Latest Vacancies at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

How Can You Make a Difference?

• The Health Specialist reports to the Chief of Field Office for guidance and general supervision. The Health Specialist will lead the health portfolio of the UNICEF Sokoto Field  Office, working  closely with State Ministry of Health (SMoH) , State Primary Health Care development Agency (SPHCDA) and partners for effective coordination and implementation of the Primary Health Care (PHC) PHC MoU Health System Strengthening work plans in three States (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara), and will lead the design, implementation and oversight of  other key health interventions as per UNICEF workplan, including improving maternal, adolescent  and child health outcomes,  prepare and respond to public health emergencies, and reducing the number zero-dose children.  
• The Health Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), organizational Strategic Plans and goals, standards of performance, and accountability framework.

Summary of Key Functions / Accountabilities
Support to Programme Development and Planning:

• Lead the health team in strategic program design, evidence generation, partnership coordination and representation of the health program in the State.
• Participate in strategic programme discussions on the planning of health programmes, with a  focus on strategies to strengthen the health system and PHC,  and address health  inequities, including gender disparities
• Formulate, design and prepare a sector of the health programme proposal, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, the Country Programme, as well as coherence/integration with the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), regional strategies, and national priorities, plans and competencies.
• Provide support to the State Government in developing its annual work plan and getting it approved by State Government Leadership
• Ensure close coordination with  Social Behavior Change (SBC) colleagues for effective demand generation and social mobilization including increasing uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, and in general routine immunization
• Provide technical assistance to the development of good quality State and LGA annual equity-focused operational plans and their review
• Support and advocate for the design of equity-informed strategies and interventions targeting reduction number of under and un-immunized children and communities, including through leveraging on supportive supervision, micro-planning, RI-SMS and Post-SIA monitoring and campaign data
• Work closely with relevant colleagues, UN partners and State Government in developing and management of the Delivery as One annual work plan in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara  States.
• Coordinate with colleagues, relevant partners, and the State Government in developing and implementing the Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for any disease outbreak and the humanitarian crisis.

Programme Management, Monitoring and Delivery of Results:

• Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector in health programmes.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Ensure quarterly fund allocations based on utilization and compliance with achievement of programmatic and accountability framework goals for the implementation of the State's PHC MOU HSS operational plans as per the agreed counterpart funding arrangement
• Ensure timely implementation of the Nigeria Country Office priorities (health section) as well as Sokoto Field Office priorities, including strengthening the health system with a focus on PHC and affordable access to health services (including cash-transfers and health insurance);  responding to public health emergencies including circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) ; reducing the number of zero-dose children; increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage; strengthening cold chain and vaccine logistics management; and improving maternal and child health outcomes by strengthening community structures. A gender -transformative approach and human-rights based approaches must underpin all health interventions.
• Ensure the monitoring framework of key results is regularly updated and key deliverables are achieved
• Hands on experience to generate and utilize both primary and secondary data in lieu time to inform program improvement design or redesign.

Technical and Operational Support to Programme Implementation:

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices and approaches on health-related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation and delivery of results.
• Lead technically the health team in Sokoto Field Office to design, coordinate, implement and monitor health interventions, with a  focus on increasing access and utilization of responsive health services, including strengthening  service delivery, reduce barriers to access (financial, socio-cultural), and collaborating with other UNICEF sections in Sokoto filed office to maximize opportunities to improve maternal, adolescent  and child health outcomes (i.e., nutrition, Social Behavior Change)
• Participate in discussions with State partners and stakeholders to promote health and development issues, especially in the areas of gender, equity,  emergency preparedness, maternal and neonatal health, immunization and child survival and development
• Support the documentation, reporting and sharing of innovations, success stories and programme activities related to health including emergency response in the assigned State
• Support integration of COVID-19 vaccination with RI services and Non-Polio SIAs subject to national policy decision
• Participate in emergency preparedness and response initiatives for programme development, contingency planning and/or to respond to emergencies in states

Networking and Partnership Building:

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector and non-health sector (i.e., Sate Ministry of Planning and Budget, State Health Insurance Authority) government counterparts, national stakeholders, as well as global partners, allies, donors, and academia. Through active networking, advocacy and effective communication, build capacity and exchange knowledge and expertise to facilitate the achievement of programme goals on child rights, social justice and equity.
• Prepare communication and information materials for FO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes (maternal, neonatal and child survival and development).

Innovation, Knowledge Management and Capacity Building:

• Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders, and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Keep abreast and conduct research to provide evidence for implementation of best and cutting-edge practices in health.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders to promote sustainable results on health-related programmes/projects.
• Support the documentation, reporting and sharing of innovations, success stories and programme activities related to health including emergency response in the assigned State

Requirements
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• An Advanced University Degree in Public Health / Nutrition, Paediatric Health, Family Health, Health Research, Global / International Health, Health Policy and/or Management, Epidemiology or other health related science.
• An Advanced University Degree in a Social Sciences field or other field related to the work of UNICEF.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in public health/nutrition planning and management and/or in relevant areas of maternal and neonatal health care, Primary Health Care and health system strengthening, health emergency/humanitarian preparedness, at the international level.
• Relevant experience in health/nutrition program/project development and management in any UN system agency or organization is an asset
• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset

For Every Child, you Demonstrate…

• UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF Competencies Required for this post are:

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

go to method of application »

Job No.: 552607
Level: Consultancy
Contract Type: Consultancy
Categories: Social Policy

How Can you make a difference?

• Governments undertake Situation Analyses of Children and Women which contribute to national research and knowledge on children and women and form the basis for development of Country Programmes between governments and UNICEF.
• However, the absence of a comprehensive rights based SitAn which provides an analytical approach to understanding of the situation of children in Gombe state and an analysis of the gender and equity issues that continue to determine and, in many cases, hinder the realisation of positive outcomes for children remains a major gap.
• This will realise a SitAn that will bridge this gap and guide prioritisation of interventions for children by government and non-governmental actors and help to remove the bottlenecks to the realisation of child’s rights in the State.
• The SitAn report will therefore highlight strategic entry points in the national development process that will reduce disparities and address children vulnerability and contribute to shaping the national development agenda while accelerating the achievement of national and international development goals for children.
• A SitAn, conducted with respect to children’s and women’s rights or critical issues affecting their realisation, serves to increase understanding and to identify necessary remedial actions.
• The process is used to understand the causes of and linkages between problems affecting children and how a state’s human, social, economic and organisational resources and structures (including its laws, policies and institutions) can contribute to solving these problems.
• The SitAn flags disparities (geographic, ethnic, gender, etc.) that may be the cause of inequities in child outcomes and shed light on potential solutions to address them.
• By focusing on the key knowledge gaps related to inequities and child deprivations, and promoting the broad engagement of all stakeholders, the SitAn is intended to make an important contribution to shaping national development strategies to accelerate achievement of the child-related goals with equity”.
• The SitAn is meant primarily to be analytical, establishing causalities of non-realisation of child’s rights and responsible actors for realising the rights and making positive changes in the lives and well-being of children and women in the State.
• Reaching the SDG targets with equity, moreover, requires all development partners to intensify efforts to monitor programmes that serve the most disadvantaged children.
• By refocusing on equity, the SitAn will systematically examine patterns of inequities in the realisation of child’s rights including understanding their immediate, underlying, and structural causes.
• It is expected that this process will be done while ensuring involvement of all national stakeholders including MDAs, International partners, NGOs, private sector, media and communities.
• The process will build consensus on the status of indicators, analytical results including the use of nationally and internationally recognised data and standards. The process will be led by the Budget, Planning and Development Partner Coordination Office with involvement of national stakeholders including MDAs, civil society, international partners children and women.
• This is important for its effective contribution in guiding policy and strategy formulation, budget allocation, programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Thus, stakeholders’ involvement will be strategically planned and managed throughout the process.
• Given that a comprehensive SitAn is an effective foundation and platform of design for coherent public policy and effective public finance management, ensuring equitable access to essential social services and child-friendly cities, UNICEF seeks to recruit a national Consultant to support the realisation of SitAn in Gombe State substantively

Purpose, Scope and Objectives of the Analysis

• The general objective is to enable Gombe State to have a comprehensive situation analysis of children in the State by December 2021.
• The SitAn will provide an evidence-based analytical report on the situation of children in the State that would serve as a reference document to improve the understanding of all stakeholders, including decision-makers and other partners on the current status of child’s rights in the State, the causes of shortfalls and inequities.
• It would then help develop effective and efficient policy and programmatic interventions and serve as a powerful tool to guide advocacy, ensuring child’s right advancement in the State and the country.
• To achieve these aims, the SitAn will carefully examine what drives, sustains and in some cases worsens deprivations of the rights of children and young people and what actors and structures enable the progressive, steady realisation of rights for all children, adolescents and young people across the State.
• These general objectives will be attained through the following specific objectives:
• Identify trends, patterns, incidence, and causes of critical deprivations (e.g. child mortality, stunting, low levels of birth registration, low school enrolment, and achievement or violence against children), disaggregated by relevant segments of the population.
• Also, identify the trends in inequities of outcomes among different groups of children, adolescents, and women using the most recent data and evidence from research and evaluation.
• Identify and analyze barriers and bottlenecks that prevent the most vulnerable children and families from benefiting from required interventions and services, including the social, political, and economic conditions that result in shortfalls in creating an enabling environment for the realisation of children’s rights.
• Analyse the extent to which gender inequalities and the fulfillment/non-fulfilment of women's rights affect overall inequalities and deprivations, including those affecting children, adolescents and young people.
• Assess the current or potential presence of emergency risks, including conflict, disaster risks, and other potential shocks; the likelihood of their occurrence, the underlying vulnerabilities, the nature of the hazard and the particularly vulnerable groups that will be affected.
• The capacities and coping mechanisms of families, communities, local and national institutions to mitigate these risks and deal with shocks should also be assessed.
• Analyse the adequacy of the policy and legislative frameworks for child rights at state levels and the extent to which the evidence-based interventions and services needed to address deprivations are prioritised in state policies, laws, strategies, plans and budgets and supported by partners.
• This would include an analysis of the extent to which there is an enabling environment for the realisation of the rights of all children, including the promotion of positive social norms and behaviours, organisation of services, institutional capacities at national, sub-national and community levels. This analysis will focus on existing and potential partnerships with the private sector and media.
• Develop specific and actionable recommendations for how the gaps and bottlenecks could be addressed to improve the situation of women and children in the State.
• The SitAn will be conducted under the guidance of a steering committee and through four (4) thematic groups. A national consultant will support the entire process including supporting State’s government in drafting the report.

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

• Advanced Degree in Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Development Studies), Economics / Statistics, Law, or related fields relevant for the assignment
• At least 5 years of research and other relevant professional experience
• Knowledge and demonstrated experience with Human Rights Based Approach to Programming
• Excellent drafting skills in English
• Good computer skills (Word, Excel, Power Point);
• Experience in policy and budget analysis, including poverty reduction policies and in child poverty analysis) is an asset
• Experience of having participated previously in a Situation Analysis or proven experience in writing analytical papers on children and gender issues will be a major advantage
• Knowledge of at least one main local language of the State is important
• Experience in working with UN/UNICEF or other international organisations will be considered as an advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

• UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).