Programme Officer: Adolescent Development and Youth Participation - UNICEF

In Ghana, UNICEF cooperates with the Government and other partners to defend the rights of children and help them fulfill their potential. With offices in Accra and Tamale, the UNICEF team seeks to achieve results in strategic programme areas. The overall goal is for every child to survive and thrive, to live in a safe and clean environment, to learn, to be protected from violence and exploitation, and to have an equitable chance in life.

The current Country Programme of cooperation is aligned with the Government priorities, the UN Sustainable Development Partnership (UNSDP) and Key Results for Children (KRCs) in the West and Central African Region (immunization, nutrition, learning outcomes, ending child marriage and ending open defecation).

UNICEF's main strategies include evidence-based advocacy, system strengthening, integrated programming across sectors, emergency preparedness and response, and innovation.

How can you make a difference?

The Programme Officer (Adolescent Development and Youth Participation (ADYP)) will provide professional technical, operational, and administrative assistance throughout the programming process to support the integration of adolescent development and adolescent and young people’s participation and civic engagement within the UNICEF Country Programme and in the Generation Unlimited partnership.

The Officer is responsible for preparing, executing, managing and implementing technical and operational tasks, including cross-sectoral support around adolescent development and youth engagement and advocacy. The officer will also be responsible for supporting the mobilization of youth networks and advocates to support the CO with youth engagement on CO and national priorities, in line with ADAP guidelines.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

Support to programme development and planning

• Contribute to the development/establishment of adolescent development and youth participation programme goals, objectives, strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of related information/data for development planning and priority and goal setting.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of programmes that enhance adolescent development and young people’s participation and civic engagement. Support the development of programme management processes to include, as appropriate, the participation of young people in governance and decision-making.
• Support the facilitation of meaningful participation of young people in the design, implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of UNICEF programmes and the GenU country investment agenda.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes on adolescent development and young people’s participation and civic engagement.
• Contribute to the monitoring of the use of programme resources, verify compliance with approved allocation/goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity.
• Prepare required programme documentations/materials/data to facilitate programme review and approval process. Prepare relevant internal UNICEF reports and external ones for donors and partners.
• Report on critical issues/findings to ensure timely resolution by management/ stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Contribute to the facilitation of intersectoral collaboration and coordination on adolescent development and youth participation through the cross-sectoral cluster of Adolescent, Gender and Youth focal points within the UNICEF Country Office.

Networking and partnership building

• Contribute to the establishment of effective working partnerships with adolescent and young leaders and youth-led organizations to inform and deliver on UNICEF programme results and GenU country investment agenda.
• Support partnership building with government MDAs, including the National Youth Authority, Youth Employment Agency, Ghana Library Authority, amongst others to inform, advocate, and deliver on UNICEF programme results focused on ADAP.
• Support advocacy platforms, including media networks, that mobilize and allow adolescents and young people to voice their needs and priorities as it relates to the realization of children’s rights.
• Support the design and implementation of policy and public advocacy efforts focusing on adolescent development and young people.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings/events, policy dialogues, and private sector events focusing on programmatic and investment opportunities to enhance young people’s participation and civic engagement and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF position and strategies with the UNSDF development and planning process.
• Research information on potential public and private donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs to ensure adolescent development and youth participation programmes are adequately resourced and supported.
• Support partners, including the GenU partnership, to establish meaningful platforms and mechanisms for young people’s mobilization and engagement in governance, cocreation of solutions and development and implementation of policies and programmes.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Contribute to the identification, synthetization, and sharing of lessons learned for knowledge development and design and support initiatives that build the capacity of stakeholders, including youth organizations/groups, individual youth advocates, and government agencies focused on youth engagement.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of impactful and sustainable programme results.
• Research and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Support with capacity building of UNICEF staff and partners on adolescent development, and meaningful adolescent and young people’s engagement and participation.
• Work with young people to develop innovative methods from global and local contexts that support co-creation and active engagement of adolescents and youth in programming that aims to address their concerns and needs.

Qualification Required & Experience

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

• A university degree in one of the following fields is required: social science, political science, development studies, public policy, human rights, anthropology, psychology, sociology, education, communication, or another relevant technical field
• A minimum of two years of professional experience in development planning and management of adolescent programming and young people’s participation or related areas is required.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as 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.

Location: Accra