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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, Hope.

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

How can you make a difference? 

The Health Officer provides professional technical, operational, and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the Health Programme within the Country Programme, from development planning to delivery of results, by preparing, executing, managing, and implementing a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, and evaluating and reporting of results. He/she will provide technical assistance in the development of health work plans, ensuring alignment with national health goals and targets in conjunction with Child Survival and Development, Maternal and Child Health, Health, and Nutrition components within the country programme, to achieve the UNICEF's immunization plus goals and objectives for the country. As a key partner of in Primary Health Care Particularly Immunization UNICEF has the mandate to provide technical assistance to the country through advocacy, coordination, planning implementation, and monitoring of health programmes. The organization relies on highly trained and experienced personnel of staff and consultants to meet this obligation.

Main activities 

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Conduct and update the situation analysis for the development, design, and management of health-related programmes. Research and report on development trends (e.g. political social, economic, health) for higher management use to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery of results.
• Conduct quality contributions to the development and implementation of the health strategies and approaches through participation and collaboration with in-country partners.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through analysis of health needs and areas for intervention and submission of recommendations for priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM), and monitoring and evaluation of results.
•  Prepare required documentations and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.

• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations, and/or to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Undertakes field visits to monitor programmes, as well as participates in periodic programme reviews with government counterparts and other partners. Identifies necessary action for programme adjustments. Provides technical advice and assistance to government officials and implementing partners in the planning and management of the health programme and ensure sustainability of interventions. Support maintenance of information system for monitoring gender/sex disaggregated data.
•  Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management.
•  Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative, and other assets), and verify compliance with approved allocation and goals organizational rules, regulations, procedures, as well as donor commitments, standards of accountability, and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors, and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.
•  Ensure UNICEF procedures and measures are applied and closely monitored regarding risk to aid diversion.
• Ensure programmatic visits are planned and implemented to monitor implementing partners, NGOs supporting Immunisation interventions.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
   • Conduct regular programme field visits and surveys and share information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
   • Exercises technical leadership for, and participates in, the development of the results-based sectoral work plan and technical decisions as well as for administration, implementation, monitoring and follow-up of sectoral project activity, consistent with the defined project strategies and approaches. Ensures objectives and targets are timely met and achieved, through full coordination between activities, by leading and supporting a team of professional and support staff.
   • Meets with national and international agencies overseeing the management of programmes/projects. Participates in meetings with ministries responsible for programme/project review, and follows up on implementation of recommendations and agreements, and integration of gender mainstreaming across sectors.
   • Provide technical support to emergency preparedness and response including for outbreaks of vaccine preventable disease), emergency/outbreak responses with effective coordination with relevant partners and stakeholders.
   •  Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on health[1]related issues to support programme implementation, operations, and delivery of results.
4. Networking and partnership building
   • Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to enhance programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to deliver concrete and sustainable results.
   • Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes.
   • Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) on health programmes to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of health programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.
   • Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
   • Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.
   • Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
   • Assist with oversight of research and ensure results are available for use in knowledge products.
   • Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.

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

• A University Degree in one of the following fields is required: Public health, pediatric health, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health education, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public health planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, or health emergency/humanitarian preparedness. Experience working in a developing country is considered an asset. Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered 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.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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

UNICEF only considers Higher education qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.