ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:

UNICEF is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The organization works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

UNICEF wishes to urgently engage a dynamic and well-networked, skilling/ education professional, to lead and support implementation of all activities under Pillar 2 of the YuWaah programme, focusing on “Skills for Life and Livelihood.” 

Project Background:

In recent years, UNICEF’s work to support the unique needs of young people has gained momentum, as the challenges faced by them have come more sharply into focus.

Building on its current work with, and for, adolescents, in line with the United Nations Youth Strategy, UNICEF is developing a new global partnership, Generation Unlimited (GenU), which is dedicated to expanding opportunities for young people from ages 10 to 24 years. Maximizing the potential of the United Nations system, Governments, Civil Society Organizations, and the private sector, and of young people themselves, GenU is focused on finding new ways to ensure that every young person is in school, undergoing formal or informal learning or training, or is employed by 2030.

The India chapter of GenU has been named YuWaah which signifies catalytic partnerships to unleash the potential of adolescents and young people. Since its launch in November 2019, YuWaah has built alliances with a range of stakeholders such as the Government, Civil Society, UN and other international organizations, the corporate sector and, of course, young people themselves. YuWaah has provided a platform for the exchange of ideas, dissemination of existing employment, skilling and learning initiatives, youth engagement and amplification of youth aspirations, choices, and unmet needs.

YuWaah was launched on 1st November 2019 by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Ms. Smriti Z. Irani; and UNICEF Executive Director, Ms. Henrietta Fore and senior representatives from the Government, private sector, industry associations, civil society organisations, UN agencies and youth.

Purpose of Assignment:

Out of the three thematic pillars under YuWaah, Pillar 2 involves skills for life and livelihood (offline and tech-based solutions) for young people, both in and out of school. This pillar specifically involves:

• Career guidance (online and offline) to reach 30 million youth;
• 21st century skills (life skills, financial and digital skills) to reach 20 million youth to bring greater focus on 21st Century skills in the core K-12 curriculum; bring together stakeholders to arrive at a common definition for these skills, identify and scale impactful delivery models;
• Flexible learning programs and digital platforms to provide greater access to 6 million youth.

The Lead – Skills for Life and Livelihoods (LSLL) will be part of the national YuWaah team based in Delhi and responsible for leading and coordinating all operations of the Pillar 2 Taskforce for “Skills for Life and Livelihood” as well as supporting all YuWaah initiatives under this Pillar.

S/he will interact and coordinate closely with public and private sector organizations, including NGOs, Government, and UNICEF state offices. The post-holder will support GenU/ YuWaah related planning, communication with key partners (including the Government of India, other UN agencies, private sector representatives and young people) and knowledge management.

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the technical guidance of the Education Specialist, the LSLL will provide overall expert technical advice and operational support for the thematic area of “Skills for Life and Livelihood” and be primarily responsible to support solutions/ innovations to scale with partners.

Key Job Responsibilities

A. Technical Guidance and Support:

• Support co-creation and validation of solutions with stakeholders and potential solution providers;
• In cooperation with key stakeholders (YuWaah Secretariat, UNICEF ICO teams, government, private, CSO partners) and accordance with YuWaah India Theory of Change, develop strategy and implementation plans;
• Prepare annual workplan and budget for thematic area “Skills for life and livelihood”
• Provide technical guidance for identifying key partnerships opportunities for “Skills for life and livelihood”
• Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic materials for YuWaah advocacy purposes
• Support YuWaah India partners in perspective-building on “Skills for life and livelihood”
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policies to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy
• Operationalization of the taskforce, including support to the finalization of membership and distribution of roles and responsibilities

B. Partnerships and Networking:

• Support development of programmatic and strategic relationships with existing and potential partners including the state government, private sector, NGOs/CSOs, other partners and implementing contractors., optimizing their contribution to YuWaah;
• Support enhancing relationships with existing and potential contributors for catalytic funding and with non-traditional donors, including on innovative financing modalities and leverage financing;
• Coordinate information exchange and synergies between flagship initiatives of career guidance, flexible learning and 21st century skills within YuWaah partners;
• Actively monitor key partnerships 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 team members for timely resolution;
• Prepare regular/mandated reports for management and YuWaah partners to keep them informed of partnership progress.

C. Innovation:

1. Apply/ introduce innovative approaches to enhance flexible learning, career guidance and promotion of 21st century skills for young people, for the delivery of concrete and sustainable results
2. Research and suggest on best international practices to be explored for possible adaption in India

D. Advocacy & Communications and Knowledge Management:

(1) Support in drafting of public advocacy materials, human interest stories, social media material as applicable.

(2) Support development of lessons learned, review of successful and unsuccessful experiences and share observations/findings so that best practices benefit YuWaah’s implementation and strategy.

4. REMUNERATION:

Gross annual compensation budgeted for the position is attractive and compares favourably with that offered by international agencies for similar roles. Compensation offered to the selected candidate shall be based on salary history, qualification and experience.

5. NUMBER OF VACANCIES AND DUTY STATIONS:

Number of Vacancies: One

Duty Stations: UNICEF, New Delhi.

6. SUPERVISOR:

LSLL will report to the Chief of Adolescent Development and Generation Unlimited - UNICEF India with matrix reporting to UNICEF Education Specialist for technical guidance and support.

7. OFFICIAL TRAVEL INVOLVED (Itinerary and Duration):
Official travel to UNICEF intervention programme states/ districts, will be undertaken as agreed with the supervisor.
Travel is estimated at 14 days to the state capitals and districts of YuWaah programme intervention states viz. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab, and potentially to other states, if required. 

8. ESTIMATED DURATION OF CONTRACT (Full Time): 

The contract will be issued for 11.5 months from appointment. The contract may be extended, subject to performance and availability of funding.

9. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualifications, Experience and Functional Competencies:

1. Post graduate degree in education or relevant social science discipline;
2. At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and/or international levels, in programme/ project planning and implementation, with particular emphasis on livelihood enhancement, employment connects and entrepreneurship promotion; Practical experience in research and gender equity is preferred;
3. Developing country work and/or field experience an asset;
4. Fluency in English & Hindi (written and verbal) is required;
5. Proven ability to conceptualize, plan, develop, implement, monitor evaluate and report on programmes in the areas indicated above, and to transfer knowledge and skills;
6. Ability to develop partnerships and to network in the areas of education, skills, youth engagement and employment;
7. Knowledge of the latest developments and technology in related fields;
8. Analytical, negotiating, communication and advocacy skills, excellent writing skills;
9. Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;
10. Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
11. Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
12. Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
13. Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;
14. Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in this position are requested to apply by or before April 30, 2021 at https://recruitment.samshrm.com/Jobs/UNICEF