Programme Manager (Research), P4, TA - For Non Zambians Only

UNICEF is positioned to substantively influence the direction of the child and family welfare system in Zambia, and results of both existing and new research are likely to guide the direction of developments in the sector for years to come, once collated into cohesive policy and programmatic recommendations. Due to the number and complexity of the operational assessments and social science research components that have been proposed dedicated and specialized human resource is required to ensure that a cohesive research agenda is responsibly carried out and that results are translated into actionable implementation plans. This will be challenging role with direct impact on many government activities, often at a high-profile level.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

Coordination, timely execution, and quality assurance of the research activities under the inception phase of the Service Efficiency and Effectiveness for Vulnerable Children and Adolescent partnership. 

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

 Management of the SEEVCA research activities:

• Serve as technical expert, leading the development of the SEEVCA research agenda and implementation of baseline research therein, exercising initiative, problem solving, creativity, and innovation.
  • In consultation with Section Chief, other UNICEF staff involved, government partners, and donors, develop and oversee the workplan for the research and studies component of SEEVCA, ensuring timely and effective decisions on programme strategy, planning, implementation, and evaluation. [10%]
  • Ensure the SEEVCA research and studies are done within the country office overall research and evaluation strategy/agenda by establishing close working relationship with the office Research & Evaluation Committee and the 2017/2018 office integrated monitoring and evaluation plan. Research will include but not be limited to the following: [10% of time]
    • Poverty and Vulnerability Study
    • Update to the Social Welfare Capacity Assessment, focusing on urban areas
    • Qualitative research on community concepts of an actions regarding child rights
    • Landscape assessment of case management and coordination practices
    • Service availability mapping
    • Staffing norms, HR, and material resource analysis
    • Service access bottleneck analysis
  • Ensure timely recruitment of high-quality consultants by developing Terms of Reference of the research/studies consultancies and providing technical support for the bidding, selection and recruitment of individual/institutional consultants in line with the set timelines and budget. [15% of time]
  • Ensure that all the research is undertaken on time, with quality, and under the leadership of and in close coordination with the lead ministry (MCDSW). Ensure that research adheres to UNICEF's ethical standard in research, evaluation, data collection and analysis. [30% of time]
• Advise the Chiefs of Child Protection and Social Policy & Research, making recommendations for translating research results into sound implementation strategies under SEEVCA – including for planning and evaluation – demonstrating exceptional conceptual and analytical thinking, judgement, planning, monitoring, decisiveness, flexibility, and communication. Support the use of findings from the studies to inform and influence programme decisions in line with the country agenda. [15% of time]
• External coordination with government and other partners:

• Collaborate with MCDSW and USAID to ensure timely and effective decision making with regard to the SEEVCA research agenda, identifying synergies and avoiding overlaps with other studies/research. [20% of time]

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• Advanced University degree in social sciences or related field. PhD is an advantage.
• 8-10 years' experience conducting and/or managing mixed methods research, with demonstrated command of operational research
• Experience in conducting and managing social policy/social science research in developing country contexts – experience in sub-Saharan Africa strongly preferred;
• High level of fluency in written and spoken English;
• Demonstrated experience working with government partners, UN agencies, NGO's and donors;
• Proven documentation, knowledge management and budgeting skills;
• Ability to research, analyze, evaluate and synthesize information;
• Excellent teamwork skills;
• Computer skills, including internet navigation, and various office applications especially Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel required.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies

• Communication (II)
• Working with People (II)
• Drive for Results (II)

Functional Competencies

 Analyzing (II)

Creating and Innovating (II)

Formulating Strategies and Concepts (II)

Leading and Supervising (II)

Pursuading and Influencing (II)

Relating and Networking (II)

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.