Programme Officer (Risk Management), NOA, Fixed Term, Amman, Jordan, Regional Office

Contract

This is a NO-1 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-1 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, resilience

Since 2011, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has undergone a dramatic transformation. What was once a middle-income region, where UNICEF was implementing mostly upstream work, has now become the region with the greatest concentration of humanitarian needs in the world with two Level 3 emergencies (Yemen and Syria) and many countries that are facing protracted conflicts as well as civil unrest and/or political transition.

UNICEF response has grown substantially across the country offices (COs) to keep pace with the increasing needs across the Region. The UNICEF COs across MENA, including those mentioned are responding to large humanitarian caseloads, managing large budgets, with significant implications on their data collection/management, analysis, reporting responsibilities and MENARO oversight. The scale of the emergencies in MENA demands high volume and quality data/information processing, analysis and subsequently reporting.

Each of the UNICEF Country Offices (COs) in the affected countries has a different level of information management (IM) capacity and needs, so continued robust IM capacity is required from the Humanitarian Section in the MENA Regional Office (MENARO). There are also a wide range of capacities in the Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Sudan COs to respond to IM needs, all of which require some degree of support to coordinate. Some COs may also require surge support which the IMO will need to respond to.

How can you make a difference?

The Programme Officer (Risks Management) position is in the Regional Office and reports to the Operations Manager (Risk Management) in the Risk Management Unit (RMU), in the Operations section.Successful Risks Management is a critical condition for efficient and effective programme implementation. UNICEF risks management processes have continuously been improved upon over the last few years, and a new tool (eGRC) is being implemented to further streamline and strengthen risks management across offices. The profile of the MENA region requires a particular attention to risks management as recent internal audits’ findings, aid diversions concerns and discussions with partners on the broader risk management practices have highlighted the need to establish a Risks Management Unit. Specific tasks are highlighted below:

1. Contribute to/coordinate risks management activities for programme and operations

• Support the Operations Manager (Risk Management) in leading the MENARO annual risk assessment, as well monitoring of mitigations measures and documentation of risks management activities in eGRC.
• Support the Operations Manager (Risk Management) in providing support to Regional Advisors in specific risks assessment activities pertaining to programmes and operations.
• Support the Operations Manager (Risk Management) in providing support to country offices in risks assessments pertaining to new country programmes, specific programmes, and annual risks assessment as well as documentation into eGRC.
• Contribute to strengthening and having holistic risks assessments by MENARO and MENA country offices, ensuring that risks information from all relevant sources from operations and programmes are systematically and methodically integrated, aggregated, analyzed and acted upon decisively by risks owners in every office in the UNICEF MENA region.

2. Contribute to/coordinate joint programme-operations peer reviews

• Support to planning, implementation, and monitoring of MENARO led Joint Operations and Programme peer reviews on annual basis.
• Support in ensuring that staff in MENA country offices are involved in joint programme-operations peer reviews as an experience sharing and development opportunity.
• Support in ensure that weaknesses identified in joint programme-operations peer reviews informed risks assessments and management decisions.
• Support in coordinating dissemination of best practices identified during peer reviews across the region.

3. Support to the tracking and monitoring of performance indicators

• Assist the Operations Manager (Risk) to, in coordination with the Regional Programme and Planning section, analyze and prepare key programme and operations performance indicators for MENARO and MENA country offices which are reviewed by the Regional Office Management Team.
• Support in ensuring that all offices take necessary actions to address low performance, and that best practices from good performance are documented and disseminated across the region.

4. Support to internal and external audits as well as Donors’ specific peer reviews

• Assist the Operations Manager (Risk) in providing support to MENA COs during internal audits, external audits, and Donors’ specific reviews.
• Support the Operations Manager (Risk) in coordinating MENARO support to COs during all phases of the audits or Donor’s reviews, from planning to the implementation of the recommendations.
• Support the Operations Manager (Risk) in ensuring that timely and sustainable measures are taken to address audit recommendations and actions arising from Donors’ specific reviews by all UNICEF offices across the region.

5. Support information gathering/facts findings related to wrongdoings

• Assist the Operations Manager (Risk) in providing support to OIAI led investigations in cases where a support is requested from MENARO.
• Support in Contributing/coordinating MENARO led review of small fraud cases when instructed by OIAI.
• Upon request from country offices, support the Operations Manager (Risk) in conducting information gathering or facts findings either as instructed by OIAI or as part of initial information gathering by the country offices.

6. Support the Risk Management Unit in other areas as may be required

• Environmental and Social Safeguards
• Child Safeguarding
• Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
• Other Administrative support as may be required from time to time

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

Education: A University Degree in Development studies, Economics, International Development, Programme/Project Management, Business Administration, Financial Management, Auditing or other relevant field is required.

Experience: A minimum of one year of professional experience in oversight roles (audit, internal controls, quality assurance, investigations); Operations or Programme monitoring. Experience working in complex programme and operational environments is an asset. Experience in data and trend analysis is an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Arabic is required, both in writing and verbal.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion to deliver the best results for children. For this position, suitable male candidates will receive preferential consideration, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements stated above.

UNICEF offers a wide range of benefits to its personnel, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. The UNICEF Jordan has an elevator as well as accessible bathrooms. Core hours in UNICEF Jordan are from 09:00 to 15:15 (excluding lunch break), from Sunday to Thursday.

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.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/ assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

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