Research & Knowledge Management

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves. 

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives — being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

The Research and Knowledge Management Officer reports to the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (Polio Eradication Progrmme). Under the guidance and supervision of Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the Research and Knowledge Management will:

• Assist in all research, assessments and evaluation work within the Polio Eradication programme; provide support for quality assurance activities, information collection and analysis, progress reports, minutes, ToRs and communication material, and preparation of agendas for supporting meetings, workshops and training sessions with regard to research and evaluation work at national and provincial level with special attention to the instructions provided pertaining to the quality, ethics and timelines of deliverables.
• Support in coordination with the Polio team, elicitation of information for preparation and regular updates of a well-established Plan for Research for Polio Eradication.
• Support the research and evaluation activities within the National Emergency Operation Center NEOC for Polio.
• Assist in overall Knowledge creation and management within the Polio team and with partners.
• Assist in key deliverables committed in the research, assessment and evaluation workplan by coordinating work with other programme sections wherever required
• Within the delegated authority and the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be accountable for all or assigned areas of the following major duties and end results.

Research Assessments & Evaluation:

• Assist in coordinating, establishing and aligning the major research, assessments and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF Plan for Research and Evaluation for Polio Eradication programme, in consultation with the programmes colleagues.
• Assist Polio programmes team to formulate Terms of Reference and research designs of high-quality research, assessment and evaluation in compliance with the UNICEF quality standards and guidelines.
• Assist in high quality research and evaluation with ethical standards meeting UNICEF quality assurance for research and establishing platforms that could strengthen quality and compliance to ethical standards.
• Based on the programme’s needs identify avenues for research and assessment within the polio programme
• Support in coordination of inception/preparation meetings for research and evaluation; solicitation of feedback on key deliverables; monitoring and ensuring the quality of the field work and data management during the implementation phase.
• Support in tracking and ensuring that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, uploaded, and followed up for implementation.
• Support in sharing all research and evaluations products to UNICEF Social Policy Section.
• Assist in drafting briefs for sharing with colleagues and partners, for informing programme design and for advocacy.

Research and Evaluation Capacity Building:

• Support promotion of awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of research and evaluation functions among all staff members through supporting communication, training, learning and development activities organization-wide.
• Support a range of appropriate skills building strategies including self-learning, seminars and workshops and practical experience in order that UNICEF, UN staff and national partners have the basic knowledge and skills in understanding and applying new M&E policies, tools, methods to fulfil their responsibilities.

Knowledge Creation and Management through Coordination and Networking  :

• Assist in overall Knowledge creation, management and sharing within the Polio team and partners.
• Assist in overall coordination of priority research and evaluation activities in collaboration with the Polio team and partners, as required.
• Provide support in ensuring that current and accurate data and results are included in relevant reports, donor reports, UNICEF annual reports, RAM reports, and knowledge sharing networks.
• Create a platform on the UNICEF SharePoint to share the research and evaluation products.
• Share finding of media assessment, KAP surveys and other research studies with the programme colleagues and make plan follow up on the finding and recommendation.
• Support coordination with NEOC partners on major research, studies and evaluation.

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

The following minimum requirements:

Education:

• A university degree (Bachelor’s) in one of the following fields: social sciences, development, management studies, planning, evaluation, statistics or related fields

Work Experience:

• Minimum of two years professional experience working in the field of research and/or evaluation in the development sector.
• At least one year experience in conducting and managing research.
• Sound knowledge of research methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience in working with multiple stakeholders across government and civil society in the areas of research and evaluation.
• Good coordination and negotiating skills, project management, and time management skills.
• Strong writing and reporting skills.
• Good writing and presentation skills.

Language:

• Fluency in English and Urdu is required.
• Knowledge of other local language is an asset.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/571453