Planning Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF works in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adoles-cents – and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. Across more than 190 countries and terri-tories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing lifesaving help and hope to children and families. Non-political and impartial, we are never neutral when it comes to defending children’s rights and safeguarding their lives and futures.
UNICEF Office was established in Guinea in 1986. The main office is based in Conakry and three (3) zone offices are located in Kankan, Labé, and Nzérékoré. The main area of intervention is: Health, Nutrition, Water/Hygiene / Sanitation, Education , protection and social inclusion.
UNICEF Guinea started in 2018 the current programming cycle (CPD) covering the period from 2018 to 2022. The main pillars of this program of cooperation signed between the Government of Guinea and UNICEF are: (i) good governance for sustained development of human capital; (ii) sustained economic growth and inclusive; (iii) inclusive development of human capital; and (iv) sustainable de-velopment natural resources. The programme is aligned to the national development plan and the UN cooperation framework in Guinea.

Context

After a successful of the 2018-2023 programme of cooperation, the Government of Guinea and UNICEF have jointly developed and agreed on a new five-year programme cycle covering the period of 2024-2028. This programme is derived from the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024-2028 and aligned with the Interim Government Reference Programme 2022-2025, in coherence with UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and Gender Action Plans 2022-2025. The vision of the country programme is “a Guinea where children, and especially adolescent girls and those living in the most vulnerable families within the most deprived geographic areas, have equitable opportunities for access to, and sustained use of, quality essential social services and social protection, and to realize their full potential, including in a context characterized by climate-related vulnerabilities and emergencies”.
Within this vision, the programme effectiveness component will ensure effective and efficient programme management and coordination. Through this result, the country programme will ensure that programming standards are met in planning and achieving results for children, build positive partnerships at all levels and strengthen communication. This cross-cutting outcome will be essential to support the implementation of the four programmatic outcomes corresponding to the pillars identified, namely:
 Learning and acquiring the skills needed for children and adolescents to reach their full potential, with care and attention, including nutrition and with a specific focus on adolescent girls.
 Promoting legal identity through birth registration, preventing, and responding to violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect, and harmful practices affecting children and adolescents, especially girls, enabling access to integrated and quality child protection services that help ensure their physical, mental, and social well-being.
 Quality integrated health, nutrition, drinking water, sanitation, hygiene services, mitigation of climate-related risks.
 Access to inclusive social protection for the most vulnerable children and adolescents.
Guided by the principles of results-based management, the Management for Results (M4R) or otherwise known as ‘planning, monitoring and evaluation’ is a cross-cutting function that ensures that the country programme is designed, monitored, managed, and implemented effectively and efficiently to meet programming quality standards and achieve results. To achieve this, M4R will ensure that UNICEF staff and partners have the technical guidance, tools, and resources to adequately plan, implement, monitor, and report on results.
As member of the Management for Results (M4R)’s team, the planning officer (International UNV), will contribute to this effort of strengthening the programme planning and coordination to ensure that UNICEF reaches expected results.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Chief Planning and M&E or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Planning Officer will:
• Provide technical support as necessary to the process of developing and monitoring Annual Work Plans, including reporting on progress of the equity and gender marker as outlined in the Programme Policy and Procedures Guidance.
• Provide technical support as necessary in organising and managing annual & mid-year programme reviews ensuring consistency with objectives and goals set out in the Country Programme Document (CPD) and contribute to the Annual Management Plan (AMP).
• Provide technical support to the Zone offices quarterly planning and progress monitoring to facilitate programme coherence, convergence and intersectoral programme results where appropriate, as part of the coordination of the programme implementation.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency meetings/events on planning and M&E to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on the UNSDCF implementation, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.
• Contribute to strengthening Innovation and knowledge management through identification, capturing, synthesizing and share lessons learned, best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products using appropriate UNICEF channels to improve future programmes and projects.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the supervisor to ensure the success of the team, including guiding, training, and coaching short-term staff, including interns and consultants, as needed.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/expected outputs
• As an active UNICEF team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNICEF and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
Output 5.3: By the end of 2028, stakeholders in the implementation of the cooperation programme have increased capacity to design, implement and ensure effective monitoring of interventions and results for children, including the production and use of quality data, focusing on gender and equity.
• Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed