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.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

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, Purpose.

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children’s rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally – click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

How can you make a difference?

Background:

UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for children’s rights. Child rights begin with safe shelter, nutrition, and protection from disaster and conflict and traverse the life cycle. UNICEF strive to ensure that all children are born alive, stay safe and keep learning.

For 70 years, UNICEF has endeavored to improve the lives of children and their families. Working with and for children through adolescence and into adulthood requires a global presence that aims to produce results and monitor their effects. UNICEF also lobbies and partners with leaders, thinkers, and policymakers to help all children realize their rights, especially the most disadvantaged.

Purpose Of the Job:

The Knowledge Management Specialist ensures that UNICEF Nigeria has a strategic approach and culture on knowledge management in line with the rights and results-based programming approach of UNICEF and ensures that valid and reliable information, lessons learned and knowledge products on the situation of children’s and women’s rights are disseminated and utilized for programme designing and child rights advocacy; relevant, effective and timely use of programme lessons and insights for strategic and programmatic decision making, including insights for coverage, coordination, and coherence in emergency contexts.

The Knowledge Management Specialist will lead the implementation of a structured knowledge management approach based on the global and NCO knowledge management strategy, which will be inclusive of and responsive to the needs of the Country Office at both central and field levels. This position will work closely with the Planning, Monitoring and Reporting (PMR), Evaluation, Communication and Advocacy, programme sections and field offices teams as well as with UNICEF regional office leads on knowledge management.

The incumbent will be responsible for implementing a framework/approach to (i) systematically establish UNICEF as a center of knowledge on children in Nigeria; (ii) continuously identify and promote opportunities for innovation that deliver results for children; and (iii) support the sharing of promising and good practices and lessons learned. A key deliverable of this position is supporting the roll-out of the UNICEF Knowledge Management Strategy via the Office KM Implementation Plan.

The incumbent will be responsible for the development, oversight and maintenance of systems, tools and products that support effective knowledge management. This will include internal and external platforms for knowledge sharing and exchange, and the continuous sharing of successes, failures and lessons learned.

The incumbent will document UNICEF’s strategic approaches in Nigeria, synthesize assessments, research, and studies in order to generate and disseminate common lessons learned and identify, share and document promising and good practices.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties or tasks:

1. Promotion of a country programme-wide culture on knowledge management and learning

• Develop/ update an operational action plan for Knowledge for Use (K4U) of the country programme, covering both field and country programme level strategy, including a strategy for internal and external dissemination.
• Ensure that KM needs are systematically identified and integrated across organizational processes and aligned to organizational goals.
• Update country programme accountability matrix to include KM roles and responsibilities at the field and country programme level.
• Ensure adequate incentives around KM are in place including recognition of knowledge champions.
• Build capacities of staff members on KM.
• Build knowledge management activities into programme and operations work plans to more clearly articulate how KM leads to enhanced programme effectiveness, and results.
• Act as liaison amongst various teams on KM and ensure coordination mechanisms on KM are developed, well understood and properly applied by all programme and operations staff.

   2. Strengthened organizational systems and tools for KM

• Review existing systems and tools in place for KM and share best practices in their use.
• Develop guiding principles for engagement in communities of practice;
• Support the rollout of UNICEF’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system, including creating document repositories, designing content on the intranet, etc.
• Liaise with the communications team to ensure content linkages with UNICEF’s external facing website;
• Champion the use of ECM and encourage knowledge sharing on the use of ECM between sections and across state offices.

3. Support to Knowledge Networks and Forums:

• Conduct an in-depth review of existing thematic networks aimed at providing space for dialogue, seminars, and lectures for knowledge exchange of best practices and innovations with external partners; Identify gaps and suggest specific measures for improvement.
• Create new knowledge-sharing networks (i.e. knowledge management champions) and continue to strengthen and build on best practices documented from existing networks and knowledge-sharing forums (i.e. sectoral network meetings, CMTs internal reviews, etc.);
• Update and review available guidelines and templates on internal programme effectiveness and programme excellence/innovation best practices.
• Identify external partners who can support best practice documentation in line with agreed quality standards.

Impact of Results:

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Officer to the Country Management Team and the wide range of stakeholders contribute to the successful knowledge management and lessons learned from programmes that in turn result in improved programme effectiveness and national stakeholders’ development planning, performance and achievement of concrete and sustainable results for children in Nigeria.

Effective knowledge management system and a culture of learning enhances UNICEF’s capacity and credibility in delivering highly effective programmes and concrete and sustainable results that directly improve services to mothers and children in the country.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here TOR – Knowldge Management Specialist_NOC.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• An advanced university degree in social sciences, organizational development, public administration, knowledge management or a related social science field is required or an additional five years of relevant experience in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Five years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme planning, and monitoring. Practical experience in emergency programming, including preparedness planning and active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme, is an asset.
• Knowledge of Rights and Results-based Management and knowledge management.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in facilitating participatory reflection and learning processes, programme reviews and documenting lessons learned.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in knowledge management and communications.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in the knowledge management methodology and facilitation techniques, including theories, standards and models, quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness
• Professional/technical knowledge/expertise in Team Management, Coaching & Training.
• Mastery of UNICEF’s KM policies and procedures.
• Understanding of UN Mission and system, current key UN topics; and the International Code of Conduct
• Understanding of UNICEF Mission Statement and UNICEF Guiding Principles.
• UNICEF policies, and strategies promoting and supporting gender equality and diversity.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a 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 (3)

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3)

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact (3)

(4) Innovates and embraces change (3)

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (3)

(6) Thinks and acts strategically (3)

(7) Works collaboratively with others (3)

(8) Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. 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:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.