Programme Associate (Ventures), GS-6, Fixed Term, Office of Innovation, Stockholm, Sweden

Contract

This is a G-6 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education. More about G-6 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.

For every child, a future...

Job organizational context:

The Office of Innovation (OoI) works to catalyse UNICEF's and all its partners’ expertise and resources against key children-outcomes bottlenecks, with a view to continuously ideate and scale the most effective solutions with transformational potential at scale to achieve the child-related SDGs. The office is doing this by continuously exploring new ways of accelerating results for children, investing across a range of early-stage solutions, and harnessing internal and external expertise towards continuously iterating and finetuning the most promising solutions for children through a systematic portfolio management approach, and leveraging all stakeholders’ innovation energy, knowhow and resources from intergovernmental, multilateral, private sector and non-governmental fora (think tank, academia).

The Ventures team identifies, builds and tests early-stage solution to accelerate results for children – specifically focused on those solutions that leverage the newest technologies, are designed in UNICEF programme countries and are widely accessible by being open-source digital public goods. Through the Venture Fund, the team invests in start-ups and projects run by Country Offices that test and accelerate these new solutions. We are looking for a Programme Associate who enjoys working with a diverse and fun team and thrives in fast-paced teams that are flexible and adapt to changing circumstances.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Office of Innovation is looking to fill a fixed term position of Programme Associate, level GS6. Under the supervision of the Senior Advisor Innovation (Ventures). The programme associate supports the Ventures team by carrying out a range of programme support functions to help develop, implement and monitor their activities, ensuring effective and timely delivery that is consistent with UNICEF rules and regulations. The Programme Associate works in close collaboration with a range of staff in the team, external partners, and agency counterparts in support of programme design and delivery. S/He provides regular feedback on the status of projects through monitoring milestones and advises on improvements to keep activities on track.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks

• Facilitating the development of programme cooperation agreements (PCAs) by providing information and drafting selected sections of it.
• Ensuring the timely and accurate recording and administrative processing of government & NGO’s proposals and requests for direct cash transfers (DCTs).
• Conducting programme monitoring in UNICEF focus districts for cash and supplies and informing team-members on the status.
• Helping conduct regular spot checks of partner’s projects to assess their financial record-keeping, expenditure controls and reporting systems.
• Monitoring and tracking the efficient distribution of supplies that are required for effective programme delivery.
• Supporting the programme section in researching, compiling and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data and information from a variety of sources on subject matters relevant to the work of the section to facilitate programme delivery as well as preparation of reports, working papers and presentations.
• Carrying out transactions in VISION ensuring programme results, activities and programme coding are as per annual work plans (AWPs), and making amendments and alterations as per section revisions when necessary.
• Carrying out transactions in VISION pertaining to grants and programme-related items for his/her section including but not limited to registering grant allotments and tracking expiring programme grants.
• Preparing monitoring and reporting information for supervisor and team on agreed performance indicators to drive more efficient management and accountability for results.
• Regularly monitoring budgets and financial expenditures of section by employing applicable tools, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, keeping supervisor informed and advised on actions for decision and/or follow up.
• Helping prepare periodic or ad-hoc financial reports relating to country office and donors to support the office in optimizing use of programme funds.
• Supports capacity development activities related to programme development by preparing training materials and participating in exercises.

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

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.

• A minimum of six (6) years of relevant administrative and/or clerical work experience is required.

• Prior experience in programme support functions is an asset.

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• In-depth knowledge of the administration which underpins UNICEF country office programme/project operations, including monitoring and evaluation processes.
• Strong organizational, planning, and prioritizing skills and abilities.
• High sense of confidentiality, initiative, and good judgment.
• Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong office management skills.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively manage the section’s material resources and monitor its budget.
• Good analytical skills.
• Experience with new tools to support hybrid teams with project management, collaboration and team building is a plus.
• Interest in entrepreneurship, innovation, new technologies or finance is a plus
• Experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a second UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is considered an asset.

Applicants must be nationals of EU states or in possession of a valid work permit in Sweden.

General Service (GS) staff are locally recruited staff and therefore, candidates are personally responsible for any travel and accommodation arrangements.

UNICEF does not facilitate accreditation for locally recruited staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness
• Works Collaboratively with others
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships
• Innovates and Embraces Change
• Thinks and Acts Strategically
• Drive to achieve impactful results
• Manages ambiguity and complexity

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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 benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 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.

Remarks:

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.