UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, an advocate.

II. Organizational Context and Purpose for the job

The fundamental and primary mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in child survival, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Strategic office context:

The Operations function is a strategic Business Partner role, assuring the best use of UNICEF assets in alignment with sound management practices, office priorities and goals to deliver results for children.

The Generic Job Profile for an Operations Officer, at the P1 level, can be used in UNICEF regional, country, field office, or division. They usually report to Chief of Operations at P4 or P3/NO3.

Purpose of the job 

 As a Strategic Business Partner, the incumbent will be accountable for operations functions, facilitate change, provide risk informed, solution-focused analysis, advice and services and

contribute to programme and management decisions for delivering results for children in specific operational contexts.  Operations Officer will accomplish this by:

• Facilitating services in the functional areas of operations support: budget, financial management and reporting, facilities management, administration, supply and logistics management, information and communications technology, human resources, and safety and security;
• Understanding business needs for the office, to propose viable solutions aimed at value for money.
• Supporting the fundamentals of ICT management, information security and controls;
• Supporting supply and logistics strategies and interventions to meet programmatic needs while ensuring Value for Money (VfM), including procurement of fit for purpose products and services.
• Supporting the management of office premises and facilities with a specific focus on inclusive accessibility, eco sustainability and common premises;
• Facilitating business transactions processed by GSSC from a perspective of Efficiency, Performance, Risk Management and Fraud prevention
• Supporting the country office during external and internal audit reviews, contributing with responses to audit observations and monitoring implementation of recommendations.
• Supporting the management of PSFR operations, where applicable.

The Operations Officer will be entrusted with the following five pillars, the core focus of all operations functions: Valuing People, Valuing Money, Valuing Risk Management, Valuing Systems and Structures, Valuing Partners.

How can you make a difference? 

III. Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks 

Valuing People: Implement people resources strategies to promote technical competence and foster career progression and retention of a “fit for purpose”/ agile workforce

• Facilitate an environment of management excellence, staff well-being and accessibility and inclusion through implementation of strategies, policies, procedures.
• Implement solutions related to people management and office culture.
• Support training strategy
• Keep abreast of industry standards in management and finance and share best practices and knowledge learned within the office.
• Support Excellence in Operations in UNICEF derived from the five strategic pillars.

 Valuing Money: Champion strategic resources to achieve organizational goals and ensure Value for Money (VfM)

• Ensure effective identification and use of resources in various concrete Value for Money (VfM) areas, including eco-efficiency and inclusivity, common premises, costing, results-based budgeting financial monitoring etc.
• Support the financial oversight management, monitoring and reporting of all the country programme budget - and where applicable private sector fundraising budgets; make analysis as needed.
• Implement Supply plan for the office and stay abreast of the regional strategies.
  • Support the financial oversight management, monitoring and reporting of all the country programme budget - and where applicable private sector fundraising budgets; make analysis as needed.
  • Implement Supply plan for the office and stay abreast of the regional strategies.

   Valuing Risk Management: Enhance Risk Management to increase organizational performance and strengthen internal control

  • Support the office with up-to-date information to make operational and programmatic risk informed decisions with the enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (eGRC) platform.
  • Contribute and participate in testing of business continuity plans to ensure UNICEF organizational resilience to disaster, risks and staff safety and security as well as Emergency Preparedness and Response to humanitarian situations.
  • Support implementation of appropriate implementation of policies and procedures and provide feedback on policy and internal controls as appropriate.
  • Support implementation of mandatory anti-fraud systems, processes and actions.
  • Support mitigation of risks of engagement with external partners via appropriate, risk-informed due diligence.

   Valuing Systems and Structures: Ensure further operational centralization and optimization for maximized efficiency gains

  • Participate in the review of Operations processes and recommend measures to minimize cost, reduce duplication of work and maximize efficiencies while creating an environment of smarter controls to render the organization ready to respond to programme needs.
  • Contribute to improving IT-enabled business processes to increase productivity and collaboration, better knowledge management, and ensure effective use of UNICEF assets.
  • Contribute to CPMP

   Valuing Partners: Strengthening internal and external-facing partnerships and leveraging UNICEF’s oversight and understanding of financial management across all areas of the office.

  • Provide technical support on HACT implementation, including follow-up actions required on result of financial assurance activities.
  • Support UNICEF Office resource mobilization partners through written financial reporting, resolve discrepancies and ensure donor accountability and transparency.
  • Contribute to UNICEF Office resource mobilization through written financial reporting, and analysis of discrepancies.
  • Contribute to developing private sector partnerships especially in middle income countries.
  • Engage as stakeholders in the UN Reform, facilitating Business Operating Services (BOS) and proactively paving the way for a potential “one back office” in country offices.

IV. Impact of Results

The ability of the Operations Officer to effectively support the operations functions for the efficient delivery of related services, directly impact on program performance, resource mobilisation and delivery of results for children. This in turn contributes to maintaining/enhancing the credibility of UNICEF as an effective and responsible manager of funds and resources entrusted to the organization and to furthering UNICEF’s image as a competent organization for delivering cost effective and sustainable program results in regular and emergency settings.

The ability of the Operations Officer to support assessment, mitigation, monitoring, review and reporting on the most significant risks that could potentially harm the organization, is a critical element of UNICEF’s risk and internal control performance management framework. Risk management skills are necessary to safeguard UNICEF’s reputation, resources, continuity of operations and reputation to fulfill our primary mission to save and protect children, globally.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Operations Officer Level 1.docx

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

VI. Recruitment Qualifications

Education:

A University Degree (Bachelor’s) in one of the following areas is required:

• Business management
• Financial management
• Accounting
• Public Finance
• Related operations function (Supply Chain, Human Resources, Information Technology, International Business, Project management, etc.)

      A professional license from internationally recognized institutions is an asset.

Experience:

A minimum of 1 year of professional experience, at the national and/or international level, is required, specifically in one or more operations management area including budget; financial management and reporting; facilities management; administration; supply and logistics management; information and communication technology; human resources.

Experience in a UN system agency, large private or public company, or experience working in a developing country and/or humanitarian/ emergency context is an asset.

Experience in working with corporate ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) and IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) is highly desirable.

Understanding of Results Based Management is a requirement.

Experience in supporting successful client-oriented work units is an asset.

Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications is required.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

V. UNICEF values and competency Required

i) Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

ii) Core Competencies (For Staff with Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.