Programme and Planning Specialist (P-3), FT, PG, Nutrition and Child Development, New York #00103431

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.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, … social change,

Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020-2030 sets forth UNICEF’s vision: a world where all children, adolescents and women realize their right to nutrition. UNICEF’s nutrition programmes aim to prevent child malnutrition in all its forms across the life cycle, and to ensure the early detection and treatment of children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition when prevention efforts fall short.

UNICEF’s Nutrition Strategy calls for a systems approach to improving nutrition outcomes through the implementation of nutrition-specific interventions across five systems: food, health, water and sanitation, education, and social protection. These systems have the greatest potential to deliver on the Strategy’s goal to protect and promote nutritious diets, essential nutrition services, and positive nutrition practices that support optimal nutrition for all children, everywhere.

With the largest nutrition workforce globally, UNICEF is continuously striving to attract highly qualified, professional and diverse talent to contribute to the delivery of the Nutrition Strategy.

 How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Senior Adviser, Nutrition (Governance and Partnerships), Child Nutrition and Development, the Programme Planning and Partnerships Specialist will support the planning, partnerships and knowledge management/communication functions of the Child Nutrition and Development team.

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

Programme Planning & Reviews

• Support work planning and review processes of the section by providing clear guidelines, tracking decisions, and facilitating follow-up actions.
• Assure quality of work plans including accuracy of coding.
• Organize and implement milestone events including mid- and end-year reviews, engaging other stakeholders as necessary.
• Coordinate planning activities and develop tools to improve team efficiency.
• Contribute to strategic planning milestones including the OMP, Mid-Term Review and UNICEF’s annual/mid-year reports including the Annual Results Assessment Report (RAM), Executive Director’s Annual Report (EDAR) and the Nutrition Chapter of the 2023 Goal Area 1 Annual Results Report: Every Child Survives and Thrives (GARR).
• Monitor key performance indicators and results, aggregating data to support analyses in collaboration with operations and finance focal point.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of planning documents and reports, adhering to organizational standards and guidelines.

Knowledge Management and Dissemination

• Strengthen existing mechanisms and tools to share and communicate knowledge on Child Nutrition and Development
• Develop and maintain an internal, searchable database of global knowledge products at global level.
• Set up Knowledge@UNICEF to share UNCEF technical documents with internal and external audiences.
• Promote and support the consistent use of social networking and social media platforms by UNICEF technical experts to share UNICEF’s knowledge productss with country, regional, and global audiences.

Management Support and Partnerships Coordination

• Coordinate technical inputs into UNICEF corporate reports, strategy docs, proposals and briefing notes.
• Help establish appropriate and effective management information systems and processes to support management implementation and monitoring.
• Develop and implement procedures for smooth liaison with OED, PG and HQ divisions, and coordinate timely responses.
• Facilitate Long Term Agreements clarifying sourcing strategy, review process, contract negotiations to ensure best value for money, and manage the submission and approval process.
• Compile and review programme documentation for the development of the Annual Management Plan.
• Support stakeholders interpret and apply UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices and related issues to enhance programme management, implementation and delivery of results.

The following minimum requirements:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in strategic planning, partnerships management, and knowledge management, including at international level.
• Experience in a developing country is an asset.
• Experience in working with complex programme coordination activities.
• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered an asset.

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
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others

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 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 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:

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

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.

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.

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.

This post is subject to PBR approval.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.