Gender & Development Specialist (Adolescent Girls’ Rights), (P-3), WCARO, Dakar, Senegal #103593

The Adolescent Girls’ Rights Specialist will provide technical support around the implementation and follow up to the WCAR Girl-Intentional Approach to both UNICEF country offices and regional office sectors, with a principal focus on the Sahel, including the five Sahelian countries implementing the Building Resilience in the Sahel (BRS) Programme. S/he will also play a role in working with adolescent and gender specialists or focal points across the 24 country offices, and regional sectors such as Education, Child Protection, Health, WASH, Nutrition, Climate, Gender, Social and Behavioral Change, Emergencies and other enablers to ensure office-wide contributions to the WCA Adolescent Girls’ Agenda, and the broader Resilience Agenda.

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, Hope

Organizational Context and Purpose for the job

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Gender equality is essential to realizing the mandate of UNICEF to uphold the rights of all children. The UNICEF Gender Action Plan (GAP), 2022–2025, operationalizes the UNICEF Gender Policy, 2021–2030, by specifying how UNICEF will promote gender equality across its programs and workplaces. The GAP also sets out specific targets for adolescent girls, with an accompanying Adolescent Girls’ Program Strategy to accelerate actions with and for adolescent girls.

Job organizational context:

The UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa is an adolescent girls’ rights specialist to provide critical support for the accelerated implementation of the adolescent girls’ portfolio.

The Regional Office for West and Central Africa (WCARO) is based in Dakar, Senegal and covers 25 countries in a region that bridges development and humanitarian contexts. It is estimated that 196 million adolescents and young people (aged 10-24 years) live, learn, 

overcome challenges and contribute to their communities in Western and Central Africa (WCA). Of this group, 70 million are adolescent girls (10-19 years), of whom 45 million live in the Sahel. Adolescent girls and boys live – and die prematurely - in contexts rife with gender inequalities that contribute to high levels of child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, lower learning outcomes, reduced access to basic hygiene services and a plethora of challenges to access quality, age-appropriate and gender-responsive services when and where girls need them. Despite these challenges, adolescent girls, as well as boys and young people, demand to be meaningfully engaged in decisions that affect their lives and to be part of the solution in their communities.

The Region has placed a high priority on adolescent girls, within the context of regional challenges and in line with the GAP, recognizing that the multidimensional nature of risk factors girls face requires a multisectoral and multidimensional response that not only addresses the vulnerabilities they face but amplifies their agency. A five-pillar girl-intentional approach is guiding the Region’s localization of UNICEF’s Global Adolescent Girls Program Strategy by: a) placing adolescent girls at the center of policymaking and programming; b) addressing the barriers for adolescent girls to safely access quality services when and where they need them; c) transforming gender norms that hold adolescent girls back, e) partnering with girl-focused organizations, and e) generating and using evidence on girls’ rights, agency and leadership.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose for the job: 

The Adolescent Girls’ Rights Specialist will provide technical support around the implementation and follow up to the WCAR Girl-Intentional Approach to both UNICEF country offices and regional office sectors, with a principal focus on the Sahel, including the five Sahelian countries implementing the Building Resilience in the Sahel (BRS) Programme. S/he will also play a role in working with adolescent and gender specialists or focal points across the 24 country offices, and regional sectors such as Education, Child Protection, Health, WASH, Nutrition, Climate, Gender, Social and Behavioral Change, Emergencies and other enablers to ensure office-wide contributions to the WCA Adolescent Girls’ Agenda, and the broader Resilience Agenda. A portion of her/his time will contribute to regional programming around adolescent and youth engagement, applicable within and outside of the Sahel, towards strengthening enabling environments and resilience-building and supporting adolescents and young people to be changemakers at local and national levels.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Technical support on the WCAR Girl-Intentional Approach (including in emergency contexts)
2. Advisory services and technical support to regional sectors and country offices on adolescent and youth programming (including in emergency contexts)
3. Strengthen partnerships with girl-focused, youth and women’s groups (including in emergency contexts)
4. Knowledge management and advocacy

1. Technical support to on the WCAR Girl-Intentional Approach
   • Support the Building Resilience in the Sahel (BRS) Coordinator around the Girls’ Resilience Study in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
   • Support BRS country teams in the translation of research results to programmatic actions.
   • Contribute to the development and dissemination of Girls’ Resilience knowledge products, including a Model for Girls’ Resilience in the Sahel (and beyond).
   • Support the documentation of the WCAR Girl-Intentional Approach, including developing an accompanying monitoring framework.
   • Assess existing intergenerational mentoring models and develop a regional model for country roll out at scale.
   • Technical guidance to country offices and regional sectors, including the BRS technical leads, to ensure sectoral contributions and accountabilities around adolescent girls.
   • Develop partner briefing packages for partner outreach on adolescent girls’ rights.
   • Contribute to Emergency Technical Team around adolescent girls (and adolescents/young people in general).
2. Advisory services and technical support to regional sectors and country offices on adolescent and youth programming (including emergency contexts)
   • Support the roll out of youth-focused humanitarian tools, including the Youth Advocacy Guide with BRS countries, ensuring the promotion of gender transformative approaches.
   • Contribute to analysis and documentation of the BRS baseline and endline surveys around the Adolescent Outcome.
   • Support gender integration in the BRS program, in line with GAP Standards.
   • Establish and implement a learning agenda for UNICEF CO and partners around adolescent and youth programming.
   • Contribute to the identification and establishment of gender and age competencies for shock-resistant service provision to adolescent girls and boys across sectors.
3. Strengthen partnerships with girl-focused, youth and women’s groups (including in emergency contexts)
   • Update regional partner mapping across the Region around adolescent girls, adolescent and youth programming.
   • Contribute to network strengthening amongst adolescent and youth organizations across the Region.
   • Connect UNICEF country offices with relevant global and regional partners and platforms to advance adolescent rights and youth engagement.
   • Support Emergency Technical Team to monitor partnerships with girls’, youth and women’s groups as per UNICEF Core Commitments for Children.
4. Knowledge management and advocacy
   • Support documentation and sharing of the country-level experience in adolescent girls’ programming and lessons learned.
   • Contribute to regional narrative revision around adolescent girls, and adolescent/youth programming in general.
   • Develop communications assets according to the five pillars for dissemination in key moments, such as the International Day of the Girl.
   • Develop, in collaboration with country offices, thematic study tours to increase exchange among youth networks from different countries on areas of interest to them, including social cohesion and resilience building.
   • Develop and implement knowledge management strategies, including Communities of Practice and Youth-Led Thought Leadership Webinars, with UNICEF country offices, youth networks and partners on adolescent and youth programming.
   • Contribute to the development of key messages and/or event preparation for Regional or International events (such as the AU Year of Education, International Youth Day, African Youth Day and AU Youth Month)

Impact of Results

Regional consolidation and visibility of the WCAR Girl-Intentional Approach among global, regional and national partners.

Adolescent girls’ resilience model in the Sahel tested in at least 4 countries through evidence generation, community engagement and through girls’ leadership programming.

Sectoral and cross-sectoral programs on girls’ rights, adolescent and youth programming are effectively and efficiently supported and implemented in alignment with the WCAR Girl-Intentional Approach, the UNICEF GAP and Second Decade Guidance, the UN Resilience Framework, UNICEF Core Commitments for Children through the timely and systematic provision of coordination and technical expertise on adolescent and youth programming.

Knowledge and information of regional trends and patterns around adolescents, with a particular focus on girls in development, humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts is generated, managed and shared with internal networks and with external partners to support policymaking and programming.

Knowledge, information and best practices on effective adolescent and youth programming is generated, managed and shared within internal networks and with external partners.

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

The following minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in the social sciences (i.e. gender and development, sociology, demography, psychology, political science, social policy or economics), public health, public policy, public administration, international development, or in an area relevant to UNICEF’s sectoral work (e.g. Gender, Adolescent Development and Participation, Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, Social Inclusion, HIV/AIDs, etc.).

• Work Experience:

• Minimum five years of progressively responsible professional experience and demonstrated track record of having undertaken and led substantive programming and research and/or programming on gender, adolescent girls’ and/or youth programming in key issue areas that are the focus of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan.

• Skills: 

• Strong technical, programmatic and research skills in gender and adolescence along with sectoral expertise in at least one of the following: Health, Education, WASH, HIV/AIDS, Protection, Social Policy, Social and Behaviour Change, or combined expertise in Emergency Response.
• Ability to connect sectoral issues and programmatic approaches on gender and adolescence, with proven expertise around adolescent girls’ rights; in emergency contexts an asset.
• Knowledge and experience integrating gender, adolescence or youth into humanitarian responses and programming, needs assessment, programme implementation and monitoring, an asset.
• Proven rigor in analytical, conceptual and programme /project design skills relevant to gender, adolescent and youth programming with an understanding of theories of change and path from intervention to results.
• Experience in supporting or conducting rigorous research and analysis on gender and with adolescent girls in particular, including quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, and M&E.
• Understanding of country/regional/global girls’ rights, adolescent and youth priorities, in the region also an asset.
• Experience in developing proposals and securing resources for programme and research initiatives with a strong gender and adolescent girls’ component.
• Ability to contextualize and be able to translate the approaches into practicable programme/project design in complex environments where gender issues or girls’ rights are often sensitive to raise within certain national contexts
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including an ability to write succinctly and clearly and speak in public forums compellingly and with confidence.
• High level of initiative and independence in ability to undertake complex tasks while proactively seeking relevant input, cooperation, and guidance from key constituents.
• Experience and demonstrated ability to motivate others and create and encourage a climate of team-work and collaboration across sectors and in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to make effective use of political processes to influence and persuade others inside and outside UNICEF and negotiate a desired direction and/or outcome
• Ability to think outside the box, generate new ideas, approaches, or insights and develop innovative ways to undertake projects and initiatives, shape solutions to problems.
• Strategic thinker who can pull disparate ideas into a cohesive vision, strategy, plan that is positive and compelling for other to join, collaborate, and implement.
• Proven ability to build rapport with individuals and groups and maintain an effective network of individuals across organizational departments as well externally

• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and French is required.

The following desirables:

• Experience in designing, implementing, managing, and delivering results-based programmes/projects on gender and development or any other cross cutting programme, especially at country/field level, experience in emergency response is an asset.
• Language: Knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese or a local language is considered 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…

(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.

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 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 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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.