Never pay for any CBT, test or assessment as part of any recruitment process. When in doubt, contact us
UNICEF is the world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.
UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, ...
For every child, health for all
- The Communications Specialist will be responsible for UNICEF’s DH&IS external communication and advocacy work.
- In coordination with the PG Health Partnership and Communication leads, the incumbent will be responsible for implementing and continuously updating the DH&IS’s communications and advocacy strategy. This includes increasing visibility and strategic positioning of UNICEF’s digital health and information system priorities and contributions within the global health discourse, ensuring UNICEF’s work is well documented and amplified to internal and external stakeholders, and supporting the transition of the DICE partnership out of COVID19 response activities. A wide range of communication assets and materials will be produced to support public advocacy and awareness raising and distributed via various communication platforms including traditional and social media.
How can you make a difference?
Communications and Advocacy
- Implement the PG Health DH&IS communications and advocacy strategy, supports UNICEF’s strategic goals and elevates the efforts of UNICEF and its key partners, including donors, to a wider audience.
- Support integration of DH&IS priorities and outputs within PG Health’s communications and advocacy strategy
- Engage with external partners, including WHO, GAVI, Global Fund, USAID and the World Bank, to align communications and advocacy strategies, and position UNICEF priorities within their communications efforts.
- Provide overall design support to create standardized templates for DH&IS presentations. Review and compile existing content, and create generic decks based on priorities identified at HQ and Regional Level.
Content Creation
- Oversee the production of compelling high-quality policy advocacy and communications materials based on complex themes for print and digital platforms.
- Support UNICEF Regional and Country Teams, including building capacity and awareness of UNICEF’s Approach to Digital Health, to produce relevant content, including original audio, video, written and visual content.
- Support the production of advocacy and communications content by UNICEF partners; quality assure all content to maintain strong visual and editorial identity, and reputation.
- Operationalize a comprehensive media strategy including in the preparation of news articles, press releases, media pitches, and op-eds etc.
Risk Management
- Provide risk and strategic guidance to the DH&IS team on potential issues that may emerge, especially those that may pose a reputational risk
Communications Channels and Social Media Sites
- Manage DH&IS internal / external websites and social media channels, coordinating regular updates of content.
- Track outreach benchmarks and KPIs to measure content effectiveness and optimize digital communications content, campaigns, community features and function.
- Oversee the monitoring and analysis of social media and web content metrics and use this for course correction to ensure effective communication strategies, planning and advocacy.
Events
- Lead the planning, set up and promotion of digital and in person events organised by DH&IS
- Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
- Develop compelling value propositions and proposals for DH&IS
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key media partners.
- Identify and cultivate key influencers within and external to UNICEF to strengthen DH&IS’s outreach and visibility
Internal Communications
- Support preparation and provide quality assurance, to UNICEF internal reports, presentations, concept notes, investment cases, proposals and donor reports.
- Oversee production of DH&IS Annual Report
Management
- Develop a work plan for communication activities, monitor compliance and provide support and guidance to ensure objectives are met.
- Plan and monitor the use of communication budgetary resources. Approve and monitor the overall allocation and disbursement and liquidation of funds. Take appropriate actions to optimize use of funds.
- Identify, recruit and supervise staff, technical resources and consultants as necessary. Conduct and implement effective performance planning, monitoring, performance development programme as required.
- Ensure communication effectiveness, efficiency, and delivery as well as a rigorous and transparent approach to planning, monitoring and evaluation.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An advanced university degree (Master or higher) in communications, international development, public health, international affairs, or other relevant discipline or in the field of international development is required.
- A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
- A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in professional work experience at the national and international levels in strategic communications, managing digital advocacy and communications, developing campaigns and strategic plans, developing and managing partnerships in international development is required.
- Editorial experience overseeing and managing the production of written and visual/audio content in a relevant field, including digital social media.
- Experience as a strategist, planner and content creator with a proven track record of developing creative ideas and campaigns, including a focus on profile-raising.
- Extensive experience with digital platforms, including organizing and managing and developing online blogs, consultations, outreach, and social media, including Drupal, Wordpress and other content management systems.
- Experience working in UNICEF Programme Countries. Multi-regional experience preferred.
- Experience developing Communications materials for Public Health, including Digital Health, Health Information Systems, and / or Health Systems Strengthening.
- Experience with the UN, including UNICEF.
- Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French or Spanish) is an asset.
go to method of application »
How can you make a difference?
- Under the supervision of the Health Specialist (Immunization), the Health Specialist (Vaccine Management Systems - VMS) provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes to facilitate the administration and achievement of concrete and sustainable results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), organizational Strategic Plans and goals, standards of performance, and accountability framework.
- Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
- Support to programme development and planning.
- Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.
- Technical and operational support to programme implementation.
- Networking and partnership building.
- Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building.
Support to Health/ Immunization ((Vaccine Management Systems - VMS) programme development and planning
- Support and contribute to the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the sector(s) to establish a strategic plan for the development, design and management of health-related programmes. Keep abreast of development trends to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery to ensure alignment with global and regional strategies (Immunization Agenda (IA) 2030, GAVI 5.0) and UNICEF Immunization Road map 2018-2030
- Participate in strategic programme discussions on the planning of health (Vaccine Management) programmes. Formulate, design and prepare a sector of the health programme proposal, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, the Country Programme, as well as coherence/integration with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), regional strategies, and national priorities, plans and competencies.
- Establish specific programme goals, objectives, strategies, and implementation plans based on results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM). Prepare required documentation for programme review and approval.
- Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine national priorities and competencies to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results in Vaccine Management.
- Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes to ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated.
Health/ Immunization (Vaccine Management Systems - VMS) programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
- Plan and/or collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the immunization (Vaccine Management) sector in health programmes.
- Participate in adaptation and operationalization of the monitoring and accountability framework Immunization (Vaccine Management) component of the IA2030 to inform programme design and priorities
- Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results,
- Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in Immunization (Vaccine Management) programme management, identify lessons learned and use the knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
- Actively monitor programmes/projects through field visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks, and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
- Monitor and verify the optimum and appropriate use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets) confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity, ensuring timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
- Prepare regular and mandated programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.
Health/ Immunization (Vaccine Management Systems - VMS) technical and operational support to programme implementation
- Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices and approaches on Health/ Immunization (Vaccine Management)-related issues to support programme development planning, management, implementation and delivery of results.
- Participate in discussions with national partners, clients and stakeholders to promote health and development issues, especially in the areas of gender, emergency preparedness, maternal and neonatal health, and child survival and development.
- Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use, information, and consideration.
- Participate in Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) outbreak preparedness initiatives for programme development, contingency planning and/or response to VPDs outbreaks in the country or where designated
Health/ Immunization ((Vaccine Management Systems - VMS) networking and partnership building
- Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to enhance programme implementation and build the capacity of stakeholders to deliver concrete and sustainable results.
- Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fundraising for health programmes (Health, Immunization, Vaccine Management)
- Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) on health programmes to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of health programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.
- Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fundraising and partnership development purposes.
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
- Apply and introduce innovative approaches and good practices to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders, and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable Health/Immunization programme results.
- Keep abreast and conduct implementation research to provide evidence for improved and sustainable programme performance
- Assess, institutionalize, and share best practices and knowledge learned.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
- Organize and implement capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders to promote sustainable results on health Health/ Immunization/ Vaccine Management related programmes/projects.
Impact of Results...
- The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Health Specialist (Vaccine Management Systems - VMS) to programme preparation, planning and implementation facilitates the delivery of concrete and sustainable results that directly impact the improvement of the health of the most marginalized and vulnerable women and children in the country. This in turn contributes to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to continue to provide programme services to protect the rights of children, and to promote greater social equality to enable them to survive, develop and reach their full potential in society.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- Master’s degree in public health or any other relevant field of Immunization supply chain
- A minimum of 5 years of experience supporting the Immunization program and specifically in the areas of the immunization supply chain (EVMA, Cold chain management and other aspects highlighted in these terms of reference)
- Demonstrable experience working with government (preferably at the national and county level), development partners and other stakeholders. Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Deadline: 28 Jun 2023 E. Africa Standard Time
go to method of application »
Background and Justification
- The world is facing a learning crisis. Millions of children are not developing the skills they need to break out of poverty. The growth of digital technologies and the increasingly broad range of actors, donors, implementers and even content developers providing online learning or digital education means UNICEF can contribute towards the delivery of learning opportunities anywhere, at any time. Thus, digital platforms have the potential to ensure continuity of learning but more than half of the world’s children and young people are on the wrong side of the digital divide, limiting access to the same opportunities as their connected peers. Towards this end, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) is working to accelerate new exemplars of low-income countries pursuing a whole-of-society (wos) and whole of government (wog) approaches to using digital technologies to Re-Imagine Education Agenda through increasing access to digital learning CONTENT and PLATFORMS to enable personalized learning, provision of digital CONNECTIVITY for schools including supporting public financing for the Giga Initiative, lowering the cost or availing the end user DEVICES for every child and young person, working with partners to develop affordable DATA solutions and engaging YOUNG PEOPLE to play a part in re-imagining education, including volunteering initiatives, mentorship and peer education.
- Therefore, Education section in UNICEF ESARO is seeking an individual consultant to provide technical assistance to country offices in the region, oversee and manage the implementation of the digital learning programmes.
Scope of Work
- The scope of the assignment is to provide coordination support to ESAR countries, provide technical assistance, oversight implementation, consolidate updates from and disseminate with appropriate stakeholders and strengthen monitoring mechanism for digital learning programme and support countries in documenting, disseminating, and integrating digital technologies into the national education system.
Major tasks
- Coordinate and provide technical support to ESAR countries to advance the Reimagine Education agenda in the region, including strengthening programme design, mentoring and monitoring of the programme implementation.
- Support and expand the deployment of Learning Passport, GIGA, Airtel, EdTech Hub and other Digital Technologies Partnerships in ESAR;
- Create documentation of best practices, develop knowledge products on digital learning, organize workshops, webinars, learning sessions and disseminate within UNICEF across stakeholders.
- Participates in regular meetings and contributes to providing updates and share insights and reflections from country coordination and implementations.
Outputs/Deliverables:
The consultant will be required to produce the outputs as specified below.
Output
- Develop a robust monitoring and promotional mechanism to grow the number of the registered and trained users on the Learning Passport and Airtel partnership support across 17 countries in ESAR (Present + upcoming countries).
- Gather and aggregate results plans and country targets for the Learning Passport growth in the ESA region in 2023 and 2024
Deliverable
- Situation analysis of digital learning policy and operational plan, status of deployment, summary of progress, existing bottlenecks and barriers, actions initiated by MOE and UNICEF Country offices, Monitoring and evaluation activities, deployments of user survey activated, and promotional strategy developed and disseminated in 17 countries; one strong case documented and ready for publication
Timeframe
Output
- Tool for Learning Passport platform contents mapping, and quality assurance developed and disseminated in 12 countries; gap highlighted, and support provided to strengthen contents inclusive and gender transformative.
Deliverable
- Country wise content mapping and quality assurance action taken documented for 10 LP deployment countries
Timeframe
Output
- Knowledge management product developed and disseminated
Deliverable
- Two knowledge management product developed and virtually disseminated across countries in ESARO
- Three (3) speaking engagements or blogs or interventions or country consultation responses and 2 blogs or human-interest stories
Timeframe
Output
- Play a leading role in hosting or co-hosting at least one (1) workshop/webinar, sharing best practices or promoting agreed positions with a view to shaping digital learning in the region.
Deliverable
- Brief workshop/webinar report
Timeframe
Output
- Provides quality assurance and oversight support in the development of at least one (3) offline digital learning project (offline learning passport), pilot or large-scale demonstration of digital learning programme including Offline Learning Passport Edge devices, Learning Passport mobile apps or Progressive Web apps
Deliverable
- Offline digital learning programme operationalized in 3 countries
Timeframe
Output
- Ensure all five pillars of the Reimagine Education initiative is well understood and support to at least 10 of 17 countries embark on any of them by participating in country advocacy efforts or taking up speaking opportunities. These include working with partners like MNOs on affordable data, and data incentivization for the Learning Passport
Deliverable
- Advocacy and digital learning campaign materials developed and disseminated
15th Feb 2024
Output
- Make a business case for feature enhancements of at least five countries Learning Management System, not limited to Learning Passport based upon user feedback.
Deliverable
- Progress or Activity Report
Timeframe
Output
- Final report on deployment of learning passport and reimagine education across ESA countries
Deliverable
- Final consolidated report developed and shared across 21 countries (virtually)
Timeframe
Payment Schedule
- Payment schedule is indicated in the above table, linked to each key deliverable.
Desired competencies, technical background and experience
- Advanced university degree or equivalent experience in Education, Education Technology, ICT or related field of study. *A first-level university degree in a relevant field combined with seven years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
- At least 5 years of proven experience in the implementation of technology programmes
- Solid experience in the design and implementation of education programme at scale.
- Excellent writing skills, planning and coordination skills, with proven ability to work independently.
- Previous work with UNICEF (HQ or ROs) is an added advantage.
- Must exhibit the UNICEF Core Values of:
- Care
- Respect
- Integrity
- Trust
- Accountability
- Sustainability
Competencies:
- The consultant should have the following competencies to deliver on the assignment.
- Drive to achieve results for impact (level 2)
- Innovates and embraces change (level 2)
- Works collaboratively with others (Level 2)
- Fluency in English (verbal and written). Knowledge of French and Portuguese is an added advantage
Deadline: 30 Jun 2023 E. Africa Standard Time
Gmail
Yahoomail