The KM Specialist will contribute to the definition and implementation of a UNICEF strategy and approach to humanitarian knowledge management which aims to be inclusive of and responding to the needs of Country and Regional Offices as well as of other Divisions involved in humanitarian action.
As a member of the HELS team, the KM Specialist will provide analysis and advice in support of the various strategic components and workstreams that HELS is developing and delivering on, being a custodian and manager of the content that drives much of these activities. This content will be produced by as well as inform learning, innovation, guidance and collaboration.
The focus of the KM Specialist’s work will therefore be just as much considering and supporting HELS’ requirements and processes as well as add value to EMOPS’, other sections and overall work and requirements, other UNICEF sections and divisions beyond EMOPS as appropriate and UNICEF partners, other stakeholders, and notably humanitarian communities within and beyond UNICEF.
The incumbent will therefore be responsible for the development, oversight and maintenance of knowledge management products for humanitarian action, including the development and roll-out of an EMOPS Knowledge Management Strategy, and the effective coordination with other KM workstreams and products developed by UNICEF in a pro-active and collaborative way.
The incumbent will oversee a number of specific projects that will be part of the overall approach, including the documentation of response to on-going emergencies, debriefs of staff involved in major emergencies, identification and documentation of good practice and lessons learned examples from UNICEF country offices to better understand emergency programmes, best practice certification, management responses to evaluations, and mentorship programmes.
The incumbent will be responsible for regularly liaising with all sections in EMOPS and with any other UNICEF entities along formal arrangements and systems and initiating new ones as required, including with Regional Offices and COs to ensure that the strategy, products and tools are responsive to the needs of humanitarian practitioners in UNICEF.
The incumbent will liaise also with other humanitarian organizations (UN agencies, Red Cross, NGOs etc.) to exchange experiences in knowledge management and identify potential for partnerships, cross-fertilization, and joint learning. Similarly, the incumbent will interact with the UNICEF-led clusters through the cluster unit in EMOPS Geneva.
The incumbent should be able to advise on knowledge management mechanisms that can be built for the effective anticipation of threats and empower UNICEF with cutting-edge standards and tools to facilitate its work and enable improved humanitarian action. This includes adequate competencies and experience in data protection as well as confidentiality and the ethical use of data.
Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks
Oversee the definition and implementation of a UNICEF approach to humanitarian knowledge management.
Contribute to the definition of an overall corporate knowledge management approach and systems so those are designed in a way that can accommodate and support the specific needs regarding humanitarian action.
Contribute to Humanitarian Learning and Development as developed by HELS.
Responsible for the development, oversight and maintenance of the official UNICEF humanitarian terms and taxonomies used to classify our work.
Responsible for the development, oversight and maintenance of knowledge products for humanitarian action, including the development and roll-out of an EMOPS Knowledge Management Strategy;
Facilitate knowledge exchange between country, regional and HQ based staff, proactively identifying linkages for collaboration, utilizing various communities of practice supporting humanitarian action.
Initiate specific projects that articulate particular aspects and tasks informed by the KM strategy, such as documenting responses to on-going emergencies, debriefings of staff involved in major emergencies, the identification and documentation of good practice and lessons learned examples from UNICEF country offices to better understand emergency programmes and management responses to evaluations;
Regularly liaise with all sections in EMOPS, other Divisions involved in humanitarian actions, Regional Offices and COs to ensure that the strategy, products and tools are responsive to the needs of humanitarian practitioners in UNICEF;
Support the Chief of HELS and the EMOPS Director and Deputy Director in overall divisional engagement with relevant committees, UNICEF discussions on KM and learning;
Serve as EMOPS focal point for KM-related discussion boards and committees (i.e. EMOPS Policy FP for Regulatory Framework; EMOPS FP for UNICEF Global KM Strategy); Committees also with other humanitarian organizations (UN agencies, OCHA and NGOs) to exchange experiences in knowledge management and identify potential for partnerships, cross-fertilization, and joint learning;
Interact with the UNICEF-led clusters through the cluster unit in EMOPS Geneva to ensure consistency in the knowledge management approaches between UNICEF and clusters;
Flag major risks and opportunities in his/her area of work for the attention of management;
Perform any other tasks as required by the supervisor and Division Director.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in knowledge management, information management or related field.
A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in progressively responsible professional experience in knowledge management planning, programming and implementation.
Exposure to the latest theory and practice of effective knowledge management, preferably applied to large organizations required.
Strong project management skills relating to the development and management of knowledge platforms is required.
Experience in developing and maintaining information architectures.
Demonstrated experience in humanitarian action is an asset.
Experience in developing and maintaining global online communities.
Advanced skills and technical proficiency in HTML, SharePoint and Drupal are an asset.
Some exposure to/knowledge of UNICEF or UN work in the humanitarian sector (directly or as a partner) is an asset.
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
