Senior Manager

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

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For every child, hope.

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How can you make a difference?? 

The Senior Manager will drive the GenU partnership platform around an African Youth Force (Youth economic empowerment/livelihoods) across ESAR and beyond. The Youth Force will align the youth agenda and contribute to systems strengthening across Country Offices, maximizing impact, driving investments and technology and enhancing diverse partnership opportunities with the public and private sectors. Yoma will be positioned as the engine driving the integration of all partners in a tech enabled ecosystem.

He/She will be responsible for the following strategies, approaches and activities to achieve impact, scale and quality results:

1. Manage the Design and Implementation Processes of the African Youth Force concept with the Youth Force team/section

Lead on the operationalization and implementation of the Youth Force, including the Yoma digital solution and the Y4C operational model across ESAR and beyond. This requires managing the Youth Force section and team for impact and scale.  The roll-out processes require the development of a clear strategy and the instruments that would allow for easy adoption across governments, private sector partners, youth organisations and UNICEF offices. The roll-out has to happen in an agile manner informed by continuous learning and operational research. Country offices are in different stages of adoption of the youth force approach with each stage requiring a different set of tools and support (including exploration stage, adaptation and scaling stage).

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2. Lead and expand the Youth Force partnership and team

The GenU Africa strategy and the youth force/Yoma concepts are anchored in a strong partnership with the African Union, regional or sub-regional youth networks, private sector and the UN/UNICEF. The incumbent will ensure that the initiative will be implemented in line with the conceptual framework and the UNICEF/GenU Africa strategy. Given its iterative design he/she will keep the stakeholder informed and anticipate challenges. It will be key to ensure that additional partners come on board for the scale up of the African Youth Force concept. He/she will scout the partnership environment and lead the engagement with a variety of partners such as youth/innovation networks, private sector, non for profit, academia, bi/multilateral partners and in particular emerging financial partners such as impact funds.

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2. Ensure governance and accountability

Given the evolving and iterative nature of the program design it will be crucial to put in place governance and accountability mechanisms that are light yet rigourous in terms decision making at pivotal points. The Senior Manager will be responsible for setting those up and supporting them. The governance and accountability mechanism will comprise two elements for:

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2. A joint Yoma steering committee lead by the African Union Secretariat and co-lead by GenU and ESARO. The composition and working modalities for the committee will be agreed upon between the chair and the co-chairs ensuring that it retains an executive character. The committee will have overall oversight and will take the decisions required at crucial milestones regarding partnerships, design options, selection of countries and strategies. The Senior Manager will act as the secretariat to the steering committee. He/She will prepare the relevant documentation for the board and ensure that the decisions are implemented.
3. The main accountability mechanism will be a light set of relevant metrics that will allow to measure the  progress or lack thereof. Those metrics will be adapted to the different stages of the initiative and allow for continued monitoring and rapid decision making.

Facilitate organizational learning and operational research

Given the innovative nature of the partnership and operational model, it will be crucial to implement operational research that provides rapid feed-back loops. The Senior Manager will provide oversight to any operational research, accompany its implementation and ensure the dissemination of its learnings. He/she will participate in learning networks both within and outside UNICEF and the AU. Where possible the process will mobilize UNICEF Country Offices and partners with the aim of exposing them to human-centered design approaches and iterations of innovation.

Support Generation Unlimited in Africa

GenU's Public-Private Youth Partnership (PPYP) aims to tackle complex youth challenges, with a focus on unemployment and skills gaps, recognizing the urgent need for convening and catalyzing diverse actors. PPYPs are unique in that they focus on long-term social outcomes and youth empowerment. This expanding model leverages diverse resources and assets from public, private, and civil society sectors and youth, fostering innovation, impact and scalability through a continuous platform for collaboration. The Senior Manager will drive the GenU partnership platform around an African Youth Force across ESAR and beyond. He/She will facilitate alignment of the youth agenda and contribute to systems strengthening across Country Offices, maximizing impact, driving investments and technology and enhancing diverse partnership opportunities with a range of key stakeholders (public and private sectors and youth networks).

Key Expected Results

The Senior Manager (Youth Force-Yoma) will be expected to achieve the following:

• Strengthened design and implementation of the African Youth Force concept.
• Strengthened leadership and expanded Youth Force partnerships and teams.
• Strengthened governance and accountability of the Youth Force, including Yoma digital solution and the Y4C operational model.   
• Strengthened Generation Unlimited in Africa, aligned with the UNICEF/GenU Africa Strategy.
• Strengthened capacities of the Youth Force team/section.
• Strengthened organizational learning and operational research of the Youth Force, including the Yoma digital solution and Y4C operational model.

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, development, economics, psychology, sociology or another relevant field.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in youth related partnerships and programme, including the management, design, planning, and/or research level is required out of which at least 8 years focused on youth livelihoods and economic empowerment.
• A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in advising country strategies and teams. 
• Experience in developing and scaling innovative initiatives
• Proven leadership to advance partnerships around youth livelihoods preferably within UNICEF is required.
• Strong understanding of youth ecosystems within regional and national contexts is required.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required (Verbal and Written)
• Strong French capacity is considered an asset
• Knowledge of another UN language an asset

Competencies of successful candidate:

Core Values:

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies:

• Communication (III)
• Working with people (III)
• Drive for results (III)

Functional Competencies:

• Entrepreneurial Thinking (III)
• Creating and Innovating (III)
• Leading and supervising (II)
• Formulating strategies/concepts (III) Analysing (III)
• Relating and networking (III)
•  Deciding and initiating action (III)
• Adapting and Responding to Change (III)

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: UNICEF Values

The 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 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy , UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. AtIn UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF's active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

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

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to  Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full  (accessible to internal staff only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member's original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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