Project Coordinator for Youth Empowered through Inclusive Schools and Societies (YESS); Prishtina, Kosovo, ADAP, 18 months.

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, inclusion

The project will work with children as well as youth, aged 13 to 24, their teachers, municipal educational authorities, parents, and broader communities in 10 selected municipalities across Kosovo. By empowering children and young men and women in both formal and informal settings and linking them with local governance mechanisms and media, the project seeks to enhance social cohesion within and across diverse communities through education as a positive entry point. Interventions are designed to actively engage young people, teachers, local authorities, media, and private sector actors and enhance their personal capacities to challenge stereotypes and prejudices, as well as to build critical skills in communication, cooperation, and problem-solving in an environment of high community tensions. The project will also strengthen the school environment through the introduction and reinforcement of inclusive education approaches that are adapted to the needs and realities of local contexts. At the heart of the project’s methodology is a steadfast commitment to the promotion of gender equality and the incorporation of youth voices and perspectives at all levels, ensuring all identities are recognized and valued.

To achieve the desired results, the project consists of two key project outputs:

Output 1: Schools, educational institutions, and local authorities actively cultivate and sustain a peaceful and inclusive environment for young people in the selected municipalities.

Output 2: Enhanced collaboration mechanisms among youth-led initiatives and local stakeholders, promoting.

How can you make a difference? 

The Project Coordinator will perform his/her duties and responsibilities under the formal supervision of UNICEF Deputy Head of Office. The senior management representatives of both UNICEF and IOM will collectively review and provide their endorsement for all project deliverables and the overall project overview.

He/she will be responsible for liaising with relevant stakeholders and representing the project externally as well as emphasizing joint results and a cohesive overview of the project’s progress and consolidating activities across teams and maintaining coordination within the project and its context areas. He/she will manage day-to-day project implementation and coordinate activities, ensuring not only adherence to the implementation plan but also the integration of pertinent social and gender considerations. The incumbent will proactively identify and leverage synergies with other interventions where possible. In collaboration with participating UN Agencies, he/she will maintain coordination within the project and its context areas, providing crucial feedback to decision-making tiers. The project coordinator will also act as the Secretary during the steering committee meetings, ensuring that the committee is informed of and approves any significant budget revisions. The incumbent will also oversee the compilation of inputs for reporting.

In greater detail, the Project Coordinator will execute the following duties and responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate the day-to-day implementation of the project, ensuring adherence to the project plan and objectives.
• Establish and maintain excellent working relations and effective dialogue with relevant institutional and organizational partners (e.g. local authorities, international organizations, donors, civil society, youth and women organizations, media, UNMIK and other UN bodies).
• Maximize the efficient and effective use of resources, reducing potential overlap and leveraging synergies.
• Represent the project externally, emphasizing joint results and a cohesive overview of the project’s progress.
• Engage in stakeholder consultations to reduce political and security risks and achieve wider acceptance.
• Report to the steering committee meetings, ensuring overall direction and integrity of the project, streamlining due social, gender, and human rights considerations.
• Convene regular meetings of the Project Steering Committee, prepare supporting presentations and materials, and act as a secretary during these meetings; raise issues of concern to be addressed on time.
• Compile inputs for reporting, providing essential feedback to decision-making tiers.
• Oversee the implementation of the project focusing on equipping schools and local authorities, fostering inclusive child and youth initiatives, and promoting peacebuilding and reconciliation.
• Oversee and ensure timely submissions, quality, and accuracy of the Project Progress Narrative and Financial reports as well as other reports as requested by UN PBF.
• Ensure the preparation of joint annual work plans, prepare budget revisions where needed, and design procurement plans.
• Oversee the monitoring and evaluation of the joint project in line with the overall M&E framework.
• Motivate and lead a high-performing team consisting of project staff, expert consultants, and service providers.
• Support continuous learning by the joint project team and ensure dissemination of information and knowledge management within the project teams for effective project implementation.
• Ensure and lead preparation for wide dissemination and visibility of the achievement of the joint project.

Work Assignments Overview: Lead and coordinate the day-to-day implementation of the project, ensuring adherence to the project plan and objectives.
Deliverables/Outputs: Successful advancement of the project towards its defined objectives and completion within the agreed-upon time frame, budget, and scope.
Delivery deadline: 60 Days

Work Assignments Overview: Establish and maintain excellent working relations and effective dialogue with relevant institutional and organizational partners
Deliverables/Outputs: Positive relationships and effective communication fostered with the specified stakeholders to ensure their interests are considered and that the project proceeds smoothly while addressing any concerns or needs they may have.
Delivery deadline: 40 days

Work Assignments Overview: Represent the project externally, emphasizing joint results and a cohesive overview of the project’s progress.
Deliverables/Outputs: Development of and external-facing document, or presentation that effectively communicates the project’s achievements, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the project.
Delivery deadline: 45 days

Work Assignments Overview: Engage in stakeholder consultations to reduce political and security risks and achieve wider acceptance.
Deliverables/Outputs: The development of a stakeholder consultation report, serving as a record of the engagement, also provides a roadmap for reducing political and security risks while gaining wider acceptance for the project. Ensuring transparency, accountability, and a structured approach to addressing the concerns and needs of key stakeholders.
Delivery deadline: 31.04.2024 – 60 days

Work Assignments Overview: Report to the steering committee meetings, ensuring the overall direction and integrity of the project, streamlining due social, gender, and human rights considerations.
Deliverables/Outputs: Development of a comprehensive report that informs the steering committee about the project’s status and emphasizes the integration of social, gender, and human rights considerations, ensuring that the project remains aligned with its intended values and principles.
Delivery deadline: 45 days

Work Assignments Overview: Oversee the implementation of the project focusing on equipping schools and local authorities, fostering inclusive child and youth initiatives, and promoting peacebuilding and reconciliation.
Deliverables/Outputs: Progress reports on achievements, and challenges encountered during the project’s implementation phase.
Delivery deadline: 65 days

Work Assignments Overview: Ensure the preparation of joint annual work plans, prepare budget revisions where needed, and design procurement plans.
Deliverables/Outputs: Joint annual work plans, including budget information and procurement plans.
Delivery deadline: 40 days

Work Assignments Overview: Monitor the identified project risks and issues and submit new risk, issues, and strategic implementation advice to the joint project steering committee.
Deliverables/Outputs: Monitoring reports developed and provided with all necessary information that includes risks, issues, and follow up actions. 
Delivery deadline: 50 days 

Work Assignments Overview: Oversee the monitoring and evaluation of the joint project in line with the overall M&E framework.
Deliverables/Outputs: Monitoring and evaluation report of the entire project developed.
Delivery deadline: 55 days

Work Assignments Overview: Ensure and lead the preparation for wide dissemination and visibility of the achievements of the joint project.
Deliverables/Outputs: Regular updates, success stories of the major achievement of the project shared and disseminated through UNICEF/IOM social media.
Delivery deadline: 40 days 

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

• A relevant Master’s degree in social sciences, development studies, management and business administration, or other relevant degree.
• Previous strong experience in programming of local, national and regional projects in the domains of peace building, reconciliation, trust-building, dialogue, youth engagement, social inclusion, governance, and/or human rights.
• Excellent knowledge of local peace building context, social, developmental, and political context.
• Project management skills with a minimum of [5] years of experience in project coordination and leadership.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for effective stakeholder engagement.
• Familiarity with the UN System and previous experience working with UN is considered a distinct asset.
• Knowledge and experience in education, social cohesion, gender equality, and youth engagement.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrated ability and experience in coordination, and ability to work under pressure is required.
• Fluency in oral and written English. Knowledge of the Albanian and Serbian languages is an asset for the position.
• *Listed requirements will be used for technical evaluation in the competitive process

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

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 offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. 

Remarks:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.