Adolescent Development Associate

Mission and objectivesUNICEF is committed to realizing the rights of all children to help them build a strong foundation and have the best chance of fulfilling their potential. We believe that ensuring a child is happy and healthy begins before birth: from ensuring their mother has access to good health care to reaching adulthood as a healthy, empowered and informed young person of the next generation. This journey relies on every child having access to quality health care, good nutrition, education, and growing up in a safe environment free from violence. UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.

ContextThe UNICEF Namibia Country Office was established in 1990 and is aligned to the United Nations Coordination Framework (CF 2025-2029). It contributes to national development priorities and sustainable development goals (SDGS). The programme takes an integrated, rights-based approach to child and adolescent development to ensure every Namibian child survives and thrives. The Namibia Country Office is in its first year of the Country Program Document (2025-2029). It has four main Outcome areas: namely, Social Policy, Learning, Participation and Protection, Child Survival and Development and Program Effectiveness. Interventions to improve systematic issues will ensure that Namibian vulnerable and most marginalised children and adolescents are learning, healthy, developing and participating in an environment free from violence, exploitation, abuse and the impacts of climate change. The UNV will collaborate closely with programme specialists in the different outcome areas. The UNV will be supervised by the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager (PME) and will undergo close monitoring by the Social Behaviour Change Specialist. The United Nations Volunteer assignment will focus on overall adolescent development functions, focusing on information and communication technology for development (ICT4D), and data for evidence generation. It will focus on the overall coordination of U-Report-related projects. The UNV will work closely with existing structures at national and regional levels to advocate and advance the agenda of meaningful engagement, participation, and adolescent development. The assignment will include support for a) support ongoing adolescent development programme activities, b) data disaggregation, presentation of results, technical support in data management and network infrastructure and c) coordination of the U-Report platform to amplify voices of young people and influence results-based programming.

Task DescriptionThe new Country Program 2025-2029 (CPD) focuses on data and evidence generation to support program development. To address some of the existing challenges in the area of civic engagement, participation and skills development, the UNV will focus on ensuring that data speaks and the communication platform that enables young people to have increased access to information and participation on key issues that concern them is strengthened through U-Report. Primarily, the UNV will manage ICT4D projects, ensuring timely delivery and effective use of technology to achieve developmental goals. Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the PME Manager or his designated mandated representative(s), the National UN Youth Volunteer for Adolescent Development will undertake the following tasks: Support UNICEF programming with Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D); • Manage relevant ICT4D projects, ensuring timely delivery and effective use of technology to achieve developmental results; • Utilise data collected through various ICT4D tools/systems of UNICEF and track progress, update team members, and measure impact; • Advocate for the integration of digital technologies into development programs; • Assist team members and provide advice on ICT4D Contribute to developing data collection tools that align with program work. • Conduct webinars, documentation, and videos with other young people; • Expand and enhance UNICEF’s collaboration with youth-led networks and the Children’s Parliament; • Contribute to country office inter-sectoral collaboration on youth leadership; • Support and work collaboratively with all output areas: education, health and WASH and climate action for data coordination and capturing of key results; • Support team members on technologies and data systems. Coordinate U-Report • Support the preparation for the launch and popularisation of U-Report in Namibia; • Coordinate, monitor and ensure the implementation of the planned activities for 2025/2026; • Attend national and/or regional forums, youth events and high-level meetings; • Work closely with the Adolescent Development Specialist, Social Behaviour Change Specialist, IT and partners and assist in development, deployment and regular reporting back to U-Report polls and stories designed to inform and engage young people, communities, including inputs to live chat Q&A; • Ensure regular feedback to U-Report users on results and how their information is used. • Write and submit monthly and annual reports on U-Report to UNICEF and Partners; • Ensure the day-to-day management and running of the Namibia U-Report digital platform and provide support for the analysis and evaluation of the U-Report roll-out process; • Manage and regularly update the U-Report website; • Contribute to the integration and utilization of U-Report disaggregated data in UNICEF and partners’ youth programme planning and service delivery; • Coordinate the work of the U-Report Steering committee, manage communication with its members and take minutes of all online and offline meetings; • Facilitate the activities of the U-Report Youth Champions Group once established. Youth-led content creation and advocacy • Prepare opinion pieces about key issues related to adolescent learning, development, participation, child protection and maternal and child survival and development; • Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities; • Contribute write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.: • Provide quarterly reports on assignments focusing on actions, results, lessons learned and innovations; • Assist in knowledge management through documenting best practices and successes.

Competencies and valuesCare; Respect; Integrity; Trust; Accountability; Sustainability.

Living conditions and remarksThe UNICEF Country Office is a central office-based assignment in the capital city, Windhoek, with frequent travel within the country. Namibia shares borders with Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe in the North, Botswana in the East and South Africa in the South. The country experiences distinct winter and summer months. The currency in Namibia is the Namibian Dollar, which is fixed and equal in value to the South African Rand. Medical facilities are adequate in all major towns; however, the facilities outside the urban centres are limited to small clinics and health centres. Newly arrived staff members get an appropriate briefing on the security in the country from the field security officer. UN Volunteers receives the below entitlements: • A Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): NAD15995. per month; • A once off entry lumpsum of $400 at the start of the assignment; • Medical insurance; Life cover, and annual leave; • Access to all learning platforms; • A once off exit lumpsum at the end of the assignment.