3 UNICEF Jobs in Nairobi Kenya

Terms of Reference for Temporary Appointment (TA)

Child Protection Section

Level: NOC

Location: Nairobi based with travel to the field

Duration: 364 days

Reporting to: Child Protection Specialist

Position Title: Child Protection Specialist

Justification

The TA is linked to providing direct support to the Government and stakeholders for the finalization of the Child Protection System Strategy. It also entails strengthening the Section towards supporting the Government for the development of a CPC policy which becomes the basis for sustainability.

In addition, the TA will strengthen the Section participation in the finalization of the Social Welfare Workforce situational analysis and implementation of recommendations.

UNICEF has been collaborating with the Government and more closely with the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Development (MGCSD) since 2009, towards the development of a functional Child Protection System. The process, which begun with the mapping and assessment of Child Protection services in Kenya, is at the stage where a road map towards consensus building on the finalization is critical.

Latest discussions have been around roles and responsibilities of key government Ministries in relation to the gaps identified. The National Council for Children Services (NCCS) has already launched a document mapping out the roles of various stakeholders. MGCSD is planning to hold technical discussions with senior Government officers and policy makers to conceptualize its role in coordinating the process and providing leadership to stakeholders.

This also entails setting up of a Technical Working Group (TWG) with membership drawn from Senior Government officers of line Ministries. The National Study against Children Report (VAC) study report will inform the finalization of the Child Protection System Strategy.

The process also entails validation of the document by stakeholders before its launch and implementation.

UNICEF’s role in finalizing this process is crucial considering the Child Protection Section funded most of the initial activities. The TA will support the Section during the critical discussions with the Government and stakeholders, and finalization of the Strategy document.

Finalization and implementation of the Child Protection System Strategy is faced with a new policy on devolution of Government services and decision making to the County level, as provided by the new Kenyan Constitution. This is a shift from the currently centralized system which is likely to lead to a review of programmes and delivery service mechanisms in Child Protection.  The Section needs the TA to support activities aimed at providing clarity on the way services will be delivered, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in Child Protection in relation to the System capacity building.

MGCSG among other line Ministries is faced with the need for a reorganization of services to suit the new requirements and training of social workers. The TA will support the Section to liaise with the relevant Government departments to identify areas that require attention in order to comply with the new directives.

With the successful piloting of the Child Protection Centers (CPC) concept in Malindi and Garissa, there are important lessons learnt that will guide the scale up process. Malindi CPC, which is under MGCSD, has initiated an outreach programme where services are taken closer to the community.

The initiative has proved very effective. Local leaders are trained to coordinate Child Protection services at the village level, and use of local resources. UNICEF is supporting MGCSD to advance this concept which provides possibilities of reaching more children at the community level. The referral system is an important component of the System and will facilitate the reintegration of street children with their families, among other vulnerable children.

The Child Protection Section wants to engage the TA to strengthen the team in UNICEF that will be directly involved in these activities to provide direction for the scale up of CPCs and capacity building of personnel. This assistance will also support the development of the CPC policy which is geared towards sustainability.

UNICEF has been partnering with Government and stakeholders in carrying out a Situational Analysis of the Social Welfare Workforce in Child Protection. This is a follow up of a Regional Conference that took place in South Africa in early 2011, aimed at establishing capacity gaps of personnel in Child Protection.

At the same time, the mapping of Child Protection services in Kenya, carried out in 2009 had identified qualified personnel as a major gap. The Situational Analysis will lead to the definition of the social welfare workforce at various levels in view of qualifications and relevance. It has been argued that that not everyone can qualify to be classified as a social worker and more so in Child Protection.

The development of training packages for the various categories of the Social Welfare Workforce will provide opportunities for training staff in the appropriate courses and engagement. The Child Protection Section will require the TA to support the team in participating to discussions with the relevant Government ministries and training institutions for the finalization of the Situational Analysis and implementation of its recommendations.

Scope of Work

1) Child Protection System Strategy document finalized and launched:

·         Participate in consultative meetings leading to the agreed road map for finalization of the document;

·         Participate in the technical meetings of the government officials and the technical team leading to the updated draft;

·         Participate in the validation exercise and finalization of the document;

·         Participate in preparation of the launch and the development of the way forward in implementation;

·         Assist the Section in updating progress through provision of update reports.

2) CPC concept operationalized and a policy document developed:

·         Participate in consultative meetings leading to the development of a CPC policy document;

·         Support the development of the CPC capacity building tool and training of key personnel;

·         Follow up the scale up of the CPC outreach programme in the selected districts ( Malindi Mombasa, Eldoret and Garissa) where the CPC concept is already being implemented;

·         Support the Section to collaborate with the Government in strengthening reintegration of street children back to communities;

·         Support the development of the referral system which is a key component of the Child Protection System.

3) Child Protection programme aligned around the devolved Government:

·         Participate in decision making meetings and activities leading to alignment of Child protection programmes in view of devolved services;

·         Alignment of the Child Protection System Strategy with the new Policy on devolvement of services at County level.

4) Social Welfare Workforce Situation Analysis finalized and recommendations implemented:

·         Participate in the finalization of the Situation Analysis of the Social Welfare workforce;

·         Participate in discussions and activities leading to the categorization of social welfare personnel, especially in the Government;

·         Participate in consultations between the Government and training institutions towards the development of a capacity building package for various categories of Social welfare officers.

RWPPCR/IRs areas covered

IR 1: The Government has the capacity to coordinate and demonstrate the system approach to Child Protection;

IR 2: Roles and responsibilities of Child Protection duty bearers articulate in policies, guidelines, regulations and legal framework.

Remuneration

The position is at NO-C level.

Desired background and experience

·         Experience in engaging discussions on policy issues at high political level;

·         Understanding of Government structures and accessibility to Senior high level Officials;

·         Capacity to work with the government, civil society organizations and the public at various levels;

·         Strong analytical and conceptual skills in drafting Strategy documents and operational plans;

·         An advanced Degree in Social Development;

·         At least 5 years of progressive experience in management of social work, family placement, policy development and general Child Protection Programming, in particular with the Government of Kenya;

·         Knowledge in current debates on Child protection arena, care and protection of orphans and vulnerable children and social protection debates;

·         Good coordination and communication skills.

Conditions (Important)

Please consult with HR on entitlements as many are set by UNICEF rules.

Applications quoting reference number KCO/CP/2012-014 should be addressed to:

Human Resources Manager
UNICEF Kenya Country Office
Email: kenyahrvacancies@unicef.org

Closing date for receipt of applications is 03 April 2012.

Malaria Control – NO-A

Consultant:  Special Service Agreement (SSA)

Duration: 7  Months

Date of Issue: 28 March, 2012

Closing Date: 03 April,  2012

Applications are hereby invited from suitably qualified candidates to fill the above Consultancy in the Health Section, UNICEF Kenya Office.

Purpose of the Post:  The consultant will work under the guidance of the Chief of Health as per the scope of work below.

Background

Malaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality amongst children especially in the lake endemic regions of Nyanza and western provinces where prevalence is highest at 38%.  ITN use amongst children in this region is below 70% while only 50% of children with fever seek treatment from health facility with only 11% of them taking the recommended antimalarial ACT within 48hrs.

Evidence exists that well trained and supervised Community Health Workers who are linked to health facilities are able to effectively treat and promote timely care-seeking, encourage appropriate home care, and undertake referrals to facilities thereby contributing towards better health outcomes for children with malaria.

UNICEF has supported the training of community health workers in Siaya and Homa Bay counties who with further training and supervision can deliver Community Case Management (CCM) for malaria in these highly endemic regions.

As the government plans to implement CCM in this region this year, there is need for UNICEF to leverage on financial resources available from the Global Fund to increase uptake of high impact malaria interventions in the two counties.

To effectively deliver CCM for malaria there is need to ensure effective program planning, implementation, support supervision and monitoring through established system and development of additional program monitoring tools that will provide critical information for decision making at all levels.

Although a Community Based Health Information system exists, it is still weak. The system established to monitor availability and use of malaria commodities and supplies is also weak nationally with low reporting rates and poor quality of data that cannot effectively inform decision making.

The proposed technical support is aimed at providing support at national and county level where CCM will be implemented to ensure effective program implementation and monitoring to deliver the desired health outcomes.

Scope of Work

·         Provide technical support to the National level to develop and disseminate program monitoring tools

·         Provide technical support to the national malaria program and the counties implementing CCM for malaria and contribute to effective monitoring of CCM for malaria

·         Support the national program and CCM for malaria implementing districts improve data quality for community based health information system and reporting rates for malaria commodity

·         Support National program review performance of CCM

·         Support development of district micro-plans that include malaria communications to increase uptake of malaria interventions especially use of recommended medication and ITN use.

Expected Deliverables

·         Tools to monitor implementation of CCM for malaria developed and used

·         Increased number of children with fever treated with ACT in Homa Bay and Siaya counties  (levels tbd)

·         Increased use of ITN by children (levels tbd)

·         Increased reporting rates for CBHIS in Homa Bay and Siaya counties from the current 0% to 60% by September 2012

Desired background and experience

·         First degree in medicine or public health

·         Health related field with prior work experience in sub-national levels and in malaria considered an advantage

·         Knowledge on Community health services in Kenya and the countries health information system

·         Knowledge on integrated community case management

·         Experiencing in working with either the National or Provincial teams

Competencies

·         Core Values: 1) Commitment, 2) Diversity and Inclusion, 3) Integrity

·         Core Competencies: 1) Communication, 2) Working with People, 3)  Drive for Results

·         Functional competencies: 1)  Applying Technical Expertise, 2) Analysing, 3) Planning, Setting Standards, & Monitoring Work, 4) Group Facilitation

Interested and suitable candidates should ensure that they forward their applications along with their curricula vitae, (internal candidates should attach copies of their last two Performance Evaluation Reports), to;

The Human Resources Specialist
UNICEF Kenya Country Office
Email address: kenyahrvacancies@unicef.org

Please indicate Reference No. “KCO/SSA/HLTH/2012/005” in the email subject.
Interested candidates should also complete the Personal History (P11) form, which can be downloaded from the UNICEF Kenya website (http://www.unicef.org/kenya).

“qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply”
Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse
UNICEF is a smoke-free environment

Financial Management Consultant for the Cash Transfer Programme for OVC in Kenya (Department of Children’s Services) = NO-C

Duration: 10 months

Date of Issue: 28 March, 2012

Closing Date: 02 April,  2012

Applications are hereby invited from suitably qualified candidates to fill the above Consultancy in the Child Protection Section, UNICEF Kenya Office, in collaboration with the Department of Children’s Services.

Purpose of the Post:

Justification

The Financial Management is a key area of the Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programme (CT-OVC) allowing accuracy and transparent financial management of the programme and delivery of cash to beneficiaries. In 2011, the programme was subjected to a fiduciary risk assessment, an internal audit and external audit all of which showed some significant levels of financial risks. These assessments were supported by GoK, DFID, the World Bank and UNICEF.

UNICEF has been approached by Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development through Department of Children Services to support the Ministry in addressing identified gaps by way of strengthening the CT-OVC programme financial management.

The Ministry has proposed to bring on board a Financial Management Consultant who will provide technical support in addressing identified gaps as well as in supporting the processes of rolling out a new payment mechanism by Equity Bank which uses bio metric data.

The transitional process toward payment of beneficiaries using bio metric data demands high technical knowledge and skills for personnel in the CT-OVC secretariat.

Engaging a consultant with required knowledge and skills  will go a long way to improving the programme’s effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and accountability.

Scope of Work

The consultant will be engaged in a specific programme of support to the CT-OVC Programme and will have specific tasks allocated within this programme. The consultant will work with key technical personnel in the programme in order to strengthen and optimize key financial management systems.

In particular the consultant will provide guidance, advice and support in the upgrade of  payment service provisions, financial processes and reporting, and  Internal Control processes.

The consultant will work with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development’s Principle Accounts Controller, Principle Finance Officer, Principle Internal Auditor, CT-OVC Programme Accountants, CT-OVC Secretariat Technical Working Group (TWG) and  where applicable in close coordination with Ministry of Finance External Resource Department Accountants and CT OVC development partners.

The consultancy will contribute towards strengthening of the government capacity to coordinate and manage the CT-OVC programme spread across all 47 counties of Kenya and in attaining a harmonized approach in the implementation of the CT-OVC in the country.

Expected Deliverables

·         An approved work plan agreed with the DCS, the TWG and UNICEF within 2 weeks of commencement of consultancy.

·         Monthly summarized progress reports highlighting major task undertaken during the month as per progress of implementation

·         Bimonthly progress report on the performance of new Payment Service provider referring to its functions, challenges and recommendations.

·         CT-OVC Operational Manual Update by the end of the assignment

·         By end of assignment, provide progress made in financial management against identified gaps and challenges and highlight pending issues that need to be addressed in future.

·         Monitoring tools to measure performance of financial flows.

·         Capacity building implementation plan on Financial Management

Desired background and experience

·         Relevant master’s degree plus membership of an internationally recognized professional accounting institute (CPA, CA or equivalent), with a minimum of 10 years of proven track record in accounting and financial management.

In addition, the consultant should have:

·         Experience in working with senior level of government, policy makers, executives to achieve established goals and objectives.

·         Proven ability to conceptualize, design and implement financial management capacity building initiatives

·         Experience with project financial management related to development partner programming

·         Proactive in seeking information, evaluate financial management systems to provide concise recommendations, develop and implement remedial actions

·         Proven experience in design and development of programmes financial management policies, procedures, guidelines and manuals.

·         Ability to coach, mentor train and work as part of team to develop staff in Public Financial Management (PFM)

·         Knowledge of international accounting and auditing standards (especially public sector standards)

·         Demonstrable experience in evaluating financial and project management reports and determining remedial actions to be taken

·         Knowledge in the application of accounting, auditing and financial reporting systems and software packages. Good understanding of information systems and the application of new technology; and

·         Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing

·         Working in safety nets programmes will be an asset to this consultancy

Conditions (Important)

Interested and suitable candidates should ensure that they forward their applications along with their curricula vitae,  to;

The Human Resources Manager
UNICEF Kenya Country Office
Email address: kenyahrvacancies@unicef.org
Please indicate Reference No. “KCO/SSA/CP/2012/006” in the email subject.

Interested candidates should also complete the Personal History (P11) form, which can be downloaded from the UNICEF Kenya website (http://www.unicef.org/kenya).

“Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply”

Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse

UNICEF is a smoke-free environment