Programme Specialist (Disability) UNICEF

This is a Generic Vacancy Announcement: Programme Specialist (Disability), NO3, Lusaka, Zambia, NO3 Talent Group.

Talent Groups at UNICEF are exclusive lists of pre-vetted, highly qualified candidates intended to fast-track recruitment processes as positions become available. After a rigorous selection process, successful candidates will be placed in the Programme Specialist (Disability) NO3, Talent Group for UNICEF Lusaka, Zambia for a period of 36 months. While placement in the Talent Group does not guarantee a position, it is an important resource for filling vacancies. Candidates placed into the Talent Group will be reviewed when a relevant position becomes available at and if found suitable, are offered placements through a direct selection process.

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,… Disability……

The UNICEF Programme of Cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) is designed to address and mitigate the threat of poverty the country’s children face, while responding to the needs with interventions addressing the multiple causative factors.

To find out more about UNICEF’s work in Zambia, please visit UNICEF.sharepoint.com/sites/ZMB/SitePages/About-us(1).aspx”>https://UNICEF.sharepoint.com/sites/ZMB/SitePages/About-us(1).aspx

How can you make a difference?

Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the incumbent is responsible for technical support on transformation of the lives of children and adolescents with disabilities in Zambia. The main focus of his/her work will be on dedicated initiatives aiming to transform the situation and lives of children and adolescents with disabilities by addressing structural barriers to their inclusion. The specialist will take the lead in implementing technical support activities to strengthen transformative policies of the Government of the Republic of Zambia. The specialist will also support the coordination of disability inclusion across the Zambia Country Programme by chairing the relevant coordination committees, building capacity and providing technical backstopping. The specialist will champion disability inclusion and share key learning and relevant practice on mainstreamed and targeted approaches. The specialist will ensure integration of disability aspects into the evidence and research, collaborate closely with other sections, and develop new partnerships concerned with children and disabilities issues. He/she will demonstrate commitment for enhancement of gender-sensitive teamwork, in support of achievement of planned objectives of the work plan, aligned with the country programme goals and objectives.

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Coordination and integration of disability issues across UNICEF’s areas

• Guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligned to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), supports the dissemination and implementation of the UNICEF disability inclusion policy and strategy (DIPAS) with the view to include children and adolescents with disabilities in all facets of UNICEF’s country programme using an intersectional approach and by chairing the relevant disability mainstreaming/integration committee
• Participates in inter-agency fora and inter-agency capacity-building activities on disability inclusion, as needed
• Provides technical backstopping to sectoral programmes of the UNICEF country programme on disability programming with an intersectional lens in all areas
• Coordinates capacity-building activities on disability inclusion for staff and partners

Strengthening disability inclusion and transformative impact for children and adolescents with disabilities

• Supports the development of policies, legislation and programmes with attention to increasing transformative impact of social services on children and adolescents with disabilities.  Identifies, generates and presents evidence to support this goal in collaboration with partners.
• Promotes strengthening of integrated disability inclusive and transformative systems, providing technical support to partners to improve the design of assistive technology provisioning systems, anti-stigmatisation programmes and community based integration platforms across sectors, especially nutrition, health, education, water and sanitation, child protection, social protection and HIV.
• Undertakes improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.

Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy

• Supports correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and adolescents with disabilities and coverage and impact of inclusive and disability-transformative child focused services – in support of the country programme overall.
• Establishes effective partnerships with the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society and local leaders, the private sector, and other UN agencies to support sustained and proactive commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to achieve global UN agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Identifies other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family.

UNICEF Programme Management

• Manages and coordinates technical support around disability transformative programming, mainstreaming of disability inclusion ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion so as to adequately support scale-up and delivery. Ensures risk analysis and risk mitigation are embedded into overall management of the support, in close consultation with UNICEF programme sections, Cooperating Partners, and governments.
• Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme. Ensures that the social planning project enhances policy dialogue, planning, supervision, technical advice, management, training, research and support; and that the monitoring and evaluation component strengthens monitoring and evaluation of the social sectors and provides support to sectoral and decentralized information systems.

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

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.
• Lived experience of disability be it with the child or with self 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 Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEFValues” href=”https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues”>uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Builds and maintains partnerships level 2
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness level 2
• Drive to achieve results for impact level 2
• Innovates and embraces change level 2
• Manages ambiguity and complexity level 2
• Thinks and acts strategically level 2
• Works collaboratively with others level 2
• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (level 1)

*The 7 core competencies are applicable to all employees. However, the competency Nurtures, Leads and Manages people is only applicable to staff who supervise 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 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.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• The GVA is open to all (internal and external candidates)
• UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Appointments may also be 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.
• Placement in the Talent Group does not guarantee a position and does not translate into an offer of employment