Representative, D-2, Kabul, Afghanistan (Fast Track)

Contract

This is a D-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 16 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 212,843 USD and 256,531 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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, dedication.

The Representative serves as the accredited representative of the UNICEF Executive Director in the country and reports to the Regional Director for general direction and oversight. The Representative is responsible for establishing principled and constructive working relationships with the Afghanistan authorities and for effective collaboration with the stakeholders and partners, to implement the UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation and humanitarian response to advance children’s rights as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, other international treaties/frameworks, the SDGs, and UN intergovernmental bodies.

As head of a Country Office, the Representative is responsible for providing leadership and vision to the UNICEF team in managing and leveraging resources for the achievement of results and realization of the rights of children. The Representative leads and oversees the various programme sectors and operational service teams ensuring delivery of quality results in accordance with the UNICEF Strategic Plan, standards of performance and accountability framework, ethics and integrity. The Representative is accountable for ensuring a respectful, non-discriminatory, and nurturing working environment for all staff and personnel, to enable them to effectively and efficiently deliver high-quality results for children. The Representative promotes UNICEF organizational values to create and retain a positive work environment based.

How can you make a difference?

• Leading the development and implementation of the Country Program
• Leading and managing the Country Office
• Monitoring and quality control of the Country Program
• Representation and external relations at national/regional/global levels
• Support to the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Country Team
• Resource mobilization and partnerships
• Leading innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
• Safety, security and well-being and health of all personnel is your priority concern while delivering results
• Safety and security of the organisation’s assets and premises.

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

• An Advanced University Degree in social sciences, international relations, government and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development or other related fields, is required.
• A minimum of 15 years professional development experience that combines intellectual and managerial leadership in development cooperation at the international level, some of which served in developing countries and complex humanitarian settings is required. Relevant professional experience in any UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

Person Profile:

• A high visibility UN humanitarian and development systems which requires excellent understanding of principles, policies and procedures, rules and regulations and ability to apply these innovatively.
• Ability to manage a complex humanitarian response, staff health and safety and multifaceted security situations.
• Politically astute with the appropriate political and cultural acumen and experience to influence, advocate and collaborate with senior level partners and counterparts.
• Ability and experience to work in fast changing political situations and other challenges that require capacity and experience to make socio-political assessment and its implications on UNICEF programming and act as appropriate.
• Excellent leadership, managerial and people skills, with particular strengths in supporting, nurturing, motivating and engaging diverse teams and individual personnel.
• Strong negotiation skills, maturity and sensitivity to handle demanding stakeholder relationships in a highly complex environment.
• Previous experience in complex emergencies.
• Capacity to work under pressure in difficult security situation and in a rapidly changing environment.

Country Typology:

• Country Income Level: Afghanistan is a low-income country.
• Duty Station: Kabul is an “E”, non-family, and emergency duty station with R&R.
• Office Size: 594 staff with 13 field offices.
• Annual Budget: ranges from $500m to $1.5b.
• Schooling: N/A

Brief country context:

The population is estimated at about 40 million, with at least 50 percent (20 million) under 18 years. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly with the recent political and socioeconomic developments. Essential services are on the brink of collapse, exacerbating the needs of an already vulnerable population. More than half of the population, 24.4 million people, need humanitarian assistance, including 12.9 million children. Multiple disease outbreaks (measles, acute watery diarrhoea, dengue, COVID19) are ongoing. In 2022, 8.7 million people were in emergency level food insecurity and 1 in 2 children under 5 years were expected to be acutely malnourished. 71 per cent of the population is rural, 24 per cent urban, and 5 per cent nomadic. In 2022, it is estimated that 90 per cent of families live below the poverty line. Conflict continues to drive humanitarian needs in some parts of the country, with rising levels of active fighting in the North. Natural disasters like drought and earthquakes exacerbates the deprivations faced by children. Previous armed conflict and natural disasters have resulted in population movement, including both cross-border refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Afghanistan produces over 90 per cent of the world’s opium, which feeds the heroin market. Afghanistan is a landlocked country. It is an important geostrategic location, with significant regional and global dynamics that affect its politics and security.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Competencies

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Remarks:

This position is classified as “rotational” which means the incumbent is expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

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 may also be 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.