Stretch Assignment: Emergency Specialist, P-4, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), EMOPS Geneva, 4 months, in-person stretch for Geneva-based candidates or remote for candidates applying from outside Geneva
Title: P-4
Level: we encourage staff from all levels with the relevant experience to apply
Reports to: Chief, AAP Section, EMOPS Geneva
Duration: 4 months
Section: Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), EMOPS Geneva
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Dates/Duration: early July to end of October 2025
Eligibility: All Fixed-Term, Permanent or continuing appointment UNICEF staff members currently working in UNICEF worldwide.
Background
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. UNICEF’s global support for humanitarian action is coordinated by the Office of Emergency Programs (EMOPS), the focal point for emergency preparedness and response, humanitarian policies, staff security, and support to UNICEF’s regional and country offices, as well as strategic coordination with external humanitarian partners both within and outside the United Nations system. UNICEF is committed to ensuring that the voices of affected populations, especially children, are heard and that their rights are protected in humanitarian responses.
Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) is an organization-wide priority and is being scaled up across programmes and regions, in line with the AAP Strategy 2022-2025 endorsed by UNICEF Senior Management. It is mainstreamed within UNICEF’s key guiding frameworks, such as the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025, Core Commitment of Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs), and Country Programme Planning Guidance. As an integral part of UNICEF’s different stages of the program cycle, AAP ensures that views of affected populations, especially from all vulnerable and at-risk and girls, boys, women, and men, are heard; provided equal opportunities to listen to and provided feedback on all aspects of programming. Supported by the organization, they hold UNICEF accountable for promoting and protecting their rights, generating effective results for them whilst working in ways that enhance their dignity, capacities, and resilience. For UNICEF and partners, it improves programme outcomes, particularly through increased demand for and use of quality services and greater accountability.
Purpose of the Position
The purpose of this assignment is to support UNICEF’s Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) team to enhance the integration of people-centered accountability across UNICEF’s strategic and operational frameworks and provide targeted and specialized expertise to enhance the effectiveness and impact of AAP initiatives. This includes reviewing the effectiveness of the current Strategic Plan in aligning with people-centered accountability principles, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. The incumbent will provide technical assistance to HQ, regional, and country offices in incorporating these principles into programme and project planning, developing tools and guidelines, and ensuring quality assurance. Support will also be provided for integrating accountability into future Strategic Plans, work planning IT platforms, partnership arrangements, budgeting, and reporting processes. Also, he/she will help incorporate people-centered accountability into evaluation processes and advocate for effective knowledge management and innovative approaches.
Main Responsibilities and Tasks:
Support mainstreaming AAP in program planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation
• Provide remote technical support on the integration of AAP in planning, monitoring and evaluation functions to countries or regions.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of trainings/webinars, focusing on the integration of AAP in planning, monitoring, and reporting processes.
• Advise regional and country offices on the development and use of appropriate AAP indicators.
• Provide technical support on the integration of AAP commitments in partnership arrangements (PDs and HPDs) as well as in donor proposals.
• Contribute to the integration of AAP principles and indicators in relevant planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation guidance, including emergency-related guidance.
• Development of additional tools, and guidelines to support better analysis of people-centred accountability data and indicators for use by HQ, Regional and Country Offices, such as CSI, SIs, and HAC.
• Provide quality assurance and review of the use of people-centred accountability data analysis to ensure alignment with AAP principles and good practices and identify areas for improvement or opportunities for learning and knowledge sharing.
• Support countries undergoing CPD to embed AAP programmatically
Provide technical advice and support on accountability to affected populations
• Provide technical advice on AAP to Country Offices, in close coordination with regional AAP Specialists/Focal Points, including on collective approaches to AAP, in line with the IASC AAP framework.
• Support close coordination of AAP with other people-centered approaches.
• Contribute to the development of relevant tools, guidance, and training material.
• Contribute to the documentation of good practices.
• Support UNICEF-led clusters and areas of responsibility on their AAP approach.
• Facilitate training sessions, webinars, and other relevant learning events at global, regional, or country level.
• Provide technical support on the development of training and capacity-strengthening material.
Impact of Results:
The integration of AAP across planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes has strengthened UNICEF’s ability to design and deliver more accountable, responsive, and inclusive
programmes. Through targeted technical support, tools, and capacity-building efforts, country and regional offices are increasingly equipped to embed people-centred approaches and feedback mechanisms that enhance programme quality and trust with affected populations.
Duration
This stretch assignment will be for a period of four (4) months.
Key expected results
Minimum Qualifications and Competencies
Skills and Requirements:
• Advanced university degree in humanitarian affairs, international relations, or related disciplines required.
• Minimum seven years of professional work experience in programme/project development, PM&E and reporting, community engagement, or related people-centered approaches in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Experience in integrating people-centred accountability approaches into strategic planning, programme design, and implementation in development and humanitarian contexts desirable.
• Strong background in data analysis and interpretation, especially regarding accountability indicators and their integration into monitoring frameworks like VISION, RAM, or equivalent systems.
• Experience with designing and delivering training (online or in-person), particularly around AAP or related frameworks desirable
Release Arrangements (If applicable):
If selected for this opportunity, the relevant staff member will remain on their existing post. If selected applicant is Geneva-based, stretch assignment will be in-person in EMOPS Geneva office and/or if the selected applicant is from outside Geneva s/he will be on remote stretch assignment. Thus, no changes will be made to staff member’s existing status (post number, etc., will all remain as is).
• The staff member will be working on 80/20 basis, Monday-Thursday with the AAP section, and Friday with their original section/division.
• Once the selection process has been completed, the receiving and releasing offices will communicate to reach an agreement on the exact start date for the recommended staff member.
• The staff member selected for this stretch assignment will continue to receive salary and emoluments from the releasing office during the assignment on the basis of the parent duty station location.
• There is no vacant post associated for this stretch assignment. In this regard, the selected staff member will not be eligible for SPA.
How to apply:
1. If interested, please discuss this assignment with your supervisor and obtain your supervisor’s agreement for your application to be submitted, as part of your learning and development plan for the year. The agreement of your supervisor is a pre-requisite for any such stretch assignment.
2. Upon receipt of supervisor’s agreement, please send your application via TMS requisition listed in the announcement with your up-to-dated CV and a cover letter by the deadline listed with the following:
• Your up-to-date TMS profile;
• Your two most recent PERs;
• A cover letter detailing your interest, qualifications and suitability.
• An approval note or email from your supervisor.
3. Candidates considered potentially well matched for the stretch assignment will be contacted for an informal interview. Supervisors may also be contacted for reference check.
