Adolescent Development Specialist: Youth Engagement at UNICEF

Job No: 547634
Contract Type: Fixed Term Appointment
Level: NO-3
Categories: Adolescent Development

For Every Child, a Champion

• Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU Nigeria) is a public-private-youth partnership platform established to support adolescents and youth successfully transition from learning to earning. GenU Nigeria's goal is to support 20 M youth, aged 10-24, access to job related 21st Century skills and/or employment by 2030.
• GenU crowds in public and private partners as well as young people with the aim to co-create innovative solutions to be implemented by all partners for results at scale. It is a powerful partnership platform focused on unlocking all existing in-country, regional and global investments in support of empowering youth to play a positive role in their societies and the global economy. It unleashes the voices of young people, creates synergies between major actors and accelerates momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
• GenU Nigeria gives a special focus to adolescent girls and boys, young women and men and young people with specific needs, especially those at greater risk of being left behind, such as youth living with disabilities, young people on the move, young people affected by conflict and natural disasters, rural youth and youth from poor backgrounds.
• GenU Nigeria is committed to taking urgent action today so young people have the support they need to assume leadership roles tomorrow.
• To have maximum impact, GenU will focus on three priorities:
  • Digital skills and access to data:
    • Connectivity and digital learning
    • Workplace readiness, and
    • Youth engagement.
• With a view to ensure that schools and communities are connected to the internet and have access to data (through local hubs – school to school connectivity, etc.) with the support of GenU partners, such as GIGA, IHS, Airtel, MTN, etc.; adolescent girls and boys are supported to complete primary and secondary education with meaningful learning/skilling outcomes, including digital skills and out-of-school children (adolescent mothers, youth from poor households, youth living with disabilities, youth living in areas affected by conflict, youth on the mover, etc.) are supported to obtain accredited, flexible learning opportunities, including digital skills, and become active agents of community changes.

How Can You Make a Difference?

• The Adolescent Development Specialist (Youth Engagement) reports to the (Chief of Field office P5) for guidance and general supervision.
• The Specialist provides support to the GenU Secretariat Team and country office colleagues and internal and external partners and stakeholders throughout the programming processes by providing technical, administrative and operational support to ensure that adolescent development and participation and child rights established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/framework and UN intergovernmental bodies, are integrated in UNICEF’s advocacy, policies, programmes and humanitarian work.
• The Specialist contributes to achievement of concrete and sustainable results on adolescent development related programmes/projects according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

Main Responsibilities and Tasks

• Support to programmes development and planning
• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
• Technical and operational support to programme implementation
• Networking and partnership building
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building.

To Qualify as an Advocate For Every Child You Will Have

• An Advanced University Degree in one of the following fields is required: Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Education or another relevant technical field.
• A Bachelor’s Degree with additional two years of relevant work experience may be accepted.
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in social development planning and management in adolescent development related areas is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Skills and Work Experience:

• Specialised training in youth, gender, diversity, community leadership and engagement, entrepreneurship, innovation and social, behavioural change is an asset.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, public speaking, presentation, writing, critical thinking and analytical skills.

For Every Child, You Demonstrate
UNICEF's core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA), and:

Core Competencies:

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness
• Works Collaboratively with others
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships
• Innovates and Embraces Change
• Thinks and Acts Strategically
• Drives to achieve impactful results
• Manages ambiguity and complexity.