Area Representative, P-5, Riyadh, Gulf Area Office

The Representative serves as the accredited representative of the UNICEF Executive Director in Kingdom of Saud Arabia and oversees UNICEF’s presence in Bahrein, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA, and UAE, reports to the Regional Director for general direction. The Representative is responsible for establishing dialogue with the government, to develop the framework of cooperation in each country and for working closely and collaboratively with the government and national institutions, stakeholders and partners, to develop UNICEF Country Program, of Cooperation in support of UNICEF’s and national and international development efforts to advance children’s rights to survival, development and wellbeing as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/framework and UN intergovernmental bodies. As Head of a small size Area Office, the Representative is responsible for managing and supervising the five following five countries (Bahrein, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA, and UAE) with head quarter in Riyadh, providing leadership and vision to the UNICEF country programme teams in managing and leveraging resources for the achievement of results and fulfilment of the rights of children. The Representative leads and manages the various countries ensuring delivery of quality results in accordance with the UNICEF Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework, ethics and integrity.

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.

For every child, dedication.

The Representative serves as the accredited representative of the UNICEF Executive Director in Kingdom of Saud Arabia and oversees UNICEF’s presence in Bahrein, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA, and UAE, reports to the Regional Director for general direction. The Representative is responsible for establishing dialogue with the government, to develop the framework of cooperation in each country and for working closely and collaboratively with the government and national institutions, stakeholders and partners, to develop UNICEF Country Program, of Cooperation in support of UNICEF’s and national and international development efforts to advance children’s rights to survival, development and wellbeing as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/framework and UN intergovernmental bodies.

As Head of a small size Area Office, the Representative is responsible for managing and supervising the five following five countries (Bahrein, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA, and UAE) with head quarter in Riyadh, providing leadership and vision to the UNICEF country programme teams in managing and leveraging resources for the achievement of results and fulfilment of the rights of children. The Representative leads and manages the various countries ensuring delivery of quality results in accordance with the UNICEF Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework, ethics and integrity.

How can you make a difference?

The GAO Representative works very closely under the overall supervision of RD, with the PPD and PFP Divisions in pursuit of fundraising and partnership efforts in the 5 countries.

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

• Developing and planning the Country Program
• Leading and managing the Area office
• Monitoring and quality control of the Country Programs
• Representation and external relations at global/national level
• Building alliance, resource mobilization and UN System coordination
• Leading innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
• Safety and security of staff, programs and organizational assets

Country Typology:

• Riyadh is a family duty station.
• Riyadh is an “A” duty station. (Source: International Civil Service Commission, effective 01/Jan/2016)
• A non-traditional small/medium sized, UNICEF Office with interrelated functions including programming, resource mobilization and advocacy
• Office has a global fundraising role, in addition to a Gulf specific programming and partnership function
• Staff located in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates with potential expansion in Bahrein, Kuwait, and Qatar
• High level engagement with Governments, private sector and foundations

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Qualifications:

• An Advanced University Degree in social sciences, international relations, government and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development or other related fields, is required.
• A minimum of 12 years professional development experience that combines managerial and technical leadership in development cooperation at the international level, some of which served in developing countries is required. Relevant professional experience in any UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Strong resource mobilization, fundraising, communication and advocacy skills. Capacity to leverage the larger resources of national governments and civil society partners including corporate sector for promotion of child rights.
• Oral and written proficiency in English is required. Fluency in Arabic is highly desirable. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Person Profile:

Previous experience as a Representative or in a clear managerial role (e.g. Deputy Representative, Chief Field Office), with experience in in a mid / high-income country. In particular:

• Strong background on both upstream social policy and downstream programming to support Governments in need of high level technical expertise.
• Proven management record in mobilizing resources from the private sector.
• Experience of working in, or in partnership with, the business sector is essential, as is familiarity with corporate social responsibility / sustainability concepts and practice.
• Politically astute, tact and capacity to ensure high level representation and advocacy with both public and private sector.
• Creativity to catalyze governments, agencies and donors on various agendas and joint initiatives.
• Capacity in building and leading task teams across different sectors and offices.
• Strong networking and partnerships skills. Capacity to work collaboratively with MENA Regional Office, HQ and other UNICEF offices.
• Capacity to lead and motivate a small dynamic focused team.

For every child, you demonstrate…

Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Leadership Competencies

• Delivers Results
• Engages and Nurtures
• Demonstrates Self-Awareness
• Manages Complexity and Change
• Creates and Maintains Impact and Partnership
• Innovates and Takes Risks

This position is classified as “rotational” which means the incumbent is expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.