Programme Officer (Local Governance), (NO-2), Harare, Zimbabwe #122806 - Temporary Appointment (364 Days) - Open only to Nationals of Zimbabwe of

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an energetic and enthusiastic Programme Officer (Local Governance) responsible for providing technical support to the development and implementation of devolution strategy including capacity building of local governments across the vital stages in the delivery of social services, including inclusive planning, budgeting, service delivery and monitoring and evaluation.

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, Equality

UNICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights. 

Supporting the Government’s vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society, the 2022 to 2026  UNICEF Zimbabwe country programme is aimed at contributing to sustainable socioeconomic development that provides all children, including adolescents, with opportunities to fulfil their potential, lead a healthy life, access quality learning and protection and meaningfully participate in society.

For more information about UNICEF Zimbabwe please click here

You can also access and explore all new UNICEF vacancies and create job alerts via the UNICEF Zimbabwe website link below:

https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/work-us

How can you make a difference?

A challenging and exciting opportunity has arisen in the Social Policy and Research section, for a passionate and committed Programme Officer (Local Governance) NO-2 level reporting to the Chief of Social Policy for supervision and guidance. The Programme Officer will be  responsible for providing technical support to the development and implementation of devolution strategy including capacity building of local governments across the vital stages in the delivery of social services, including inclusive planning, budgeting, service delivery and monitoring and evaluation. This includes programmes aimed at (a) strengthening central government and local government in the coordination and implementation of the devolution; (b) strengthening the capacity building of local governments in planning, budgeting and performance of spending on children; and (c) strengthening advocacy and partnerships for participatory and inclusive local governance. This work encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, and HIV.

Summary of key functions and accountabilities:

Supporting central government and local government in the coordination and implementation of the devolution

• Technical leadership, management and coordination of UNICEF inputs into the development and implementation of devolution strategy. This include coordination of staff and partners, supporting key ministries and advocating for and reinforcing government commitments towards improving participatory governance and decentralized service delivery at local level.
• Contribute to general policy dialogue with central and local institutions and key stakeholders for the implementation of decentralization policies and institutionalizing and sustaining decentralized service delivery through the design and support of institutional capacity development and system strengthening for service delivery at state and local levels.
• Contribute towards the formulation of research to generate knowledge to inform policies to strengthen the implementation of devolution.
• Participate in the thematic working group and other joint steering, review meetings and evaluation exercises.

Strengthened capacity building of local governments in planning, budgeting and performance of spending on children.

• Undertakes local governments budget analysis to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to local authorities to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children.
• Collaborate with central and local governments to improve policies, planning, budgeting and accountability processes.
• Provide government authorities with technical assistance and supports in planning and organizing training programmes for the purpose of capacity building and programme sustainability.

Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for participatory and inclusive local governance.

• Support the establishment and operationalisation of participatory platforms for children and adolescence such as Junior Councils including identifying strategic gaps, linkages, and opportunities to improve and expand decentralized service delivery, participatory planning and social accountability initiatives.
• Support UNICEF programme sections to align with a decentralized service delivery approach, particularly in sector strategies, in funding proposals and annual work plans.
• Contribute to internal and external communication and advocacy initiatives aimed at raising the profile of local governance issues and decentralized service delivery.
• Facilitate dialogue to raise awareness around child rights and make the case for investing in children at the local level.
• Promote and maintain the building and reinforcing of the commitment and institutional capacities of local partnerships and providing continuous support, coordination and collaboration for sustainability.

Local Governance Program Development and Planning

• Participate in strategic program discussions on the planning of local governance work and support development of programs/projects.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes to ensure effective delivery and integration of local governance programs/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated.

UNICEF Programme Management

• Monitors contracts with implementing partners, ensuring timely and accurate financial and technical reporting
• Provide regular reporting on progress and budget, tracking progress as per deliverables in the partner agreements and joint work plans, undertaking regular field visits to review jointly with local partners; documenting achievements as well as constraints and recommending possible steps for addressing bottlenecks in implementation.
• In collaboration with respective UN-Agencies, line ministries, contribute to the development of joint initiatives and workplans.

Please refer to the attached job description for more information  Programme Officer JD.pdf

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

Education:  A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.

Experience: 

A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience is required. 

Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.

Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and local language is required. Knowledge of another official UN 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: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

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.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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 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 promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.  

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.