Regional Chief of Programme, Planning & Monitoring, FT, (P-5), LACRO, Panama City, Panama #17367

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.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, a champion

The Regional Chief of Programme Planning and Monitoring plays a critical role in ensuring that the UNICEF LAC Regional Office objectives are achieved. The incumbent ensures that the Regional and country-level plans are consistent with the objectives and priorities, particularly as they relate to ensuring that there are deliberate and costed efforts to achieve progress towards the achievement of results contained in the goals of the Strategic Plan and ROMP 2022-2025. The position also contributes to ensuring availability of and access to up-to date, quality data across the Results Areas of the Strategic Plan and ROMP 2022 – 2025 with high quality monitoring and reporting. To aid in the process, the incumbent ensures that staff across the region are trained in Results-based Management and have the skills to manage for results.

In full recognition of the fact that UNICEF cannot achieve these results on its own and, in full commitment to the UNDS reform, the incumbent seeks to ensure that UNICEF’s planning, monitoring and reporting are aligned and based on principles of collaboration and coherence.

How can you make a difference? 

Provides technical leadership, management advice, and programme support throughout the region and facilitates application and adaptation of UNICEF policies and strategies.  Provides UNICEF programmes with leadership including advice, vision, oversight, knowledge management, articulate policies and strategies, coordination of programme strategy and implementation, capacity building, support for planning, monitoring and knowledge management, representation, and strategic partnership creation.

Also oversees LACRO support to COs at key programming milestones and strengthening availability and quality of data for children. Reinforces UNICEF’s commitment to culture change as they relate to Results-based Management and Results-based Budgeting across the region with a focus on demonstrating results across the Results Areas. Leads technical expertise to COs in their efforts to collect, analyse and use data, including piloting the UNICEF Data for Children Strategy in priority countries. These include the following: Please outline the overall responsibility of this position, focusing on:

• Country Programme Development, monitoring and Review.
• Country Office Annual Reports and Regional Office Annual Report.
• UN Coherence and Inter-Agency Coordination including common chapter, UN Reform, UNDG peer support group (Regional United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework / UNSDCF support).
• Data for children.
• UNICEF Strategic Plan.
• Coordinate the development and monitoring of the Regional Office Management Plan.
• Development of global and regional programme guidance.
• Coordinate meetings; Regional Management Team, Deputy Representations and Chief of Operations, Programme Planning and Monitoring Network. 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  SJD Regional Chief of Programme, Planning and Monitoring P5 VA.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree in social sciences, or other disciplines of the specialized technical areas.
• Work Experience: At least ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in all aspects of programme management, and/or advisory support, in the technical area or programme sector resulting in recognized expertise in the technical area.
• Skills/Technical knowledge:
  • Knowledge of programme management, methodology and practical application. Knowledge of current theories and practices in research and programme strategy.
  • Knowledge, skills and leadership for managing teams, budgets and project execution.
  • Knowledge of United Nations, NGOs, or other international organizations.
  • Good understanding of world affairs, current events and international development issues.
  • Knowledge of global human rights issues, specifically relating to children and women, and current UNCEF position and approaches.
  • UNICEF programme visions, goals, strategies, positions, policies and guidelines. Thorough knowledge of UNICEF programme manual and relevant UNICEF publications.
  • Rights-based and results-based management and programming approach in UNICEF.
  • UNICEF policies and strategy to address global, regional and national priority issues.
  • Knowledge of emergency response and preparedness programming.
  • Knowledge of UNICEF administrative and financial policy and guidelines.
  • Knowledge of computer systems, including internet navigation, office applications, network and communications.
  • See JD for more skills requirements
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English. Knowledge of Spanish is considered an asset, but there must be a commitment to learn Spanish at working level. French and/or Portuguese considered assets too.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Experience at the country level in programme planning, monitoring and reporting is a very strong 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: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.