Research & Knowledge Management (Polio), NO-B, Temporary Appointment (6 Months), Islamabad – Pakistan

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.

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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.

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For every child, Health!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves. 

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives — being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

Job organizational context:

The Research and Knowledge Management officer is to be based in Islamabad, UNICEF Pakistan Country Office (CO) and the Polio Programme, which is a component of the Country Programme under Health Outcome. 

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is in its third year of implementation of Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026: Delivering on a Promise which remains focused on the dual emergency of interrupting wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Pakistan and Afghanistan and stopping polio outbreaks. Pakistan is one of the two remaining polio endemic countries globally. There is cautious optimism about the progress made toward stopping polio in both countries, with cases at their lowest levels in history. Epidemiology confirms the impact of polio eradication efforts. The proportion of children missed during immunization campaigns is decreasing, and overall population immunity is improving.

Working under the leadership of the Government, and through the One Team under One Roof approach,  UNICEF has been supporting the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) for Polio Eradication by  ensuring uninterrupted vaccine supply; increasing the number of children receiving polio vaccines in the most hard to reach districts through a communication Network (COMNet) which supports and prompts  evidence-based communication strategy that builds trust and increases demand of the communities to vaccination to reduce refusals. UNICEF polio team is also working closely with Nutrition, Health, WASH and SBC sections to deliver integrated essential services to the polio high risk areas to address community demand and need beyond polio vaccination.reduce refusals.

Purpose for the job:

The Research and Knowledge Management Officer reports to the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (Polio Eradication Progrmme). Under the guidance and supervision of Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the Research and Knowledge Management will:

• Assist in all research, assessments and evaluation work within the Polio Eradication programme; provide support for quality assurance activities, information collection and analysis, progress reports, minutes, ToRs and communication material, and preparation of agendas for supporting meetings, workshops and training sessions with regard to research and evaluation work at national and provincial level with special attention to the instructions provided pertaining to the quality, ethics and timelines of deliverables.
• Support in coordination with the Polio team, elicitation of information for preparation and regular updates of a well-established Plan for Research for Polio Eradication.
• Support the research and evaluation activities within the National Emergency Operation Center NEOC for Polio.
• Assist in overall Knowledge creation and management within the Polio team and with partners.
• Assist in key deliverables committed in the research, assessment and evaluation workplan by coordinating work with other programme sections wherever required.

How can you make a difference?

Within the delegated authority and the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be accountable for all or assigned areas of the following major duties and end results.

1. Research Assessments & Evaluation

• Assist in coordinating, establishing and aligning the major research, assessments and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF Plan for Research and Evaluation for Polio Eradication programme, in consultation with the programmes colleagues.
• Assist Polio programmes team to formulate Terms of Reference and research designs of high-quality research, assessment and evaluation in compliance with the UNICEF quality standards and guidelines.
• Assist in high quality research and evaluation with ethical standards meeting UNICEF quality assurance for research and establishing platforms that could strengthen quality and compliance to ethical standards.
• Based on the programme’s needs identify avenues for research and assessment within the polio programme
• Support in coordination of inception/preparation meetings for research and evaluation; solicitation of feedback on key deliverables; monitoring and ensuring the quality of the field work and data management during the implementation phase.
• Support in tracking and ensuring that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, uploaded, and followed up for implementation.
• Support in sharing all research and evaluations products to UNICEF Social Policy Section.
• Assist in drafting briefs for sharing with colleagues and partners, for informing programme design and for advocacy.

2. Research and Evaluation Capacity Building

• Support promotion of awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of research and evaluation functions among all staff members through supporting communication, training, learning and development activities organization-wide.
• Support a range of appropriate skills building strategies including self-learning, seminars and workshops and practical experience in order that UNICEF, UN staff and national partners have the basic knowledge and skills in understanding and applying new M&E policies, tools, methods to fulfil their responsibilities.

3. Knowledge Creation and Management through Coordination and Networking

• Assist in overall Knowledge creation, management and sharing within the Polio team and partners.
• Assist in overall coordination of priority research and evaluation activities in collaboration with the Polio team and partners, as required.
• Provide support in ensuring that current and accurate data and results are included in relevant reports, donor reports, UNICEF annual reports, RAM reports, and knowledge sharing networks.
• Create a platform on the UNICEF SharePoint to share the research and evaluation products.
• Share finding of media assessment, KAP surveys and other research studies with the programme colleagues and make plan follow up on the finding and recommendation.
• Support coordination with NEOC partners on major research, studies and evaluation.

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

The following minimum requirements:

Education:

A university degree (Bachelor’s) in one of the following fields: social sciences, development, management studies, planning, evaluation, statistics or related fields

Work Experience:

• Minimum of two years professional experience working in the field of research and/or evaluation in the development sector.
• At least one year experience in conducting and managing research.
• Sound knowledge of research methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience in working with multiple stakeholders across government and civil society in the areas of research and evaluation.
• Good coordination and negotiating skills, project management, and time management skills.
• Strong writing and reporting skills.
• Good writing and presentation skills.

Language:

• Fluency in English and Urdu is required.
• Knowledge of other local language is an 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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. Our contracts, wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.
• UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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.

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 appointments are subject to medical clearance.  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:

• Verified/ attested educational certificates/ degrees by HEC/ foreign institutions are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF, as the case may be.
• UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.
• 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.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.