UNICEF | Programme Officer

Job no: 498276
Work type: Fixed Term Staff
Location: State of Palestine
Categories: Child Protection, Education, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)

Purpose for the job

The Programme Officer is accountable for providing professional expertise and assistance in information/data collection and analysis, monitoring and reporting, preparation of reports, communication, advocacy and partnership. The Programme Officer supports overall coordination and management of projects, including programme/project formulation, design, planning and management, with a focus on integrated multi-sector programming. He/she will monitor the achievement of results across programmes (water sanitation and hygiene, education & adolescents, child protection, health and nutrition, social protection and inclusion). He/she will also provide technical guidance and develop local capacity of key stakeholders. The Programme Officer also supports Communication for Development interventions in the design, formulation, management, execution, monitoring and evaluation of a behavioural change and social mobilization strategy, plan of action and programme activities in support of the country programme.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS

Situation Monitoring and Assessment

Provide technical support to ensure that the Country Office and national partners have timely and accurate measurement of change in conditions in the country or region, including monitoring of socio-economic trends and the country's wider policy, economic or institutional context, to facilitate planning and to draw conclusions about the impact of programmes or policies. Monitor the situation of children, including grave violations of child rights, document, report and contribute to advocacy, in coordination with partners.

Duties & Tasks

-In coordination with other stakeholders, support the collection of indicators to improve integrated national planning. Support management of available baseline information on national statistics and key indicators through established databases for easy access and use.
-Monitor grave violations against children, especially in the fields of education and child protection. Prepare reports on the status of children's and women's human rights issues, and provide a technical support to global reporting obligations including national reports on progress toward the SDGs, toward CRC fulfilment, and toward CEDAW fulfilment. Keep monitoring the situation of children's and women's rights with national partners and keep updated with the information of the quality research that address issues and challenges affecting children and their families.
-Coordinate with the Country Office and partners and provide assistance in their using up-to-date information in, inter alia, Situation Analysis, Common Country Assessment, Early Warning Monitoring Systems, Annual Reviews, Mid-Term Reviews, and Annual Reports or other progress reports.
-In humanitarian response situations, provide technical support for a rapid assessment (inter-agency or independently if necessary) to be carried out within the first 48-72 hours. Provide rapid and accurate information on emergency programme's coverage, coordination and coherence in close collaboration with partners and in line with the core commitment on children (CCCs).
-Provide technical support to ensure that the CO has information necessary for UNICEF to effectively report on and advocate for children's rights through the appropriate channels and to enhance partnerships with key players in monitoring collectively progress on child focused international commitments, including MDGs.
-Support the CO in collecting and interpreting existing early warning data effectively to guide the adjustment of programmes and operational approaches when and as country contexts deteriorate.
     
Partnership and capacity building

Develop and enhance strong partnerships with community groups, leaders, UN Agencies, INGOs, NGOs and other partners to monitor the situation of children, to design and implement integrated multi-sector programmes, to advocate and to promote the participation in social and behavioural changes. Provide technical support to ensure that the capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society – are strengthened enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation processes, particularly in the fields of education and child protection.

Duties & Tasks

-Develop partnerships with various stakeholders, including Government officials, UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs/CBOs, schools, religious groups, youth organizations and other organized groups in the community, as well as civil society organizations, to orient them on country programme goals and to solicit their involvement in the implementation of the country programme.
-Promote a better understanding of children's and women's issues by assisting in or  managing a country level behaviour change and social mobilization strategy supportive of effective and efficient programme delivery.
-Promote and influence behaviour development/change at individual/ household levels, social mobilization of civil society organizations and increased community participation in development programmes.
-Contribute to facilitate that Evaluation capacity of national partner organisations is strengthened through their involvement in evaluation processes and possibly through specific capacity building initiatives.
-Contribute to liaise with knowledge institutions to seek partnerships for the identification of capacity gaps and the development of strategies to address them, with a focus on integrated multi-sector programming.

Programme Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

Coordinate with partners to ensure effective implementation of programmes/projects, in line with signed Work Plans and Project Cooperation Agreements, as well as UNICEF rules and regulations. Provide technical support to ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans. Monitor and evaluate programme activities and prepare monitoring and evaluation reports. Exchange findings, experiences, lessons learned and new methods with partners. Prepare inputs into mid-year and annual reviews, as well as annual reports.

Duties & Tasks

-Oversee implementation and monitoring of integrated multi-sector programmes, jointly with partners. Programme funds and supplies are optimally used. Programme reports are prepared as required. Briefing notes are prepared, and visits are facilitated.
-Provide technical support to ensure that monitoring system are in place and that key annual programme indicators are tracked and analysed, including those related to partnerships initiative, and provided regularly to the Country Management Team/ Senior Management Team to guide programme and management decisions.
-Carry out data collection and analysis from field visits, standardising them across programmes, to feed into to programme performance monitoring across all sectors, and with a focus on education and child protection. Monitor the use of funds and supplies, and make recommendations as needed.
-Contribute to the effective implementation of the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) assurance plan.
-Analyze and evaluate data to ensure compliance and achievement of objectives and recommend corrective action, when necessary, to meet programme/project objectives. Prepares monitoring and evaluation reports in accordance with the established guidelines, methods and procedures. Provides technical advice to programme staff, government officials and other counterparts to coordinate and manage the evaluative elements of country programme milestone meetings, such as mid-term reviews, strategy meetings, previews and reviews and annual reviews.

Compile monitoring and evaluation information/data, and make them available to programme/planning sections. Contribute to the preparation of management reports (e.g., relevant sections of the annual reports), drawing on monitoring and analysis of key management indicators. Assist in the preparation of reports on systemic issues, good practices or any other analysis or data related to programme implementation and/or evaluation, including programme's performance, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and

-sustainability; as well as good practices in partnerships and collaborative relationships.

-Make professional contributions to and provide technical assistance for the planning and establishing the major research, monitoring and evaluation activities in the Integrated M&E Plan. Participate in management studies and support/participate in thematic/strategic evaluations to improve development & organizational effectiveness. Support and contribute to effectively joint evaluations with developmental partners, including joint evaluation of UNICEF or of multi-partner programs, across all sectors.
-In humanitarian response situations, within the first month, draft and recommend a simple one-month data-collection plan to cover key data gaps as required for the initial emergency response, working in close collaboration with the humanitarian clusters partners. Provides technical support and assistance in the development, management and facilitation of the implementation of programme communication strategy, plan of action and activities for strategic communication and promotion for social and behavioural change in support of country programme delivery.

Duties & Tasks

-Programme communication for development and implementation for behavioural change
-Provide technical support and assistance in the development, management and facilitation of the implementation of programme communication strategy, plan of action and activities for strategic communication and promotion for social and behavioural change in support of country programme delivery.
-Contribute to the development, management and facilitation of the implementation of communication policy, strategy and plans of action aiming at general public and service providers through: (a) behaviour development/change at individual/household levels; (b) social mobilization of civil society organizations; and (c) increased community participation in development programmes for positive social change.
-Make viable recommendations on operational strategies, approach, plans, methods and procedures in the areas of participatory communication, social mobilization and behaviour change and on appropriate materials and media to reach target audiences.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

-University degree in social sciences, international relations, government, public administration, public policy, social policy, social development, community development, or other relevant disciplines, with specialized training in conflict resolution
-Two years of relevant professional work experience, including international and developing country work experience, in programme design, planning and implementation
-Background/familiarity with Emergency.
-Fluency in English and local working language of the duty

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

- Commitment
- Diversity and inclusion
- Integrity

Core competencies

- Communication
- Working with people
- Drive for results

Functional Competencies

- Formulating Strategies and Concepts
- Analyzing
- Applying Technical Expertise
- Learning and Researching
- Planning and Organizing

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.