Brussels, Belgium
UNICEF Brussels
Job no: 528347
Position type: Fixed Term Appointment
Location: Belgium
Division/Equivalent: Partnerships
School/Unit: Public Partnerships Division
Department/Office: PPD, Brussels
Categories: P-3
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, hope . . .
The EU has become an increasingly important global actor with substantial impact on children’s lives. It is the world’s biggest donor (56% of the global aid to developing countries), the world’s largest economy and top trading partner for 80 countries.
UNICEF, the EU and its member states share a strong commitment towards promoting and protecting the rights of children in development cooperation. All 28 EU Member States are signatories of the UN CRC and since 2009, Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union explicitly commits the EU to promote and protect children’s rights in all EU external actions, including development cooperation. This entails a legal commitment to promote all human rights in all areas of external action’ and to integrate children’s rights into all EU operational development cooperation activities.
In the past years, the EU has multiplied the creation of new financial instruments with each their own requirements. Contracts with DG ECHO, DG DEVCO and DG NEAR have each their own specificities. The portfolio with the EU is further being diversified with for example increased engagement with European IFIs (EIB, EBRD), DG Employment, DG Health and DG Research.
Besides a significant policy dialogue on child rights with various EU institutions, the partnership between UNICEF and the EU has translated into an important financial support, making the EU one of the top public donor to UNICEF. The number of contracts have increased, as have the complexities of accessing different financial instruments, including the Trust Funds.
The EU has a specific framework agreed with the UN, the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement – FAFA. All contractual negotiations are guide by this framework, continuously affected by the modifications on the EU regulations and instruments.
As of 1 January 2015, the EU has introduced new contractual modality known as PAGODA. These new contractual modalities require providing additional guidance to country office prior to signing the new agreements as well as throughout the implementation of the grant to minimize any risk of disallowance of expenditure from the EU.
How can you make a difference?
Under the general supervision of the Senior Adviser (Deputy) for Development Policies and Programs, the Public Partnership Specialist contributes to influence the EU development policies and assist country offices’ capacity to mobilize EU ODA, to manage the risks and to review contracts with the EU are in line with FAFA provisions and UNICEF rules and regulations. The incumbent will manage the risks related to the high number of contracts with different EU institutions, including engagement with the European Court of Audit, and the increasing complexity of the EU financial instruments, rising conditionalities and requirements (including increasing Verifications and similar exercises), UNICEF is looking for a full-time staff on Fixed Term contract to work in its Office for Relations with EU Institutions in Brussels.
- Review contracts with the EU and ensure that they are in line with FAFA provisions, contractual agreement and annexes, as well as UNICEF mandate, rules and regulations.
- Work closely with the Division of Administration and Finance, the Division of Public Partnership and the Office of the Legal Advisor for the drafting and continuous update of guidance notes to country offices and regional offices to ensure effective and efficiency in disbursement and management of EU resources, adjusting them to the new contracting and engagement modalities.
- Support in analyzing the risks (programmatic and financial) related to the negotiations and agreements signed with the EU. That includes revising all new programmatic and contractual requirements received from the EU and may require contacting the different legal and financial units at each DG.
- Support the negotiations and coordinate with PPD, other sections and other UN Agencies in relation to new contractual conditionalities received or under negotiation with the EU institutions.
- Guide and support country offices when negotiating specific agreements and Verifications or similar exercises with special complexity are taking place.
- Represent UNICEF, together with DFAM, in the FAFA Working Group and related working groups: Residual Error Rates/Verifications Working Group and the Budgeting and reporting per results group.
- Identify and Analyse new financial instruments (specially Trust Funds) and their special requirements and support country and regional offices in their discussions and contract development with EU Delegations on these instruments.
- Provide quality assurance to the Development Contribution Management Team on high risks contribution agreements. The specific agreements/countries will be agreed with the supervisor.
- Consider and analyse the contractual specificities of other potential sources of funding with different DGs and instruments, for example with DG Justice, DG HOME, DG Research, DG Health, DG Employment.
- Provide technical legal assistance when analyzing legal texts and regulations related to child rights.
- Provide remote and on-site support to priority regions and countries, particularly but not exclusively in Middle East and North Africa.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields: law, international relations, political science, international development, or another relevant technical field is required.
- A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience, preferably in the field of EU legal affairs, international development and humanitarian aid.
- Very good knowledge of the European Union, especially the European regulatory frameworks and financial instruments is a strong asset.
- Effective interpersonal and communication skills, especially the ability to working a multicultural environment is desirable.
- Experience in supporting and coordinating activities across a large organisation and with multiple international partner organisations is an asset.
- Being able to ‘work under pressure’, ‘work in a team/collaboration’, and have ‘experience in partnerships’.
- Demonstrated professional experience in designing and implementing capacity building initiatives for personnel working in International Organisations is an asset.
- Knowledge of the UN or UNICEF desirable.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.
The functional competencies required for this post are…
Core Values:
- Care
- Respect
- Integrity
- Trust
- Accountability
Core competencies:
- Communication [ II ]
- Working with People [ II ]
- Drive for Result [ II ]
Functional Competencies:
- Leading and Supervising [ II ]
- Formulating Strategies and Concepts [II
- Analyzing [ II ]
- Applying Technical Expertise [ II ]
- Planning and Organizing [ III ]
View our competency framework at:
http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
Remarks:
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Advertised: Dec 03 2019 Romance Standard Time
Application close: Dec 17 2019 Romance Standard Time
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Closes Dec 17 2019
Public Partnership Specialist, P-3, Public Partnerships Division/Brussels, Belgium (Outpost) in Belgium
The EU has become an increasingly important global actor with substantial impact on children’s lives. It is the world’s biggest donor (56% of the global aid to developing countries), the world’s largest economy and top trading partner for 80 countries.
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