside of commuting distance (as determined by UNV) • Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment) • Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health, life and malicious acts • Annual leave: 2.5 days per month • Learning: Access to UNV's learning and career development resources

For more information on entitlements please read the Conditions of Service (https://explore.unv.org/cos).

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 months ago - Updated 22 days ago - Source: unv.org