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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, … a champion

UNICEF's Business Engagement and Child Rights (BECR) Team strategically leverages the business sector to enhance child rights outcomes through targeted programming and advocacy. This team focuses on maximizing business as a key stakeholder, aligning its efforts with the child rights agenda to drive results for children. Their work includes preventing and transforming adverse business impacts on child rights, fostering technical collaborations, and integrating business engagement strategies across UNICEF’s various levels. Additionally, the BECR Team aims to build institutional knowledge and capacity regarding effective business engagement practices throughout UNICEF’s networks. 

How can you make a difference?

The BECR work plan aims to effectively support UNICEF efforts to achieve child rights outcomes in the digital environment, with a focus on influencing and fostering responsible business practices and accelerating actions in the business ecosystem to safeguard and protect all children's rights in digital contexts.

Join UNICEF as a Programme Specialist under the Senior Adviser, Child Rights and Business, where you'll develop and support implementation of impactful strategies and policies to safeguard children's rights in the digital environment. Focusing on engaging with industry and influential stakeholders, you'll lead initiatives that motivate businesses of all sizes to respect children's rights and accelerate meaningful action in their operations. Collaborating with diverse teams across UNICEF, you will  provide evidence-based policy guidance and capacity building on responsible business which will inform UNICEF programme, partnerships and other efforts related to achieve child rights outcomes in the digital context.  Through this role you will oversee knowledge management and communication efforts while driving resource mobilization to support program implementation in various country offices. Based in Geneva, this position may involve relocation as UNICEF transitions to its new Strategic Plan by the end of 2025. If you're passionate about making a difference for children in the digital age, we want to hear from you!

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

Implement the Child Rights and Business (CRB) initiatives within the digital environment, ensuring that results are delivered in a timely and cost-efficient manner aligned with UNICEF’s Strategic Approach and with UNICEF Strategic Plan priorities. This involves providing strategic support to senior management in engaging withthe tech industry and other stakeholders, ensuring that efforts are integrated with organizational commitments and efforts  such as the Child Online Protection Framework and UNICEF's digital transformation strategy. To strengthen policy advocacy and thought leadership, the plan emphasizes the consolidation of insights from existing work on child rights and technology. This includes advancing the understanding of business responsibilities regarding children's rights in the digital sphere and aligning these concepts with both internal and external agendas. The initiative also seeks to enhance organizational support through technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge exchange, while fostering collaborations with diverse stakeholders. Additionally, it aims to develop communication products that effectively convey trends in the digital landscape and inform decision-makers, ensuring that UNICEF's influence and visibility in advocating for child rights are maximized.

The following minimum requirements:

An advanced university degree (Master) in one of the following fields: social sciences, human rights, international relations, political science, communications, international development, or a related field is required.

• Minimum of 5 years of work experience at the international level in business and human rights, , child online protection programming, or a related field, with at least two years of experience on topics related to responsible technology, child online protection, or work in the private sector in related areas.  
• A technical background in child rights or human rights approaches to business impact, including with specific focus on  the digital environment.

Desirables

• Experience in developing or implementing human rights reporting and due diligence mechanisms for children, especially in a business context.
• Proven skills in producing, editing, and uploading online content.
• Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines.

Assets

• Experience advocating with industry and multistakeholder platforms, investment institutions, governments, NGOs, or within the corporate sector, including coordinating advocacy efforts with others.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered 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…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• 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 benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, 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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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.