Deputy Representative Programme Vacancy-Job Ref: WJMRUNICEF/2407/2025827

Deputy Representative Programme Vacancy-Job Ref: WJMRUNICEF/2407/2025827

Nouakchott (Mauritania)

Job Description

Overview

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.

Mauritania is located in the Sahelo Saharan region. Essentially desert, the country has a low population density, with four inhabitants per square kilometer. Its population of 4.78 million is very young (about 52 per cent are under 19 years of age and 75 per cent under 35 years of age) and the majority (56 per cent1) lives in the country’s major cities. The country, which has one of the largest refugee camps in the Sahel, is still experiencing the effects of the crisis in the subregion.

Despite the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the crisis in Ukraine, Mauritania has been able to revive its economy and pursue its development objectives as defined in the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (SCAPP) 2016–2030 and the President’s Expanded Priority Program, September 2020. Following contractions in 2020, economic growth has accelerated and was expected to reach 5.3 per cent in 2022.

The country is not yet able to create enough jobs, especially for youth, nor to ensure redistributive growth and equitable access to public services. The poverty rate remains high (28.2 per cent in 2020), especially in rural areas (41.2 per cent, compared with 14.4 per cent in urban areas). Nearly 56.9 per cent of the population live below the multidimensional poverty line. Children are the poorest age group, with a 31 per cent rate of monetary poverty and an estimated 61.9 per cent rate of multidimensional poverty. Thirty-six per cent of 14–19-year-olds and 44 per cent of 20–24-year-olds are not in education, employment or training. There are still significant disparities between urban and rural areas, between rich and poor areas, and between regions.

The 2024-2027 Country Program Management Plan (CPMP) considers (i) the results and trends of the updated analysis of the situation of children, (ii) the lessons learned from implementation of the 2018-2022 cooperation program and UNDAF (2018-2022), (iii) the main programmatic and managerial risks, and (iv) the estimated resources and means required to implement and achieve the strategies, objectives and results formulated.

The new cooperation program cycle for Mauritania (2024-2027) is a real opportunity to induce the adjustments and prioritizations needed to continue unfinished work, consolidate achievements, and take up new challenges and those insufficiently considered for the realization of children’s rights in line with the acceleration of the SDGs. To this end, the country program will contribute to achieving the priorities of the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (SCAPP) and the UNSDCF 2024-2027.

It will pay particular attention to the equity dimension and the reduction of inequalities and discrimination and will contribute to national efforts to (i) localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), (ii) take into account the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and (iii) the concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

How can you make a difference?

The Deputy Representative reports to the CO Representative for general supervision and direction. The Deputy Representative supports the Representative on the overall management of the CO and for coordinating closely with the different programme sections on all phases of the Country Office Programme, from formulation to delivery of results in accordance with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework, ethics and integrity.

The Deputy Representative supports the Representative in leading and leveraging partnerships with both public and private sectors for the achievement of results and fulfilment of the rights of children.

Key Accountabilities, Duties & Tasks

CO programme planning and development.
Support to the Representative on managing the CO.
Monitoring and quality control of programmes.
Alliance building and UN System coordination.
Private Sector Engagement and Partnerships.
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: GJP – Deputy Representative Level 4 – Mauritania.doc

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: social sciences, international relations, government and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development, or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience:

A minimum of eight years of professional development experience that combines technical and managerial leadership in development cooperation at the international level, some of which served in a developing country is required.
Language Requirements:Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.
Desirables:

Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency contexts, particularly within the humanitarian settings of the Sahel region is an asset.
Relevant professional experience in UNICEF/UN system agency or organization is considered as 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…

Builds and maintains partnerships
Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
Drive to achieve results for impact
Innovates and embraces change
Manages ambiguity and complexity
Thinks and acts strategically
Works collaboratively with others
Nurtures, leads and manages people
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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