Jobs/Roles on the ECE Community: Internationally

Jobs/Roles on the ECE Community: Internationally

The three internationally organizations that appealed to me were UNICEF, UNESCO and Save the Children.   

Save the Children gives children around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Children’s needs are always put first which appeals to me.   Save the Children also advocates for and achieves large-scale change for children.   

 

UNICEF appealed to me because it is one of the driving forces that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. UNICEF has the global authority to influence decision-makers and actively advocates for measures to give children the best start in life.   UNICEF works with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path.  

I was drawn to UNESCO because of its mission to contribute to the building of peace, poverty eradication, lasting development and intercultural dialogue, with education as one of its principal activities to achieve this aim. The Organization is committed to a holistic and humanistic vision of quality education worldwide, the realization of everyone’s right to education, and the belief that education plays a fundamental role in human, social and economic development.

The Job opportunities that interest me that currently exist are:

1. UNICEF - LEGAL AFFAIRS SPECIALIST, P-4, New York

Under the supervision of UNICEF`s Legal Adviser (the Principal Adviser to the Executive Director), the Legal Affairs Specialist provides guidance and advice on institutional and commercial procurement, donor agreements and contracts related to programme support and project implementation to ensure adherence to organizational financial, procurement, contracting and legal policies, rules and procedures.

 The Legal Affairs Specialist would:

1.     Advice on, and as needed represent UNICEF in, the negotiation of contracts and other legal instruments, agreements, and arrangements (including but not limited to contribution and framework agreements with donors and other international organisations).

2.     Assist in advising on the legal dimensions of establishment, structure and implementation of UNICEF collaborations with external partners including but not limited to other UN organisations (including international financial institutions), civil society, and the private sector.

3.     Assist in advising on the resolution of disputes, particularly those disputes involving possible liability for the Organisation (under the general guidance of the Principal Adviser and in conjunction as appropriate with the UN Secretariat office of Legal Affairs.)

The skills and experience that I would need to competently fulfil the role are:

- A minimum of a post-graduate university law degree (for example. Ll. B post-graduate; Ll.M.; J.D.) in a relevant field of law (e.g. international law, commercial law); and must have excellent research, legal writing and drafting skills.
- A minimum of eight years` relevant experience as a lawyer practicing in a relevant field including legal.  Experience in private practice or as in-house counsel in private industry is highly desirable.
- Fluency in English is required. Fluency in one or more of the UN working languages is an asset.

Competencies to fulfil the role:

- Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.
- Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
- Is able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
- Analyzes and integrates potentially conflicting numerical, verbal and other data from a number of sources.
- Demonstrates and shares detailed technical knowledge and expertise.
- Ensures that team or department follows relevant company policies and procedures.
- Sets, develops and revises organizational strategy and develops clear visions of the organization`s future potential.
- Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
- Sets clearly defined objectives and produces comprehensive project plans for the organization.

2. Save the Children - CHILD PROTECTION ADVISOR

The Child Protection Adviser is an important member of the PDQ team. Under the general direction and guidance of the Director of Programme Development and Quality, the Child Protection Advisor will ensure that all child protection interventions are of a high technical quality and attract significant donor funding which contribute to Save the Children's strategic objectives; that monitoring processes are in place, and that programme quality and relevance is continually assessed and solutions quickly put in place to reflect changing contexts.

The Child Protection Advisor is expected to help build a high performing Child Protection team, conducting trainings and providing technical advice and support to project staff, with frequent visits to the field to support high quality programme implementation and ensure programming objectives are successfully achieved.

Current thematic priorities include: child protection in emergencies; family tracing and reunification; and psychosocial support

The skills and experience that I would need to competently fulfil the role are:

• A child protection professional with a Master's degree in child protection, law, social work or relevant field, or equivalent management experience;
• Significant professional experience of at least 5 years, including experience working at a senior management or technical level in child protection for international NGOs
• Excellent understanding of the child protection sector, particularly issues related to child protection in emergencies, family separation, and mental health and psychosocial support.
• Clear understanding of the intersection of child protection with other thematic areas

Competencies to fulfil the role:

• Proven representation skills.
• Strong commitment to capacity building of national staff and partners with willingness to adopt participatory and consultative approaches.
• Experience with child protection programming in humanitarian settings absolutely required.
• Experience writing donor funding proposals for large institutional grants in excess of US$1 million.
• Ability to compile narrative sections and thematic budgets for proposals; ability to edit/write narrative reports, with reference to financial reporting
• Highly developed interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties.
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

3. UNESCO - ETHICS ADVISOR

The Ethics Advisor reports directly to the Director-General. S/He will lead, coordinate and oversee the implementation of the Ethics Programme of UNESCO by fostering a culture of ethics, transparency and accountability and promoting ethical standards within UNESCO at Headquarters and in the Field. The objective of the Ethics Programme is to ensure that all staff members achieve the Organization's mission and perform their functions in accordance with the highest standards of integrity through conduct that is ethical, lawful and respectful of the countries in which the Organization operates. Within this context, the Ethics Advisor will, in particular:

• Provide advice and guidance to management and staff on professional ethics standards and on specific policy and practice issues.
• Ensure compliance with the Organization’s Rules and Regulations, Standards of Conduct and specific policies in place.
• Ensure implementation and administration of the Organization’s Declaration of Interest and Financial Disclosure Programme.
• Ensure implementation of the Organization’s Whistleblower Protection and Anti-Harassment Policies.
• Develop and conduct, in collaboration with HRM, ethics training programmes for staff, managers, and non staff personnel and ensure its delivery across the Organization, through ethics training workshops and briefings.
• Manage the human and financial resources of the Ethics programme.

 The skills and experience that I would need to competently fulfil the role are:

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in law, social sciences, public or business administration or other related field, with a significant focus on administrative and or corporate ethics, industrial psychology, human resources management or labour relations. 
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in public/private or international institutions in the field of corporate ethics.
• Experience in policies and practices in the areas of ethical standards, ethics and compliance programmes (such as conflict of interest, anti-harassment), code of conduct, accountability, compliance frameworks and/or financial disclosure policies. 
• Experience in the preparation and implementation of ethics training modules and information packages for the staff. 

Competencies to fulfil the role:

• Proven conceptual and analytical skills including the ability to collect synthesise and analyse information from various sources and the capacity to develop policy and provide advice on professional ethics standards and issues. 
• Commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards coupled with excellent interpersonal skills including an innovative and pragmatic approach to find appropriate solutions to key issues.
• Professional integrity, diplomacy, tact, and independence of mind.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, advocate, and negotiate with all levels of staff, including senior executives.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and proven ability to prepare, present and discuss findings and recommendations on issues clearly and concisely. 
• Proven ability to lead, manage and motivate team in a multicultural environment.
• Excellent/very good knowledge and drafting skills in English or French and fair knowledge in one of the other language (English or French).

References:

Save the Children. (2014). Jobs.  Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (2014). Employment at UNICEF.  Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2014). UNESCO Careers – External candidates.  Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/