Programme Officer (Generation Unlimited) at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (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 fulfil their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: Programme Officer (Generation Unlimited)

Job Number: 528008
Location: Abuja
Work Type: Temporary Appointment

Details
While in many ways young people today live in a world of unlimited potential, mass connectivity, enhanced mobility and unprecedented technological progress, too many children and young people in Nigeria are being left behind. A changing global economy is putting an onus on them to acquire skills aligned with dynamic labour needs at a time when the education system is struggling to deliver better learning outcomes for young people. The skills needed in the workforce are also in transition. Digitalization, technological change and automation make many jobs vulnerable while also creating new opportunities for young people with adaptable knowledge and skills. As young people face these realities, we are also learning more about the critical importance of the adolescent years, which shape a range of outcomes and skills formation-from brain development to psychosocial skills and executive function. For adolescents and young people, empowerment and the opportunity to have their voices heard and participate in the decisions that affect their lives are particularly important for their well-being. When young people are prepared, and empowered, they can use their energy, creativity and talent to turn an uncertain landscape into a world of opportunity-for themselves and us all.

Generation Unlimited is a new partnership platform established to help adolescents and young people succeed. Generation Unlimited's goal is to make sure that every young person aged 10-24 is in some form of school, learning, training or employment by 2030. It brings together public and private partners and young people-to identify and scale solutions, unlock investments and empower all young people to play a positive role in their societies. It unleashes the voices of young people, creates synergies between major global actors and accelerates momentum towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Generation Unlimited focuses on adolescent girls and boys, young men and women and all young people, especially those in the greatest danger of being left behind-girls, the poor, young people with disabilities, young people on the move, and young people affected by conflict and natural disasters. Generation Unlimited is dedicated to taking urgent action today so young people have the support they need to assume leadership roles tomorrow.

Generation Unlimited focuses on identifying, co-creating and supporting solutions that have the potential to deliver results at scale for young people, especially those in the greatest danger of being left behind. To have maximum impact, Generation Unlimited will focus on three priorities:

Secondary-age education:

• Adolescent girls and boys need support, so they can complete primary and secondary education with meaningful learning outcomes.
• This support should include accredited and flexible learning opportunities for those who cannot attend regular school.
• Efforts need to begin with the most disadvantaged such as adolescent girls, adolescents from poor households, adolescents with disabilities and adolescents who live in conflict situations or who are on the move.

Skills for learning, employability and decent work:

• Young people, especially young women, should have access to opportunities to develop skills for learning, employability and active citizenship.
• They also need support as they transition from education to work. Examples of support include apprenticeships and internships. They will need digital and technological skills for the workforce of the future and for emerging economies.

Empowerment, with a focus on girls:

• Adolescent girls, boys and other young people need support to understand their rights and build their own assets and agency to make life choices.
• This includes opportunities to civically engage, including digitally, and to voice their opinions on issues that affect them. When they start at a disadvantage, girls need extra support to build lifelong assets like networks, capital, knowledge, skills and self-belief.

How can you make a difference?

• Under the supervision of the Programme Specialist, the incumbent will support UNICEF's catalytic role in the development of Generation Unlimited in Nigeria, will also support in defining priorities that resonate with young Nigerians and building a coalition of contributing stakeholders (including UNICEF) based on their respective comparative advantage.

Key Expected Results:

• Support the design and implementation of Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge using a dynamic model that brings together young Nigerians to design innovative new solutions to support education, employment and empowerment issues with the potential for scale and attract private sector investments;
• Support the establishment of a high-level National Generation Unlimited coordinating body with a strong youth engagement and civic participation strategy comprised of influential young Nigerians including celebrities, philanthropists and youth experts to ensure the design, implementation, social accountability and the strategic alignment and coordination around Generation Unlimited objectives alongside exploring linkages with the African Union and their 10 million by 2021 initiative;
• Support the development of GenU Nigeria blueprint and roll-out strategy with an operational plan to reflect priorities of young Nigerians aged 10-24 which will prepare every young person to become productive and an engaged citizen by being in some form of school, learning, training or employment by 2030;
• Support the process of building partnerships between national and local youth organizations to draw on collective expertise, planning and investment to support young people's meaningful participation, communication and advocacy (e.g. through dialogues, workshops and conferences) equipping them as problem-solvers & engaged members of society, helping to create a better world;
• Support the mapping, diagnostic and landscape analysis process plus national programme design to understand with absolute clarity the existing landscape as it pertains to school-to-work transitions, career counselling, and youth engagement to better strengthen the feedback loop between employers, education systems and young people;
• Support the stakeholder engagement process with development partners, government, specialized agencies, foundations, NGOs and private sector alongside young people engagement to contribute to Generation Unlimited Nigeria based on their respective comparative advantage to expand opportunities for the empowerment and meaningful engagement of adolescents and young people and identify innovative, cutting-edge solutions for and with young people that are ready to be taken to scale;
• Support mobilization and leverage resources and strategic partnerships to integrate key components of the Generation Unlimited initiative into existing strategies, programmes and frameworks.

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

• A university degree in one of the following fields is required: International Development, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Education or another relevant field.
• A minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience, at the national and international working with children and marginalized youth in the global south, including on adolescent/youth/community engagement and innovation.
• Specialized training in areas such as 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.
• Fluency in English.
• Previous experience in Africa is essential.
• Experience in working with teams.
• Good computer skills with software proficiency in Windows, Microsoft Office Suit (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote).

Core Values (Required):

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

 Core competencies (Required):

• Communication [II]
• Drive for Results [I]
• Working with People [I]

Functional Competencies (Required):

• Planning and Organizing [II]
• Formulating Strategies and Concept [I]
• Relating and Networking [I]

For every Child, you demonstrate…

• UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are:

• View our competency framework at: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

Application Closing Date
3rd December, 2019 by 23:55:00 GMT+0100 (West Africa Standard Time).

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
• 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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.