Programme Manager (Yoma), P-4 at UNICEF

Purpose

Under the general supervision of the Senior Programme Manager, the post is expected to lead the coordination for the expansion of Yoma, to manage the corresponding process, to support country offices, to enhance collaboration with the Office of Innovation and to ensure the programmatic relevance of Yoma for UNICEF.

Key Strategies For Achieving This Purpose Are As Follows

• Proactively engaging with Country Offices to promote yoma and assist them in assessing the possibility to adapt its to their country context. Strategies may include: 1) South-South exchange on the model of Yoma 2) reviewing programmatic priorities at country levels to identify entry points for youth agency through yoma 3) develop templates, general costings and playbooks for easing adaptation and adoption of Yoma. While the actual implementation of yoma remains the responsibility of the Country Office the Manager will promote Yoma, support the decision making and roll-out processes.
• Facilitate administrative processes needed for the scaling of yoma by: Developing LTAs for yoma related services, managing regional and intra regional contractual arrangements and facilitating the recruitment of young talent where demanded.
• Strengthening of strategic learning, evidence generation and evidence-based advocacy by: documenting lessons learned during the expansion of yoma and faciliating peer learning processes; compiling experiences gained at various levels; staying abreast of strategic developments in related areas (such as GIGA, learning to earning, etc.); keeping contact with the innovation fund and its awardees; also supporting the generation and dissemination of evidence on cost-effective approaches and models to youth engagement.
• Monitoring the overall expansion of yoma and the achievement of its objectives in terms of scaling and impact by: Keeping track of individual country requests and their action; Maintaining an overall dashboard containing disaggregated data compiling different initiatives.
• Working closely with GenU and other UNICEF actors engaged in the youth innovation portfolio to ensure that Yoma is linked to relevant organisation wide.

It is critical that the global Yoma keeps up with the demands and opportunities for enhancing youth engagement and ensuring its relevance for UNICEF programmes and priorities.

Major duties and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Senior Innovation Manager, the Programme Manager Yoma will provide advanced technical assistance, coordination/administrative support, quality assurance and knowledge generation/management and partnership building services to the scaling of yoma in Africa and beyond.

• Enhance the programmatic linkage between Yoma and UNICEF programming to facilitate relevance and scaling within UNICEF
• Engage with Country Offices to foster adoption and adaptation of the concept of Yoma to their country context.
• Review programmatic priorities at country levels to identify entry points for youth agency through yoma and provide strategic orientation
• Develop templates, general costings and playbooks for easing adaptation and adoption of Yoma. While the actual implementation of yoma remains the responsibility of the Country Office the Manager will support the decision making and roll-out processes.
• Lead on the UNICEF internal management of processes aiming at facilitating country offices participation. This could include framework contracts, PCAs, Long Term Agreements, etc.
• Provide support to monitoring, strategic learning and evidence generation
• Lead the process of documenting lessons learned during the expansion of yoma and faciliating peer learning processes and compiling experiences gained at various levels;
• Facilitate the dialogue around the strategic relevance of yoma for UNICEF programming and keep in contact with different relevant innovation initiatives.
• Lead the promotion of evidence generated with respect to green Yoma (i.e. catalyzing youth agency around the environment) ensuring mutual learning with relevant global initiatives such as the OoI’s work around youth and climate change
• Manage programmes related to Yoma
• Lead on the development of bi-annual costed rolling workplans for the Yoma ecosystem
• Manage programmatic dimensions linked to the scaling of Yoma, including the facilitation of all administrative processes. Take a pro-active role to ensure that targets and timelines are met and that the interventions optimize benefits for youth.
• Monitor the overall expansion of yoma and the achievement of its objectives in terms of scaling and impact by: Keeping track of individual country requests and their action; Maintaining an overall dashboard containing disaggregated data compiling different initiatives.
• Lead on the preparation of funding proposals that allow for yoma scaling.
• Ensure the linkage between operational research and implementation both in the conceptual and implementation stages. Make sure that lessons learned and documented and disseminated.
• Strengthen dimensions related to the learning to earning agenda and coordinate closely with relevant colleagues and initiatives in UNICEF. Ensure that job readiness and entrepreneurial dimensions are catered for.
• Contribute to the technical dimensions of green yoma, such as the establishment of appropriate and effective data oracles that allow an automated assessment of impact of youth climate action.
• Establish data collection and monitoring frameworks that allow progressively to measure the contribution of Yoma to UNICEF programmatic activities.
• Strengthen strategic learning and knowledge generation
• Lead on efforts to generate knowledge and lessons learned.
• Documenting lessons learned during the expansion of yoma and faciliating peer learning processes through compilation of experiences gained at various levels
• Staying abreast of strategic developments in related areas (such as GIGA, learning to earning, etc.)
• Keeping contact with the innovation fund and its awardees; also supporting the generation and dissemination of evidence on cost-effective approaches and models to youth engagement.
• Provide event coordination and management support
• Organize, facilitate or participate in meetings and workshops/seminars related to scaling of yoma
• Support to regional office management processes and for other section duties, as agreed with the supervisor.
• Support the preparation and organization of the Steering Committee meetings

Key expected Results

• Develop a strategy around programmatic alignment between Yoma and UNICEF (Q2) and contextualize it through national implementation plans in at least 3 countries (Q4). Playbook for expansion to a country is updated (Q1)
• Management of Yoma contractual arrangements is streamlined and contractual needs of country offices are met by maintaining or developing LTAs and PCAs.
• Bi-annual costed rolling work plan for Yoma is developed with all stakeholders (Q1) corresponding SMART indicators defined and regularly updated using a dashboard function
• Lessons learned are documented and disseminated by Q4.

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

• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional work experience in programme/project management at an international level, some of which in a developing country,
• Proven track record in managing and administering resources and the contractual arrangements necessary to support implementation.
• Track record in innovation and/or youth engagement an asset
• Strong fundraising ability and experience in partner management.
• Experience of working with a UN organisation is an asset as is previous work experience with UNICEF
• Fluency in English (verbal and written) required. Good knowledge of French (verbal and written) required. Knowledge of another UN language an asset.

Deadline: 14 Nov 2022