Youth Engagement Officer, NO-A, Cotonou, Benin,# 126581

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, [insert tagline]

How can you make a difference?

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

• University degree in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, International Relations, International Development, Sociology or another related field.
• At least one (1) year of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in advocacy, campaigning, programme implementation and communication focused on young people is required.
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  Experience in leading the development and implementation of gender-sensitive youth engagement strategies, with specific, measurable and timebound objectives and performance indicators.
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  Proven experience in deploying a range of advocacy and communication tactics for young people, vulnerable youth and girls in particular.
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  Experience in building and maintaining a network of stakeholders, and in working with coalitions.
  Strong communicator with emphasis on being able to present complex ideas in succinct, engaging ways through campaign narratives and creative tactics.
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  Experience in managing social media accounts and contributing to other forms of digital media.
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  Excellent communication skills (writing, speaking) to write impactful articles, stories, reports.
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  Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including budget management and monitoring and evaluation of results.
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  Knowledge of children’s rights, public policy, international development and humanitarian issues.
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  Knowledge of child safeguarding and ethics of working with children and youth.
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  Experience working in a developing and emergency environment and designing and implementing youth programming in response to emergencies and to promote social cohesion.
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  Experience coordinating, collaborating or implementing U-Report-related activities and programmes.
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  Experience using Rapidpro and other related software/platforms for two-way communication mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience using data and statistics (surveys, polls, focus groups, etc) to inform policy and decision-makers.
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  Experience in advocacy at the international level is an asset.
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  Experience in training and facilitation is an asset.
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  Experience in managing remote teams or coordinating groups, including groups of youth, will be considered an asset.
• Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of a local language is 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

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

[add the 8^th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for supervisory role]

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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 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 promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

[Remove below text if not a child safeguarding elevated risk role]

[If applicable] This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is:a role with direct contact with children, works directly with children, is a safeguarding response role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) applies.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable [Insert diversity profile] are encouraged to apply.

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also 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 cancelled.

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.

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

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.