Overview
The position supports the Chief of Communications and Advocacy and senior management in advancing UNICEF’s engagement with the private sector in Madagascar. The role focuses on developing partnerships with companies, foundations and business networks to drive sustainable impact for children, mobilizing financial and non-financial resources for UNICEF programmes, and promoting responsible business practices that advance children’s rights.
Key Responsibilities
- Maps private sector partnership opportunities in Madagascar and proactively identifies, cultivates and promotes collaborations with companies, corporate foundations and business networks.
- Works with UNICEF colleagues to identify programme funding needs and develops partnerships that mobilize financial and non-financial resources in support of UNICEF priorities.
- Develops and implements annual private sector partnership engagement plans aligned with UNICEF’s Business for Results (B4R) framework, identifying priority partners, engagement opportunities and resource mobilization strategies to support UNICEF programme priorities.
- Screens and manages inquiries from potential private sector collaborators and facilitates engagement with relevant UNICEF teams.
- Monitors the external environment and private sector landscape to identify emerging opportunities, risks and trends, and shares timely analysis to inform UNICEF partnership strategies.
- Provides strategic, logistical and programmatic support to senior management and other UNICEF staff in corporate engagement and interaction with assigned partners.
- Develops and maintains deep knowledge and familiarity with current and prospective partners and relevant stakeholders, contributing to a database of key contacts and to UNICEF’s base of knowledge on partnership and resource mobilization.
- Enables private sector and relevant policy makers on children’s rights in a business context and how to ensure their respect as part of corporate strategies.
- Identifies trend topics in Madagascar for private sector capacity building (such as family friendly policies) that enables private sector understanding for children’s rights and its own impact, aligned with the UNICEF Child Rights and Business agenda.
- Expands UNICEF’s network of private sector interlocutors by cultivating relationships with companies, corporate foundations, business associations and economic leaders, strengthening UNICEF’s positioning as a partner of choice for private sector engagement.
- Acts as a focal point for identification and pursuit of opportunities for private sector related 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 taken into account in relevant policy and institutional processes addressing the private sector landscape, and ensure that they are fully aware of UNICEF’s perspectives, policies, priorities and capabilities.
- Contribute to the development and management of initiatives for high-level advocacy outreach, including for UNICEF’s Senior Management.
- Contributes to the development of new partnership and resource mobilization practices and approaches.
- This includes proposal, reporting and monitoring stages of partnership-agreements as well as analyzing current trends within designated partners and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches and message development.
- Contributes to strategies for engagement and the development of communications products to enhance UNICEF’s visibility vis à vis private sector actors and influence with existing and prospective partners and key stakeholders by providing analysis of the current environment and trends and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches and message development.
- Works closely with UNICEF’s colleagues to ensure that policy advocacy and outreach is strongly grounded in the experience and insights of UNICEF’s programmes.
- Contributes written inputs for communications instruments that best inform and influence decision makers.
- Engages companies in key sectors with high risks of children’s rights abuses (e.g. mining, tourism and other priority industries) to promote responsible business practices in accordance with international labor law and standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP), encouraging private sector commitment to children’s rights.
- Performs other related duties as assigned by the supervisor to ensure the success of the team, including guiding, training, and coaching short-term staff, including interns and consultants, as needed.
Required Experience
At least 5 years of relevant work experience in private sector partnerships, programme management, corporate engagement, public affairs, external relations, labor law, human rights law and any other related fields.
Qualifications
Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Political Science, Communications, International Development, International Relations, Law, Human Rights and any other related fields.
