UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, support.

BACKGROUND

UNICEF has been in Sudan since 1952 and provides long-term humanitarian, development and peacebuilding assistance to children and young people, their mothers, families and communities. We target the most vulnerable children, including refugees and internally displaced persons, through lifesaving programmes, especially at the household and community levels; while strengthening systems and working to sustain peace and advocate for respect, dignity and the full realization of children’s rights.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

Under the guidance of the Deputy Representative Programmes, provide professional technical assistance and support for programme design, planning and implementation, and management, especially with regards to integrated and cross-cutting programmes in support of programme goals and objectives. The Programme Officer will be expected to work closely across all teams in Port Sudan and liaison with the field, while also acting as secretariat to statutory programme meetings, including the United Nations Programme Management Team which is chaired by the UNICEF Deputy Representative

How can you make a difference?

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS 

Within the delegated authority and under the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be assigned the primarily, shared, or contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results.

1. Support to programme priority setting and decision making

•  Assist in managing the flow of information to the supervisor, in identifying priority matters that need to be urgently addressed by the supervisor and in proposing actions; analyze supporting documentation and summarize most relevant points for the supervisor; contribute to ensuring that appropriate action is taken by responsible section/division heads on matters brought to the attention of the supervisor.
• Confer with Section Heads to secure timely and authoritative information relevant to matters requiring action, decisions or approval of the supervisor.
• Ensure that the supervisor is prepared for meetings and missions by drafting talking points and by researching relevant information; and by establishing contacts (within and outside UNICEF) on the subject matters to be discussed.
• Accompany the supervisor to meetings and on missions in order to prepare notes on the discussions, ensure follow-up in matters raised, and support the supervisor with any relevant input.
• Contribute to coordinating drafts of position papers and other documents relevant to the activities of the office.
• As part of the front office team, ensure that high-level visitors are appropriately addressed, that they receive background information as  necessary, and that protocol is respected.
• Develop and maintain a monitoring system to store, retrieve and track critical correspondence, decisions, memoranda and other documents of the office.

2. Support to programme development and management

• Provide professional technical assistance in the preparation of strategies, reports, LOUs and TORs for programme development and management by collecting and analyzing data and monitoring implementation progress. Draft or prepare programme work plans as required. Propose adjustments/changes in work plans. Propose program recommendations for inclusion in formal programme documentation, and new approaches, methods and practices for supervisor.
• Collect, draft and/or organize materials and related documentations for office strategies to ensure optimum impact, scale and sustainability of achievements/results.
• Assess and/or recommend appropriate information and materials for office initiatives verifying accuracy and quality for dissemination.

3. Knowledge Management for Programmes

• Manage and coordinate knowledge on UNICEF Sudan’s Country Programmes together with focal points.
• Work with the other KM focal points in sections to organise and promote the use of Microsoft Teams and Sharepoint collaboration sites.
• Provide professional assistance in documenting good practice and lessons learned.

4. Support to events, meetings and conferences

• Prepare, distribute and maintain office event calendars ensuring key organisational and partner events, priorities and deadlines are reflected and updated as required.
• Contribute to preparations of logistics for events involving senior management participation. By participating in such meetings, follow up on the implementation of recommendations and actions by the relevant offices.
• Coordinate preparation of background documents and material for these meetings

 5. Coordination and Supervision

• Supervise the Admin Associate in all of his/her tasks in support of the Deputy Representative and build capacity for career growth and development.
• Coordinate with other members of the front office team providing support to the Representative, the Deputies, and other senior managers as and when needed.

JOB GRADE FACTORS
P2 Grade
• The impact of the actions affects the quality of services, efficiency of processing and delivery, performance of systems and teamwork in support of the country programme. Supervise the work of junior staff.

• Regularly makes recommendations on project implementation, alternative approaches, and optimal utilization of UNICEF resources.
• Work requires understanding of principles and technical knowledge, skills, acquired through formal training at the university level.
• Conduct research, data collection & analysis requiring analytical and conceptual thinking at a professional level.
• The work requires evaluation and analysis of programme implementation, with basic professional technical input into programme design, implementation, evaluation, data analysis and progress reporting.
• Provide briefings, training, support and/or guidance to programme team and others, requiring communication and presentation skills, human relations skills and teamwork.
• The decisions and recommendations are primarily based on interpretation of rules, procedures and methods.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Programme Officer Level 2 Sudan.doc

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

Minimum requirements:

Recruitment Qualifications

1. Education

A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Social Sciences, International Relations, Government, Public Administration, Public Policy, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or another relevant technical field.

2. Experience

A minimum of two years of relevant professional work experience is required.

Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.

Background/familiarity with emergency is considered as an asset.

3. Language Requirements

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

 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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

4.  UNICEF values and competency Required (based on the updated Framework)

i) Core Values

Care
Respect
Integrity
Trust
Accountability
ii) Core Competencies (For Staff with Supervisory Responsibilities)

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)
Drive to achieve impactful results (2)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be 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 canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.