UNICEF is hiring a Resource Mobilization Manager P-4

Location : Kenya

Closing Date : 05 Dec 2023 E. Africa Standard Time

Vacancy open to : Internationals

About UNICEF

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) established in 1946 is a United Nations Agency that works in over 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. 

Background about the Vacancy

Somalia is a chronic humanitarian emergency country where conflict, drought, displacement and climate change drive the fragile situation. Most of UNICEF Somalia’s funding over the last CPD cycle (2018 – 2020) came from a small pool of public sector donors. Thus, the CO continues to work on strengthening and leveraging those partnerships. Public sector donor engagement remains the main focus of resource mobilization and emphasizes strengthening the existing donor base. This is particularly so with the current top donors (the US, UK, Germany, and ECHO), who have offered consistent humanitarian and development support over the years. Additional focus continues to be placed on expanding the current funding areas, with a particular focus on the humanitarian and development nexus through resilience programming.

Similarly, focus continues to be placed on targeting non-traditional donors (China, Gulf States etc.), international financial institutions (World Bank and other development banks), the private sector and re-establishing and strengthening UNICEF Somalia’s partnership with the EU/DEVCO. These goals have seen some significant traction with the CO’s efforts to forge new partnerships and 2020 granting of debt relief to Somalia, affording new partnership opportunities with the Gulf States through relief and the World Bank through the Somalia Crisis Recovery Project.

UNICEF Somalia currently has several multi-year development opportunities, including a tripartite UN agency Joint Resilience Programme and Puntland Health programme both funded by Germany through KfW, renewal of the Global Fund Programme, the continuation of the Joint Programme on Local Governance, multi-year support to Children Associated with Armed Conflict and Groups (CAFAAG) through Denmark and the strong commitment of multi-year support to Health and Child Protection from Sweden. Across these engagements, cross-sectoral approaches will be integrated as much as possible and where feasible, particularly to carve out funding for under-funded sectors.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Strategy and leadership:

• Develop, maintain, and drive implementation of UNICEF Somalia Country Office partnerships and resource mobilization strategy to maximize public and private sector income, new funding streams, as well as fundraising performances in support of the implementation of the CPD, humanitarian response and leverage resources for children in Somalia.
• Expands UNICEF’s network of key interlocutors to build stronger relationships between UNICEF and governments (donors), other key-decision makers, regional institutions, the private sector, international financial institutions and/or relevant constituencies.
• Guide and support Country Management Team on opportunities for partnership and resource mobilization, including providing advice on improving the quality of funding and reporting.
• Work closely with programme sections to support the development and maintenance of strategic shared- value partnerships with the business sector that can contribute to acceleration of results for children.

2. Donor intelligence and analysis:

• Monitor and analyze donor trends and new partnership opportunities in support of UNICEF Somalia humanitarian and development interventions.
• Leads on the development of new partnership and resource mobilization practices and approaches by formulating recommendations for action based on on-going monitoring, analyzing current trends within designated partners, and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches and message development.
• Remains up to date with cutting edge developments globally within UNICEF and across the sector and conducts and regularly update analyses of existing financing mechanisms and of most relevant innovative financing mechanisms/instruments that UNICEF may engage in, including leveraging role for the Government.

3. Donor engagement:

• Engages strategically with public and private sector partners, support management and programme chiefs in engagement with the same.
• Network and engage at key fora, platforms, associations, networks, advocacy events, donor visits and other major entities to advocate for children, promote respect and support to children rights and position UNICEF for strategic partnership and fundraising opportunities.
• Develop and enhance relationship with potential and existing donors through regular meetings and communication, donor briefing sessions, and donor visits and provide a systematic follow up of all partnership’s opportunities.
• Collaborates to develop content and briefing notes to maximize partner engagement and ensure funding opportunities are valued and captured as agreed; lead on negotiations with public and private sector partners as required, ensuring UNICEF is positioned as a credible partner.
• Acts as a focal point for identification and pursuit of opportunities for outreach, engagement, policy influence and collaboration, including on how to anticipate and respond to partners’ concerns and priorities, ensure that UNICEF’s interests, perspectives, and knowledge are considered in relevant policy and institutional processes.
• Contribute to the development and management of initiatives for high-level outreach, including for UNICEF’s Country Team Management.

4. Donor visibility and recognition:

• Contributes to strategies for engagement and the development of communications and advocacy products to enhance UNICEF’s visibility and influence with existing and prospective partners and key stakeholders.
• Works closely with communications and programme colleagues to ensure that policy advocacy and outreach is strongly grounded in the experience and insights of the programmes that the Country Office supports. Contributes written inputs for communications instruments that best inform and influence decision makers.
• Collaborate with Communications and Programme teams to ensure effective communications and visibility plans and content donors as required which seek to maximize partner trust in UNICEF.

5. Donor proposals, reports, and other submissions:

• Oversees timely and high-quality development of donor proposals, reports and profiles, investment cases, other donor fundraising products, in line with programme priorities, objectives and frameworks and facilitate grant and contribution management.
• Responsible for coordination and negotiation of proposals with donors as required in collaboration with relevant programme teams.

6. Contribution management:

• Contribute towards overall effective management of pipeline system and UNISON. Manage an overall pipeline of opportunities to ensure delivery against agreed targets.
• Lead on overall grant management and compliance, ensuring risks and donor conditionalities are managed actively and effectively.
• Track donor conditions regularly monitor implementation/expenditure levels against expiry dates. Update the Country Management Team of expiring funds or other issues related to contributions. Work with budget team to link funding to the CO’s activities, outputs, and outcomes.
• Report funding gaps, funds in the pipeline, and issues needing follow-up to the Country Management Team.

7. Knowledge management and capacity development:

• Assess overall needs in the office and develop and deliver capacity-building plans to ensure adequate and effective capacity is in place to manage partnerships effectively.
• Maintain and further develop the knowledge management systems to build an institutional memory and maximize efficiencies. This includes: the document database (reports, proposals, briefs, correspondence, Agreements etc.); the online donor database of information; the RM Strategy Action plan; and other systems that may be developed.