Chief, Child Survival & Development, P-5, Freetown, Sierra Leone, #00052498

Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative the Chief Child Survival & Development (CSD), is responsible for the overall management and administration in the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the CSD programme in the context of child survival and development within the country programme.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone and we never give up.

For every child, Help…

The Child Survival and Development (CSD) programme contributes to the Government of Sierra Leone’s (GoSL) work to ensure a functional national health system delivering efficient, high quality health care services that are accessible, equitable and affordable for everybody in Sierra Leone. The programme also supports the efforts under the Presidential Recovery Priorities to save the lives of 600 women and 5,000 children under the age of five. Collaboration between the GoSL and UNICEF will continue to prioritize cost effective evidence based interventions in an equitable manner, focusing on the most vulnerable and marginalized, including adolescent girls. These interventions include supporting the GoSL to: provide quality health services such as integrated management of child and newborn illnesses and integrated community case management of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea; improve access to facility- and community-based nutrition services and promote infant and young child feeding practices; improve access and demand for safe drinking water and sanitation facilities; and improve quality of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and paediatric treatment services. Key aspects of the interventions are capacity building, provisions of supplies, and social mobilization for behavioural change of communities and families. UNICEF will also support the Government to strengthen procurement and supply chain management and health information systems as critical components in the delivery of health, nutrition, WASH and HIV/AIDS services.

For more on our work in Sierra Leone, please click on: https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sierraleone.html

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative, the Chief Child Survival & Development (CSD), will be responsible for the overall management and administration in the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the CSD programme in the context of child survival and development within the country programme. To fulfill above, the Chief, CSD will perform the following key functions:

1. Interacts and coordinates with the government and other partners;
2. Provides leadership, guidance, direction and coordination for programme management and evaluation of the Child Survival and Development programme;
3. Supervises the activities leading to the completion of the Situation Analysis for the Child Survival and Development programme, and its periodic update;
4. Overall development and establishment of evidence for planning and monitoring results work plan;
5. As part of the senior management team, ensures the integration of the Child Survival and Development programme with other programmes;
6. Monitors CSD Programme impact in collaboration with other colleagues;
7. Monitors new approaches for developing the CSD programme and integrates them accordingly;
8. Conducts field assessment visits for evaluating programme effectiveness;
9. Monitors the overall planning and disbursement of programme funds for the Section (Health, Nutrition, WASH, HIV & AIDS);

10. Prepares and submits timely progress/status reports for management, Board, donors, budget reviews, programme monitoring and evaluation, annual reports, etc.

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

• Advanced university degree in Public Health and Nutrition (preferably with specialized training in health planning, health and nutrition education, health care system management, HIV/AIDS prevention, or epidemiology), Child Development, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or other relevant disciplines;
• Ten years of professional work experience at the national and international levels in planning, programming, implementation monitoring and evaluation of health and nutrition programmes including those relevant to child survival & development;
• Professional work experience in a managerial position, or a technical expert position in health, nutrition, and child survival & health care is relevant;
• Experience in developing country work experience is relevant and background/familiarity with Emergency is an asset;

• Relevant experience in related areas in a UN system agency or organization is an asset;

• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The technical competencies required for this post are as follows:

• Leading and Supervising [III]          
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts [III]
• Analyzing [III]                                      
• Relating and Networking [III]
• Deciding and Initiating Action [III]
• Persuading and Influencing [II]

View our competency framework: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Remarks:

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

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.