Planning & Monitoring Officer – P2  

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

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For every child, hope

UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) is responsible for providing strategic planning support to country offices for developing their Country Programmes (CPs), including both the Country Programme Planning Package, per the global Country Programme Guidance released in October 2022, and the Country Programme Documents (CPD). In addition, ECARO supports the operationalization of the country programmes, focusing on the development of work plans, designing purposeful results and resource frameworks, and guidance on programme and performance monitoring. Moreover, towards the end of 2024, the Regional Office will ignite the preparation of the new RO Management Plan (ROMP) for 2026-2029.   

Within this context, the next 12 months are a critical period for the ECARO Programme Planning and Data (PP&D) team, as eleven + one country programmes (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Country Offices and Kosovo (UNSCR1244) ) and a new ROMP will be developed simultaneously, translating into an evident need for substantial engagement of PP&D team. More specifically, the ECARO PP&D team will provide comprehensive support to country offices in the preparation of the deliverables as outlined in the UNICEF Country Programme Planning guidance (evidence synthesis, theories of change, results and resources plans and explanatory notes) as well as the development of the CPDs, ensuring compliance to the required structure and content. This will be complemented by preparing a set of tools and templates for country offices to use and the organization of presential CP development workshops and thematic online webinars. The PP&D team will also assume a coordinating role in the preparation process of the new ROMP. 

How can you make a difference? 

Under the guidance of the ECARO Planning Specialist, the Planning & Monitoring Officer (as a temporary appointment for 364 days) will provide technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the strategic planning process as outlined above. This includes: 

1. Support preparing the ECARO Country Programme development package (tools, templates, events).  

• With inputs from the Planning Specialist, contextualize available tools and guidance on Country Programme Planning, prepare and update templates and communicate their availability to country offices.   
• Coordinate among RO sections the sequencing of thematic webinars (gender, climate change programming, social and behavior change, etc.) and organize e-meetings for country offices’ participants.  
• Provide continuous support to COs in the preparation of the CP package, including technical advice on developing theories of change, results and resources plan and selection of adequate indicators.   
• Conduct training/learning sessions with CO staff on use of CPX for CP package development.  

2. Support the technical review of the Country Programme Documents and country offices’ CP planning milestones.  

• Coordinate among RO sections the technical review of the draft CPDs and the CP planning milestone products (Evidence Syntheses, Theories of Change, Results and Resources Plans and Explanatory Notes).  
• Under the guidance of the Planning Specialist, prepare checklists for the RO quality review of the CPDs and the relevant CP planning milestone products, monitor their completion and ensure timely delivery to country offices. 
• Together with the Planning Specialist, set-up a precise workflow to facilitate the review, acting as a point of contact between country offices and the RO programme sections.  

3. Support the quality assurance of UNSDCF milestone documents in the region.  

• Support the Planning Specialist in ensuring timely UNICEF inputs to the Peer Support Group.  
• Coordinate with Universalia quality review of milestone documents of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks  

4. Provide support to the RO on regular performance monitoring, reporting, and developing of a new ROMP.  

• Support the development of the agenda and the organization of the ROMP week, including guidance to sections on the preparation of thematic sessions during the week.  
• Monitor and ensure timely upload and finalization of all relevant documents in the new ROMP preparation.  
• Under the guidance of the Planning Specialist, support RO sections in the creation of new ROMP indicators and addition to RAM catalogue as part of the planning process.  

5. Knowledge management and capacity building  

• Under the guidance of the Knowledge Management Specialist, maintain and update the ECARO PP&D 2026-2030 Country Programme workspace (SharePoint), ensuring thorough organization of documents and pages.  
• Support the set-up and maintenance of corresponding country office workspaces for CP development.  
• Support the KM Specialist in setting up and maintaining a dedicated workspace to host all information pertinent to the development of the new ROMP, including the development of an interactive timeline and any other infographics to facilitate the process.   
• Research and suggest good practices for knowledge products intended to contribute to improved planning and monitoring practices.  
• Support the implementation of ECARO actions within the Your Foresight Fellowship Programme, in collaboration with UNICEF Innocenti.  
• Act as a resource person in capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of planning and monitoring officers across the region.  
• Support the development of infographic/visualizations.

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

• A first-level university degree (i.e. Bachelor’s or equivalent) in economics, psychology, sociology, education, or other social science fields is required.  
• A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in social development programming, at the international level and in a developing-country context, is required.  
• Relevant experience in country programme planning and monitoring in UNICEF is a strong asset.  
• Experience working with SharePoint and other Microsoft tools (Lists, Forms, Planner) is a strong asset.  
• Knowledge of designing results frameworks and result measurement is a strong asset.  
• Knowledge of Results-based approach to programming is an asset.  
• Experience working with Power BI and other visualization software is an asset.  
• Skills for on-line facilitation are considered an asset.  
• Skills for data visualization are considered an asset.  
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency. 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Russian or a relevant local language* would be considered an asset (*Any of the languages spoken in the twelve countries that will be developing Country Programmes). 

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: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are?

– Builds and maintains partnerships (1) 
– Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1) 
– Drive to achieve results for impact (1) 
– Innovates and embraces change (1) 
– Manages ambiguity and complexity (1) 
– Thinks and acts strategically (1) 
– Works collaboratively with others (1) 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

This is a temporary appointment (TA) for 364 days.

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

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

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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