Early Childhood Development Specialist, NOC, Lilongwe, Malawi (Open to Nationals of Malawi only)

Under the guidance and general supervision of the Education Specialist (Level 3), the Specialist contributes to the development, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Early Childhood Development Programme to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the management, delivery and accomplishment of programme goals and objectives. Across the continuum of Early Childhood Development, accountable for ensuring age specific stimulation, quality early learning outcomes, identifying equity and inequalities, and for developing innovative approaches and programmes to eliminating these inequalities. Collaborates across the programme(s) (Nutrition, Health, and Child Protection) to ensure gender mainstreaming, synergy, integrated and holistic child development. Ensures that monitoring mechanisms are in place to track progress towards optimal care, early learning and disparity reduction goals and targets in Early Childhood Development.

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

For every child, a new idea

Under the guidance and general supervision of the Education Specialist (Level 3), the Specialist contributes to the development, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Early Childhood Development Programme to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the management, delivery and accomplishment of programme goals and objectives. Across the  continuum of Early Childhood Development,  accountable for ensuring age specific stimulation, quality early learning outcomes, identifying equity and inequalities, and for developing innovative approaches and programmes to eliminating these inequalities. Collaborates across the programme(s) (Nutrition, Health, and Child Protection) to ensure gender mainstreaming, synergy, integrated and holistic child development. Ensures that monitoring mechanisms are in place to track progress towards optimal care, early learning and disparity reduction goals and targets in Early Childhood Development.

Key End Results

1. Supports the Early Childhood Development programme in the context of the UNICEF Country Programme (CP), the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and relevant National Sector Plans to: conduct sector situation analyses with an equity focus; facilitates dialogues in formulation of policy, programme and sector plans, and works externally and internally to ensure integration, harmonisation and coherence.

2. In ensuring optimal management, monitoring and delivery of early childhood development results, identifies and analyses capacity needs of strategic internal and external partners, formulates effective implementation plans, drafts performance guidelines, supports the mobilisation of resources both human and financial ensuring value for money and optimal use. Assesses progress through design of monitoring and evaluation mechanism, participates in reviews, organises field visits and prepares reports for management and donors.

3. Provides technical and operational support for quality early learning outcomes and effective processes as implementation support to counterparts and NGO partners and UN agencies through the availability of technical expertise. Provides guidelines and standards and drafts policy/strategy papers, programme communication materials and participates in intersectoral meetings to ensure information management use.

4. Enhances intersectoral collaboration with Nutrition, Health and Child Protection, networking and partnership building to achieve UNICEF goals for Early Childhood Development through development of effective advocacy, coalitions and collaborations, strategic linkages and coordination mechanisms internally and with relevant government counterparts, national stakeholders and global partners, donors and academia. Prepares and disseminates information communication materials in support of advocacy. This also entails representation in inter-agency discussions, forums and Sector Working Groups (SWGs) for early childhood development.

 5. In support of innovation, knowledge management and capacity building, participate and represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency discussions, relevant technical and policy forums and manages information and knowledge in the early childhood development including research and evaluations in order to keep abreast of developments in the sector.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Education Specialist:

Programme Planning, Development and Management.

Enhance effective programme, sectoral or inter-sectoral planning, development and management by guiding, coordinating and supporting the timely completion of the Situational Analysis and its periodic update through accurate and complete monitoring and analysis, and the timely preparation or finalization of sectoral input, using urban, rural and gender disaggregated data and analysis.

2. Knowledge Management.

Further promote knowledge management by drafting or finalizing sectoral documents and reports such as the Country Programme Recommendation and Plans of Action as well as through orientation and training programmes targeted to Government authorities. Ensure exchange of knowledge, information, experience or lessons learned; provides solid technical recommendations on major programme directions and on introduction of new initiatives in the country.

3. Rights-Based Projects through Results-Based Approach.

Promote the quality of rights-based early childhood development programming through participation in the formulation of programme goals, and approaches. Bring synergy and added value to sectoral or programme management processes using a results-based management approach to planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

4. Sectoral Work Plan Development, Implementation, and Monitoring.

Takes shared responsibility for the development of the sectoral work plan and technical decisions as well as for project management, implementation and monitoring of assigned project/sectoral activity, in compliance with the defined project strategies and approaches, emphasizing the principles of urban, rural and gender equality and strategies for gender mainstreaming.

5. Programme Delivery, Evaluation and Reporting.

Ensure programme, sectoral or inter-sectoral efficiency and delivery through a rigorous and transparent approach to evaluation, with an emphasis on gender-disaggregated data. Participation in major evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sector review meetings with government counterparts. Ensure the preparation of annual Early Childhood Development sector status reports.

6. Promotion of UNICEF’s Global Goals

Promote the organization goals of UNICEF through advocacy and active engagement in communication, networking and participation at every opportunity inside and outside UNICEF, leveraging the strength of UNICEF mission, goals and programmes.

7. UNICEF and Government Accountability.

Coordinates with Operations and Supply staff on supply and non-supply assistance activities ensuring proper and timely UNICEF and Government accountability.  Certifies disbursements of funds, monitors and submits financial status reports to management in compliance with the regulations and guidelines.

8.  Communication, Collaboration, Networking and Partnership.

•   Ensure exchange of information, experience, help identify new strategies and courses of action to accelerate/improve delivery of services and achieve Education programme requirements and objectives. Conduct field visits to monitor programmes and collect information. Conduct periodic programme reviews with Government counterparts and other partners.

• Collaborate with Communication and Programme Communication groups to ensure development of effective communication materials and strategies to support advocacy and social mobilization efforts.

•   Support coordination with Regional Advisers and HQ Officers. Collaborate with other Programme colleagues to ensure the integration of the project/sectoral programme with other sectors.

•   Collaborate with the Operations and Supply Sections and Government authorities to establish and maintain sound internal controls supportive of the Early Childhood Development projects planning and implementation, to coordinate financial and supply management requirements as well as to ensure accountability.

•   Interact with Government and other partners, NGOs, UN and bilateral agencies in the different stages of Education programme/project implementation to follow up on agreements and recommendations. Provide technical support and guidance on appropriate technical, financial and institutional capacity building measures to achieve Education programme goals.

Assist Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Gender and other relevant bodies to establish national and local coordination, M & E guidelines and frame works for effective delivery of quality Early Childhood Development activities.

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

Advanced University degree in one or more of the disciplines relevant to the following areas:

Education, Human Development or other social science related fields with a focus on the Early Childhood Development is required.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in social development planning and management in early childhood development related areas.
• Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset. (IP).
• Experience in national level development assistance is an asset.
• Background/familiarity with Emergency programme response is an asset.
• Fluency in English and local working language of the duty station.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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 organization.