I. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In Côte d’Ivoire, half of the population is under 19 years old. Yet, when asked, 60% of young people say they believe their voice is not being heard. This is an opportune time to engage with youth to accelerate positive development: focus on the promise they hold for the future and mobilize their energy for change; learn from their perspectives on development; invest in them as emerging leaders; and focus on their potential as agents of economic, political, and socio-cultural growth.

Over the past two years, UNICEF Côte d’Ivoire has successfully increased youth engagement by recruiting more than 4,000,000 U-Reporters who have actively engaged their communities with concrete solutions for positive change. UNICEF Côte d’Ivoire is now ready to scale up and coordinate U-Report activities in line with the Generation Unlimited movement and to offer young people the opportunity to express what matters to them.

II. PURPOSE FOR THE JOB:

Under the supervision of the Chief of Youth and Adolescent Development, the Youth Engagement Officer (U-Report) will assist in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of UNICEF’s youth engagement strategy to ensure that the voices of children and young people are heard and supported at key moments in advocating for UNICEF’s mission and goals in the country.

III. KEY FUNCTIONS, ACCOUNTABILITIES, AND RELATED DUTIES/TASKS

The Youth Engagement Officer (U-Report), will be responsible for:

    1. Planning and programming

• Schedule and manage polling questions and live chat sessions in coordination with the related sections.
• Construct communication flows and chatbots for polls on Rapidpro.
• Plan and coordinate U-Actions with U-Report clubs and youth groups.
• Align / collaborate with ongoing youth initiatives and communication campaigns.
• Engage related youth groups and stakeholders (private sector, ministries, CSOs).
• Manage U-Report Poll Calendar (align with global and regional advocacy dates and campaigns when necessary).

   2. Monitoring

• Monitor U-Report initiatives on daily basis through a review of running polls, running chatbots, incoming messages, feedback, consultative meetings with partners to assess progress, identity bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely actions to resolve issues.
• Create complaint and feedback mechanism through U-Report platform.

  3.  Analysis and Evaluation

• Analyze current polls for publication in national press and share with partners and stakeholders.
• Display trends through data analysis and reports.
• Analyze historical polls to establish baseline trends for monitoring of future attitudinal change.
• Identify and categorize popular themes from unsolicited messages that potentially require further processing e.g. reports of diseases and outbreaks.
• Identification and rectification of missing fields of demographics and registration based on user profile information.

   4.  Managing accounts and website

• Manage U-Report Cote d’Ivoire website (manage poll results, update youth stories)
•  Manage U-Report Cote d’Ivoire social media channels in collaboration with the communication section to maintain user engagement with regular content, including current polls, and respond to non-technical comments and questions.
• Keep updated on the U-Report and social media policy change by closely working with U-Report Global team, Regional office and relevant parties.
• Manage technical issues on the U-Report platform with the Innovation Specialist and participate in global calls.

  5. Partnership

• Make recommendations on innovative scale-up campaigns on the U-Report platform.
• Engage related stakeholders for scale-up.

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

Expérience:

• Two years practical professional work experience in communication, print and broadcast media, or interactive digital media.
• Field work experience
• Background/familiarity with Emergency situations.
• Previous work with UNICEF is an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in French is required. and working knowledge of English is an asset

Education:

•  A University degree (License: BAC+3) in Social Sciences, Computer Science, Information and Communication Sciences or a related field.

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

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Core competencies

• Nurtures. Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Functional Competencies:

• Persuading and Influencing (1)
• Applying Technical Expertise (1)
• Leaming and Researching (2)
• Planning and Organizing (2)

Technical Knowledge  

a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required (for the job)

(Technical knowledge requirements specific to the job can be added here as required.) 

Specific and up-to-date working knowledge of:

• Strong interpersonal, communication, public speaking, presentation, writing, critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Experience in working with teams.
• Good computer skills with software proficiency in Windows, Microsoft Office Suit (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote).
• Executive Board and other policy documents. 
• Executive Directives,
• Thorough knowledge of Mid-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP)
• UN/UNICEF Policy Papers
• UNICEF program policy, procedures and guidelines.
• Rights-based and Results-based approach and programming in UNICEF
• General administrative and financial guidelines.
• Human resources manual
• UNICEF communication and other DOC guidelines
• Brand Toolkit and Brand Book
• Ethical Guidelines on Reporting on Children

b) Common Technical Knowledge Required (for the job group)

• Practice, methodology and practical application of communication.
• Fundamentals of working in various media formats – print, audio, video, web, etc…
• Computer systems, including internet navigation, office applications, and specifically, interactive digital media.
• United Nations or other international organizations; good understanding of world affairs, current events and international development issues
• Global human rights issues, specifically relating to children and women, and current UNCEF position and approaches.
• UNICEF’s objectives, visions, positions, policies, guidelines and strategies.
• UNICEF policies and strategies for addressing national and international issues, including emergencies.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness

VI. Skills

• Good analytical skill and negotiating skills.
• Ability to manage and monitor the effective use of resources.
• Ability to supervise and direct a team of professional and support staff working
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious working relationships, both within and outside the organization.
• Fast learner, adapts and responds to change, tolerates ambiguity.
• Ability to contribute to formulation of strategies and policies.
• Good knowledge and understanding of UNICEF programs, public procurement principles, financial.

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 (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework 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.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates without any distinction are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also 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 cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

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