Project Officer, NOB, Islamabad, Pakistan

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.

For every child, Innovation

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves.

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives -- being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

The Aawaz II programme was conceived to promote the rights of children, women, religious minorities, people with disabilities and other excluded groups in Pakistan to protect them from exploitation and prevent discrimination and intolerance at all levels by prioritizing child- and forced marriages; gender-based violence (GBV); and discrimination and intolerance. The programme is being implemented by UNICEF, UNFPA (as UN Joint Programme- UNJP) through the support of the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The Aawaz II programme works with the government and local communities. The UNJP component closely engages with government ministries, departments, and entities at federal and provincial (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab) levels focusing on supporting policy and legislative actions; strengthening related institutions, systems, and mechanisms; and supporting evidence generation for evidence-informed advocacy, policymaking, and programming on the issues of gender-based violence and child marriage.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Chief Planning, Monitoring and Data (PMD) Section, the Project Officer will provide technical assistance to the Program Management Unit (PMU) for effective communication with internal and external partners. Additionally, the Project Officer will offer technical support to the United Nations Joint Program in the development of work plans, logical frameworks/results frameworks, progress reports, programme budget monitoring, and partnership management.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To make a difference you will be accountable for the following key duties & tasks:

1. Program Planning and Monitoring

• Provide professional technical assistance for the preparation of joint workplans for the programme, monitoring its implementation, and identifying critical intervention points, bottlenecks, and risks.
• Prepare and propose adjustments/changes to work plans, results-based budgets, and logical frameworks/results frameworks.
• Facilitate and lead the implementation of program recommendations from donors, ensuring effective tracking and progress.
• Plan and lead joint missions, identifying opportunities to enhance program progress and synergies with stakeholders.

2. Optimum Use of Program Funds

• Monitor program implementation progress and compliance, ensuring proper coordination, monitoring, and liquidation of program funds.
• Take appropriate actions and recommendations to optimize the use of program funds.

3. Knowledge Management and Reporting

• Support knowledge management through technical assistance in the development of annual and bi-annual reports, ensuring they are timely, results-based, and evidence-based.
• Document important meetings, decisions, and processes and make documentation easily accessible.
• Compile monitoring information/data and make them available to the program and partners.
• Collaborate in the production of reports focusing on systematic issues, good practices, and comprehensive analysis of program implementation data

4. Partnership, Coordination and Networking:

• Facilitate partnership and collaboration with internal and external counterparts, including UN and national partners, to improve partnerships and build synergies with external partners.
• Organize joint meetings with external partners to provide a strategic overview of the program and ensure decisions are incorporated into joint workplans and relevant documents.
• Coordinate with UNICEF colleagues from various departments to gather technical inputs for documents, reports, and deliverables.

• Provide professional support in offering technical advice, negotiation, advocacy, and promotion of area/country-level goals, leading to agreement on practicable and priority actions supported by the UNICEF program.

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

• An Advanced University Degree in social sciences, project management, international development, development economics, or other relevant degree*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree

• A minimum of two years relevant professional work experience in programme development and implementation including field monitoring.
• Field work experience shall be considered as an asset.
• Proficiency in donor management, including experience in effectively overseeing diverse donor portfolios, would be considered an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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

The competencies required for this post are Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness(1), Works Collaboratively with others (1), Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1), Innovates and Embraces Change (1), Thinks and Acts Strategically (1), Drives to achieve impactful results (1), Manages ambiguity and complexity (1).

View our competency framework at Competency Framework Brochure.pdf

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

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. Our contracts, wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.
• UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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.

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.
• Verified educational certificates/HEC Attested Degrees are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF. During the recruitment process candidates will be required to present HEC attested degrees/certificates.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.
• 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.