Risk and Compliance (Safeguarding) Officer, P2, FT, NY, USA, Hosted Funds, ECW, Req:557977

Contract

This is a P-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 2 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 108,633 USD and 147,551 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, EDUCATION

How can you make a difference?

Organizational context

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth. ECW is administered under UNICEF’s financial, human resources and administrative rules and regulations; operations are run by the Fund’s own independent governance structure. ECW’s ability to operate successfully in crisis-affected contexts is underpinned by its risk management system. At an institutional level, ECW is guided by a Corporate Risk Framework and a portfolio-level risk data repository on its First Emergency Response and Multi-Year Resilience investments. The fact that ECW works primarily in fragile and conflict-affected countries with some of the world’s most vulnerable children has placed its programme activities at heightened risk of disruption due to conflict, including armed attacks on schools, and hold safeguarding risks.

Over its next strategic plan period (2023-2026), ECW will strengthen due diligence measures around child safeguarding and risk management and deepen its work on safeguarding children and other vulnerable groups from all forms of harm, including ensuring closer alignment with the internationally agreed safeguarding policies and procedures.

This position will be based in the Strategy, Planning and Accountability Team which is led by a P5 Chief and includes staff and consultants working on: risk, safeguarding, delivery of ECW’s Strategic Plan 2023-3036, internal strategy and policy, donor compliance and climate.

Purpose for the job

Under the supervision of the P4 Risk and Compliance Manager, the Risk and Safeguarding Officer will contribute to strengthening risk assurance and compliance efforts in the context of scaling up operations in ECW’s country investments over its next strategic period (2023-2026).

He/she will be asked to support development of ECW Risk Management policy and procedures, and mainstreaming Risk Management and Child Safeguarding across key business processes of ECW. This includes supporting the Risk and Compliance Manager in reviewing and collecting risk matrixes; following-up on agreed risk mitigation actions; developing bi-annual reports for the ECW Executive Committee; monitoring ECW compliance against its own Corporate Risk Framework and Portfolio Risk Framework.

The jobholder will also be asked to provide P2-level support to other thematic areas across the Section as needed.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Provide support in maintaining a robust risk management system to analyze, monitor and report on existing and emerging risks

• Gather risk management data from grantees in timely manner, providing feedback and follow-up as needed.
• Maintain ECW’s portfolio-level risk management database and dashboard to record and identify risks in each programme and context more quickly.
• Reviewing and analyzing risk data, undertake trend analysis and contribute to ExCom risk reports (currently a 6-month cycle).
• Contribute to position papers for ECW’s ExCom on safeguarding and risk management.
• Develop safeguarding and risk management templates, tools and guidance for grantees; and
• Review grantee risk assessment matrices and support Risk Manager in taking action on areas of concern.
• Contribute ideas and deliver solutions that refine and improve ECW’s management and collection of risk-related data.

2. Provide support in the development and delivery of ECW risk management policy and procedures.

• Support development of an ECW Risk Management policy, procedures and an integrated approach to risk management.
• Support in monitoring the implementation of ECW’s risk matrix through Secretariat country focal points and M&E specialists.
• Provide support in mapping the delivery chain of ECW investments to ensure greater visibility and oversight on risk management down to beneficiary level.
• Support the development of new standards, procedures and guidance tools to strengthen safeguarding throughout ECW’s programmes.
• Support efforts to monitor and improve compliance by ECW with applicable UNICEF rules and regulations.
• Support the office in enforcing and strengthening internal controls to ensure that systems are in place to prevent, detect and report non-compliance.
• Support in developing and delivering training to ECW staff and in-country partners on risk and safeguarding, develop webinars as needed.

3. 3. Provide cross-cutting support to the Strategy, Planning and Accountability section

• As requested by the Chief of Strategy, Planning and Accountability, provide support to key aspects of the section’s work output beyond risk and safeguarding. This includes support to workstreams on climate, strategic planning and the Acceleration Facility (one of ECW’s three investment windows).
• As required, undertake a range of logistical/administrative activities to support the team. This includes taking meeting minutes, maintaining information management systems, drafting presentations and supporting on procurement processes.

Impact of results

This position is critical to the smooth functioning and strengthening of ECW’s risk and safeguarding agenda. The postholder’s ability to support assessment, mitigation, monitoring, review and reporting of significant risks that could potentially harm the organization is a critical element of ECW’s risk and internal control performance management framework.

The Risk Officer is expected to be full proficient in data collection, analysis, dissemination, and reporting. He/she will have excellent attention to detail and organizational skills, as well as the ability to manage a fast-paced and varied workload.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in law/economics/finance/business/actuarial science/risk management/procurement/administration/audit or a field related to international development/ humanitarian affairs.

A Bachelor’s degree in law/economics/finance/business/actuarial science/risk management/procurement/administration/audit or a field related to international development/ humanitarian affairs.

• A minimum of 2 (two) years of relevant professional experience in Risk and Compliance or another directly relevant area, such as internal audit, legal affairs, data management, statistics, evaluation or portfolio/programme management.
• 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.
• Experience in quantitative analysis and data analysis is an asset.
• Full proficiency in Microsoft Office applications: PowerPoint, Excel, World, Teams is an asset.
• Excellent organizational skills and process management skills, including the ability to plan and monitor complex time-bound workstreams is an asset.
• Ability to multi-task and work at pace is an asset.
• Ability to be a collaborative team player providing prompt support on a range of tasks as required by senior colleagues is an asset.

Desirable

• Procurement management experience, including contracts over $5 million.
• Project management experience.
• Grant management experience.
• Training and capacity-building experience.
• Experience in international development/human rights/humanitarian affairs, preferably with international organizations, NGOs and/or the UN.
• Field experience and/or familiarity with working on emergency/protracted crises contexts.

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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

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’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates from all nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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

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.

The appointment for this is limited to ECW, a UNICEF hosted fund. While UN staff regulations and rules, as well as UNICEF policies and procedures, apply to you during your appointment, certain provisions therein may apply to you differently due to the limited scope of your appointment. In particular, you will not be subject to rotation exercise as per the Executive Directive on Staff mobility and rotation (CF/EXD/2015-002) or any revision thereof. In addition, during your appointment in ECW, you will not be considered eligible for conversion to a Continuing Appointment as per UNICEF Administrative Instruction on Continuing Appointment (CF/AI/2017-002) or any revision thereof. In the event that your post is abolished, the priority granted, and other support provided to staff on abolished posts in staff selection processes will only be extended to posts within ECW and not to other posts in UNICEF.

UNICEF candidates: To return to a UNICEF appointment outside ECW, you will need to be selected in a competitive recruitment exercise. Upon selection for a UNICEF post outside of UNICEF-hosted funds, the period you have served with the UNICEF-hosted fund will count towards the calculation of the tour of duty in your duty station and eligibility for a continuing appointment.

External Candidates: To secure a UNICEF appointment outside ECW, you will need to be selected in a competitive recruitment exercise. Upon selection for a UNICEF post outside of UNICEF hosted funds, the period you have served with the UNICEF hosted fund will count towards the calculation of the tour of duty in your duty station and eligibility for a continuing appointment.