Youth & Adolescent Development Specialist, P-3, Baghdad, Iraq

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 102,866 USD and 134,695 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

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, hope

UNICEF’s current Strategic Plan (2018-2021) articulates prominent and ambitious results for adolescents and youth and demands that UNICEF’s work with young people is taken to scale by leveraging commitments to young people, strengthening systems that address their priorities as well as mobilizing resources. Key organizational principles that guide UNICEF’s work with and for adolescents and youth include applying a positive development approach where we work with adolescent girls and boys as assets; adopting a right based gender responsive equity lens; working across the life course; and supporting meaningful participation of young people. Taking its cue from the strategic plan, the Global Communication and Advocacy Strategy 2019−2021 (GCAS) asserts the important role that young people can play in the successful realization of UNICEF’s mandate, and outlines the need to listen to, co-create and collaborate with young people and create meaningful engagement opportunities for them to make a difference. Being important drivers of change, children and young people are essential partners and contributors to both the development and implementation of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022 2025. With a new and ambitious SP, UNICEF intends to be deliberate and committed in fully involving children and young people in creating the solutions to accelerate the realization of the SDGs and driving change forward.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Chief, Adolescent Development and Participation Section (ADAP), the Specialist will provide support to country office colleagues and programs, including internal and external partners and stakeholders throughout the programming processes by providing technical, administrative and operational support to ensure that adolescent development and participation and child rights established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/framework and UN intergovernmental bodies, are integrated in UNICEF’s advocacy, policies, programs and humanitarian work. The role will contribute to achievement of concrete and sustainable results on youth and adolescent development related programmes according to plans, allocation, results and rights-based management approaches and methodology (RRBM) and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework, and contributes to strategic resource mobilization efforts towards the programme goals.

Key Accountabilities, duty and tasks expected of the Youth & Adolescent Development Specialist.

1. Programme Planning, Development and Management

Contribute to the development/establishment of adolescent development and participation program goals, objectives, strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of related information/data for development planning and priority and goal setting. Enhance and streamline effective inter-sectoral collaborative internal and external partnerships in the planning, development, and management of a youth participation platform by leading, guiding, coordinating, and supporting UNICEF’s work within broader youth activities and platforms emerging in Iraq. Ensure that all of UNICEF’s efforts are appropriately designed and monitored and analyzed with the aim of ensuring sustainable and meaningful child/youth/adolescent participation in line with International Best Practices. The incumbent will foster and ensure effective cross-sectoral coordination to best operationalize convergent programming by working across cross-sectional teams to deliver results.

2. Knowledge Management

Promote knowledge management across program sections through the exchange of knowledge, information, situation analysis, experience or lessons learned; promote knowledge sharing and technical input or recommendations on major program directions across teams and on introduction of new initiatives in the country; using the know-how of academic and knowledge institutions to collect, analyze and use relevant data to further understanding of social norms and harmful practices to children, particularly girls. This will entail coordination with the Child Protection program to reduce protection barriers and risks for adolescent participation through skills building and mobilization of young people. Support the ADAP and CP programs to deliver on its expected results in the areas of gender. Strategies include support to national-level policy and coordination efforts, strengthening of integrated service delivery models at decentralized levels, contribution to the gender working group and community engagement programs involving youth.

3. Rights-Based and Results-Based Approach

Promote the quality of rights-based programmes through participation and leadership in the formulation of cross-sectoral program goals, strategies and approaches, collaborating with key partners to address the multiple aspects of the protective environment as it relates to adolescent and youth participation; and to bring coherence, synergy and added value to sectoral or inter-sectoral management processes using a results-based management approach to planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Contribute to the Child Protection section (and other sections) through technical leadership and cross-sectoral coordination to operationalize gender and adolescent programming. Collaboratively work with the Child Protection Section to ensure integration of services, enabling adolescents to receive both protection and skills development, especially the most marginalized.

4. Sectoral Work Plan Development, Implementation, and Monitoring

Responsible for cross-sectional coordination for proposal development that plans for the management, implementation and monitoring of adolescent and youth development and participation across programs, in compliance with the defined programme strategies and approaches, with adequate consultation with relevant stakeholders, and with strategic guidance and support from the chief of section. Support the ADAO section with the review and implementation of the ICO Second Decade Strategy by providing close technical support to all ICO sections/programs for the collaborative review of the current ICO Second Decade Strategy and for the updating and refinement of the Strategy to reflect current context and programming across ICO sectors and programs.

5. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

Participate in program monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programs/projects on adolescent development and participation and report on required action/interventions at the higher level of program management. Monitor and report on the use of adolescent development and participation program resources (financial, administrative, and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation/goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on critical issues/findings to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution. Prepare regular/mandated relevant program/project reports for management, donors, and partners to keep them informed of program progress.

6. Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG) and Generation Unlimited (GenU)

Lead the implementation of the ICO Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG), including identifying potential members; designing and implementing their workplans; developing communication plans; liaising with Regional office and NYHQ as relevant; supporting YPAG members in preparation for events/media. Promote and work across all ICO programs to ensure the YPAG initiative is mainstreamed to accelerate results for young people in Iraq. Lead the process of formalizing a roadmap to formally launch and scale the Generation Unlimited initiative, building on ongoing youth skills-development and employability interventions, including partnerships created.

7. U-Report Country Coordination

Strategic oversight on all U-Report Iraq programme implementation, including actions and polls, liaising with programme teams, U-Report steering committee, U-Report Working Group, and partners. Work across all ICO programs to ensure U Report remains mainstreamed and utilized to accelerate results for children and young people in Iraq.

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

Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: anthropology, psychology, sociology, education, or another relevant technical field. A first level university degree with an additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: At least five (5) years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in planning and management in adolescent development and engagement related areas is required.

Prior experience in working on convergent programmes with cross-sectoral cooperation, preferably in the area of adolescents and youth.

Networking skills and management of a wide range of stakeholders.

Experience in training and facilitation is an asset.

Experience working in a developing and emergency environment is an asset.

Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as 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…

The competencies required for this post are….

Core Values

Care

Respect

Integrity

Trust

Accountability

Core competencies

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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

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 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:

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.