For every child, innovation.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Senior Innovation Manager, the Programme Manager Yoma will provide advanced technical assistance, coordination/administrative support, quality assurance and knowledge generation/management and partnership building services to the scaling of yoma in Africa and beyond.

1. Enhance the programmatic linkage between Yoma and UNICEF programming to facilitate relevance and scaling within UNICEF

• Engage with Country Offices to foster adoption and adaptation of the concept of Yoma to their country context.
• Review programmatic priorities at country levels to identify entry points for youth agency through yoma and provide strategic orientation
• Develop templates, general costings and playbooks for easing adaptation and adoption of Yoma. While the actual implementation of yoma remains the responsibility of the Country Office the Manager will support the decision making and roll-out processes.
• Lead on the UNICEF internal management of processes aiming at facilitating country offices participation. This could include framework contracts, PCAs, Long Term Agreements, etc.
• Support the conceptual development of the Youth for Children (Y4C) approach and its potential roll-out.

 2. Provide support to monitoring, strategic learning and evidence generation

• Lead the process of documenting lessons learned during the expansion of yoma and faciliating peer learning processes and compiling experiences gained at various levels;
• Facilitate the dialogue around the strategic relevance of yoma for UNICEF programming and keep in contact with different relevant innovation initiatives.
• Lead the promotion of evidence generated with respect to green Yoma (i.e. catalyzing youth agency around the environment) ensuring mutual learning with relevant global initiatives such as the OoI’s work around youth and climate change

3. Manage programmes related to Yoma

• Lead on the development of bi-annual costed rolling workplans for the Yoma ecosystem
• Manage programmatic dimensions linked to the scaling of Yoma, including the facilitation of all administrative processes. Take a pro-active role to ensure that targets and timelines are met and that the interventions optimize benefits for youth.

• Monitor the overall deepening and expansion of yoma and the achievement of its objectives in terms of scaling and impact by:  Keeping track of individual country requests and their action; Maintaining an overall dashboard containing disaggregated data compiling different initiatives.
• Lead on the preparation of funding proposals that allow for yoma scaling.

• Ensure the linkage between operational research and implementation both in the conceptual and implementation stages. Make sure that lessons learned and documented and disseminated.
• Strengthen dimensions related to the learning to earning agenda and coordinate closely with relevant colleagues and initiatives in UNICEF.  Ensure that job readiness and entrepreneurial dimensions are catered for.
• Contribute to the technical dimensions of green yoma, such as the establishment of appropriate and effective data oracles that allow an automated assessment of impact of youth climate action.
• Establish data collection and monitoring frameworks that allow progressively to measure the contribution of Yoma to UNICEF programmatic activities.
• Provide technical oversight to the development and maintenance of the tech platform and explore possible technological innovations that could enhance the achievement of Yoma’s results,

4. Strengthen strategic learning and knowledge generation

•  Lead on efforts to generate knowledge and lessons learned.
• Documenting lessons learned during the expansion of yoma and faciliating peer learning processes through compilation of experiences gained at various levels
• Staying abreast of strategic developments in related areas (such as GIGA, learning to earning, etc.)
• Keeping contact with the innovation fund and its awardees; also supporting the generation and dissemination of evidence on cost-effective approaches and models to youth engagement.

5. Provide event coordination and management support

• Organize, facilitate or participate in meetings and workshops/seminars related to scaling of yoma
• Support to regional office management processes and for other section duties, as agreed with the supervisor.
• Support the preparation and organization of the Steering Committee meetings

Key expected Results

1. Develop together with the education section a plan to roll-out the Youth 4 Children strategy and implement its first pilots (Q1)
2. Building on Accenture’s assessment, provide a strategic and costed plan regarding the further tech development and tech integration across the yoma ecosystem (Q1)
3. Integration of a functional Micro-task platform into the yoma ecosystem with availability of social and environmental impact jobs (Q2)
4. Oversee the submission of the next funding proposal to Fondation Botnar due by 31 July 2024 (Q2)
5. Management of Yoma contractual arrangements is streamlined and contractual needs of country offices are met by maintaining or developing LTAs and PCAs.

Bi-annual costed rolling work plan for Yoma is updated with all stakeholders (Q3) corresponding SMART indicators defined and regularly updated using a dashboard function

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social studies, business management, engineering, or a related field (Master or above).
• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional work experience in programme/project management at an international level, some of which in a developing country.
• *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Proven track record in managing and administering resources and the contractual arrangements necessary to support implementation.
• Track record in innovation and youth engagement.
• Track record in managing innovative technological solutions.
• Strong fundraising ability and experience in partner management.
• Experience of working with a UN organisation is an asset as is previous work experience with UNICEF

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.

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:

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

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.