Temporary Appointment (TA): Knowledge Management and Advocacy Specialist, P-4, End Violence Against Children (EVAC), New York, USA (364 Days), Post #116300 REQ#540235

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 profile of End Violence and its work on Safe Online has grown significantly to reach nearly  US$50 million in investments with impact in over 70 countries across the world. In addition, external stakeholders are increasingly looking to End Violence for leadership and coordination in the area of tackling online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA). This is especially true within the context of COVID-19, as End Violence has been asked to lead an interagency and multi-stakeholder effort to create resources for parents, policymakers and industry so that child online protection can be ensured at a time when life is moving more to online platforms.

In view of the above, the End Violence is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Knowledge Management and Advocacy Specialist to support Safe Online’s knowledge generation, convening and collaboration efforts with partners, donors and grantees. S/he will be responsible for consolidating data, evidence and lessons learned on the achievements of the Safe Online investments to the field, as well as creating opportunities for learning and sharing of know-how in the area of prevention and response to violence against children online. S/he will work to strengthen and maintain a wider convening and coordination role of Safe Online in the area of prevention and response to online CSEA and wider child online safety work. The successful candidate is expected to have technical expertise on issues related to risks and harms to children in the digital environments, as well as experience in knowledge management and evidence generation, partnerships and advocacy. The successful candidate will be highly responsive, proactive and results-oriented, with a flexible approach and a commitment to building a thriving, collaborative work environment.  

About the End Violence Partnership

Every year, over 1 billion children experience violence.  Violence in childhood undermines all other investments in children: in their health, education and development, often with negative lifelong consequences and intergenerational impact. Recognizing the devastating impacts of violence against children, in 2015 world leaders committed to end all forms of violence, abuse and neglect by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.  In July 2016, the UN Secretary-General launched the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children and an associated Fund.

The End Violence Partnership includes governments, UN agencies, international organizations, civil society, faith groups, the private sector, philanthropic foundations, research practitioners, academics and children themselves – uniting their voices, actions and resources in a unique public-private collaboration focused solely on ending all violence against children.

In five years, the Partnership has helped develop and promote the INSPIRE solutions to end violence; enrolled more than 30 governments as Pathfinder countries; launched an innovative initiative with education sector partners to end violence in and through schools; awarded some $57 million in grants to tackle violence  against children online, in schools and in humanitarian situations; welcomed over 550 organizations as members; and galvanized those working to end violence through collective advocacy and events.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put children everywhere at even higher risk of violence and abuse and threatens to undermine progress made in recent years.  But COVID-19 has also heightened awareness, inspired new collaborations and ways of working, and demonstrated the value of the End Violence Partnership as a global platform for collective and evidence-based advocacy, action and investments.  Together, we have a window of opportunity to start to translate the rhetoric of building back better into a reality for children in the coming years.

How can you make a difference?

The Knowledge and Advocacy Specialist will be hired on a UNICEF Temporary Appointment from May 2021 to April 2022, for a total duration of 364 days. The position is based in New York and reports to the Safe Online Director of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children. S/he will work in close collaboration with the Safe Online team. S/he will contribute to a culture of professionalism that emphasizes curiosity, learning, collaboration and delivery.

Under the supervision of the Safe Online Director, the Knowledge Management and Advocacy Specialist will be responsible for the following key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:  

1. Support Safe Online knowledge and evidence generation 
2. Provide technical advice on Safe Online’s strategy and the investment approach
3. Create advocacy and partnership opportunities
4. Support Safe Online knowledge and evidence generation: 

• Strengthen the network of Safe Online grantees and promote data, evidence and learning including research, learning activities and products for the Safe Online portfolio and the wider ecosystem, including facilitating the establishment of communities of practice.
• Design and manage the Safe Online knowledge exchange initiatives to support grant recipients or grant making processes as well as for expert organizations and practitioners in the field of online violence against children.
• Coordinate the collection of evidence, lessons learned and best practices from the Safe Online portfolio to inform priority areas, investment approaches and strategic opportunities, as well as share with the grantees, the End Violence broader community and general public to increase the impact of its investments, advocacy efforts and collaborations.
• Gather and consolidate existing programming evidence to strengthen the Secretariat’s knowledge of this area (from existing research, studies and evaluations).

2. Provide technical advice on Safe Online’s strategy and the investment approach

• Under the leadership and supervision of Safety Online Director, strategize about what the field needs to end online violence, as well as provide technical guidance and support to the 2021 and subsequent funding rounds (guidance, technical experts, EoI, grading criteria, application review, quality assurance, announcement of awards.
• Act as the second layer of expert technical support to the grantees by providing advice critical deliverables such as research and evaluation documents, program preparation, implementation and monitoring for results, etc.
• Work closely with Grant Portfolio Manager to ensure timely technical support throughout all stages of application, implementation and reporting, including advising on cases where funds may need to be withheld, re-programmed or investigated.
• Participate in selected monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual reviews with partners to assess progress.
• Identify opportunities for alignment with End Violence priority intitatives (Safe to Learn and Pathfinding), across thematic areas and types of violence against children (online and offline CSEA, bullying, etc.) and coordination at country/regional level.

3. Create advocacy and partnership opportunities

• Support the Safe Online Director in strengthening and maintaining a wider convening and coordination role in the area of prevention and response to online CSEA and wider child online safety work, including through working with partners on COVID-19 response, EU engagement on relevant policies and strategies, Industry engagement and similar external opportunities.
• Consolidate relevant Safe Online external engagements, grantee activities, results and work to coordinate with the Communication and Resource Mobilization teams to create communication and advocacy materials such as news, case studies and grantee profiles as needed;
• Provide inputs as requested by the Safe Online Director to policy papers, briefing notes, speeches, strategies, progress reports, decision papers and other strategic programme materials for senior management and Safe Online Working Group use, information and consideration, such as documents related to the WPGA Board, WPGA Global Threat Assessment and Global Strategic Response, Technology Coalition, Broadband Commission, ITU Child Online Protection and other similarly themed issues or groups;
• Perform other tasks to support the deliverables of the Global Partnership, as applicable and assigned by the supervisor.

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

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in social sciences, international relations, human rights, or other related disciplines.
• A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in programme development, implementation, and research in diverse country context, including developing countries, on issues related to the protection of children from online violence and sexual abuse and exploitation required. Experience working in violence prevention a plus.
• Direct working experience with key actors involved in preventing and responding to online exploitation and abuse against children (e.g. law enforcement, ICT Industry, education, civil society, etc.) required.
• A good understanding of the field of online exploitation and abuse and violence prevention, including the work of the Global Partnership, WePROTECT Global Alliance, technology industry, and others, and of the latest research and evidence-base behind effective strategies to end violence against children, particularly online desirable.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent technical communication with peers and non-technical stakeholders required.
• Comfortable working and negotiating with others to produce the best outcomes required
• Ability to work in a diverse, multicultural, and highly collaborative environment required.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills required; analytical and strategic ability required;
• Oral and written fluency in English is required; knowledge of other UN languages is desirable.

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 UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

Core Competencies

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Functional Competencies

• Persuading and Influencing (2)
• Applying Technical Expertise (2)
• Entrepreneurial Thinking (2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/ assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Your appointment is limited to End Violence Against Children (EVAC), a UNICEF hosted fund. While UN staff regulations and rules, as well as UNICEF policies and procedures, apply to you during your appointment, certain provisions therein may apply to you differently due to the limited scope of your appointment.