Programme Support Specialist (Remote Support Hub)

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, operates in over 190 countries and territories with a mission to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. The organization is committed to promoting the rights of every child and offers diverse opportunities for professional and personal development. UNICEF's Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) in Budapest provides services in Finance, Human Resources, Payroll, and Information Technology to UNICEF offices globally. The organization prides itself on its diverse and passionate culture, along with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Job Overview:
The Programme Support Specialist (Remote Support Hub) plays a crucial role in identifying, testing, and costing location-independent programme management and support services that can be delivered through the Remote Support Hub. This position is integral to enhancing the efficiency of UNICEF's operations by consolidating programme-related work outside of Country Offices. The specialist will develop standardized service models and produce evidence-based recommendations to inform future scale-up within UNICEF’s shared services architecture. The role emphasizes increasing the mission focus of Country Offices, enhancing the quality and consistency of programme management across countries, delivering cost savings, and enabling data-driven risk management. The position requires a collaborative approach, working closely with various teams to ensure effective integration and performance measurement.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The key functions and responsibilities of the Programme Support Specialist include:

• Co-designing learning architecture to enhance programme support services.
• Integrating operations with the Remote Support Hub to streamline processes.
• Conducting costing, business analysis, and performance measurement to assess the viability of proposed services.
• Managing risks, ensuring quality assurance, and compliance with UNICEF standards.
• Facilitating knowledge sharing and change management to promote the scale-up of successful initiatives.
• Collaborating with various stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of programme support services.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s level) in international development, public administration, economics, social sciences, or a related field. Additionally, a minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in programme planning, monitoring, implementation, or programme support is required. Demonstrated experience in organizational design, shared services, business process improvement, or service costing is essential. Experience working across programme and operations functions in UNICEF or a comparable international organization is also necessary, with additional experience in fragile, emergency, or small-office contexts considered an asset.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree (Master’s level) in relevant fields such as international development, public administration, economics, or social sciences. This advanced education is crucial for understanding the complexities of programme management and support services.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in areas such as programme planning, monitoring, implementation, or programme support. Candidates should have a strong background in organizational design and shared services, as well as experience in business process improvement and service costing. Familiarity with working in fragile or emergency contexts is advantageous, as it demonstrates the ability to adapt to challenging environments.

Languages:
Fluency in English, both verbal and written, is mandatory for this role. Additionally, knowledge of another official UN language, such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, is considered an asset and may enhance a candidate's profile.

Additional Notes:
UNICEF offers an attractive remuneration package that includes competitive salary and benefits. The organization promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment, encouraging applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, nationality, or background. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process and offers various benefits such as paid parental leave and breastfeeding breaks. The role may require collaboration across multiple locations, and flexible working hours are encouraged to accommodate different time zones. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and adherence to UNICEF's standards and principles is mandatory.