Advocacy Specialist

The Advocacy Specialist supports UNICEF National Committees in designing, implementing, and monitoring foundational advocacy and platform initiatives related to child rights education, child and youth participation, and platform initiatives such as Child-Friendly Cities, Child Rights Schools, and Baby-Friendly Hospitals. The role involves coordination, knowledge exchange, monitoring, reporting, and risk management to advance child rights advocacy globally.

Responsibilities

• Support National Committees in designing, implementing and monitoring Child Rights Education, child participation and youth engagement initiatives.
• Facilitate regular interaction of National Committees through maintenance of the existing CRE Network and CPYE Working Group, including organizing webinars for information sharing and exchange of rights-based practices.
• Facilitate interaction of National Committees with key relevant teams in UNICEF headquarters.
• Share key global developments in CRE and child and youth participation with National Committees and lead adaptation to their context.
• Promote alignment of National Committees' work with child rights approach and UNICEF global guidance and frameworks, addressing misalignments constructively.
• Coordinate Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), Child Rights Schools Initiative (CRSI), and Baby-Friendly Hospitals Initiative (BFHI) platform initiatives and promote synergies with foundational advocacy.
• Maintain and support consultancies overseeing CFCI and BFHI, including oversight of workplans, deliverables, coordination and follow-up.
• Provide direct support to National Committees on CRSI planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
• Facilitate peer learning and exchange of tools, evidence and good practices across platform initiatives.
• Provide guidance and support to National Committees on monitoring and reporting of foundational advocacy and platform initiatives through JSP and national tools.
• Work with Knowledge Management Specialist to promote use of Knowledge Exchange Platform and other collaborative tools by National Committees.
• Support National Committees to ensure child safeguarding and risk management in advocacy work.
• Support registration and monitoring of risks and risk management strategies as part of JSP process and contribute to PFP’s risk register.
• Support UNICEF in liaising with National Committees for organization of specific initiatives and events involving foundational advocacy and platform initiatives.

Requirements

• Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in education, social studies, child rights or another relevant field is required.
• A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience is required.
• Relevant professional experience includes child rights, child participation, youth engagement, child safeguarding and/or advocacy work.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-stakeholder networks and partnerships, including coordinating diverse stakeholders, facilitating collaboration, and supporting knowledge exchange and joint initiatives across multiple organizations and countries.
• Proven experience and strong understanding of child rights-based programming and the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in programme design and advocacy.
• Working experience in High Income Countries and familiarity with education systems and/or child participation and youth engagement schemes within these countries.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Ownership and initiative, with capacity to work independently and effectively in a team environment.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills in interacting with colleagues at all levels.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to establish harmonious working relations in a multicultural environment.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or language of a UNICEF National Committee is an asset.
• UN/UNICEF experience is an asset.
• Experience and familiarity with UNICEF's National Committee structure and ways of working, Joint Strategic Plan (JPS) processes and advocacy work, is an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Skills

• Child Rights Programming
• Child Participation
• Youth Engagement
• Child Safeguarding
• Advocacy Activities
• Multi-stakeholder Network Management
• Partnership Coordination
• Knowledge Exchange Facilitation
• Programme Design
• Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Education Systems Familiarity
• Analytical Skills
• Communications Skills
• Cultural Sensitivity
• Relationship Building
• Monitoring and Reporting
• Risk Management
• UNICEF National Committee Knowledge
• Joint Strategic Plan Processes

Languages

English