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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, … health and opportunities!

There is growing evidence that investing in the health, 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 in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

UNICEF’s 2020-2024 strategic plan revolves around ensuring that children survive, thrive and transform. This entails an integrated and holistic approach for every child (0-19 years), promoting continuum of care along the life cycle. For health and well-being, this also requires a multi-sectoral approach with actions at community level, tackling the “causes of the causes” of diseases and ill-health, and promoting the health and well-being of children. Community health systems are a cornerstone for improving access to primary health care; when high impact, high quality interventions are delivered to the last mile in an equitable, cost-effective manner by government remunerated and institutionalized community health workers and health systems are strengthened, the full benefits of the health-related SDGs can be realized.. 

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Associate Director, MNCAH, Health Programme Group, you will be  responsible for providing technical expertise to the UNICEF community health and nutrition programme implementation. Specifically, you will support the technical aspects of operations of community health and nutrition, including the inclusion of UNICEF teams, global, regional, country and partner engagement, and strengthening linkages with other initiatives. The role involves enhancing access to country-specific data for strategic decision-making and contributing to the technical oversight of community health and nutrition. The focus of this role is to ensure that UNICEF’s community health and nutrition operations and initiatives are technically sound and aligned with best practices in community health and nutrition as part of Primary Health Care. This includes providing technical guidance, developing and implementing technical strategies, and monitoring and evaluating the technical outcomes of the CHDP’s initiatives.

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

This role provides technical leadership in designing, implementing, and evaluating community health and nutrition programs within the Primary Health Care framework. This includes supporting the development of comprehensive programs at country and subnational levels, building the capacity of community health workers and health professionals, and establishing partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, and community groups. Additionally, mobilize resources for these programs by identifying funding opportunities, writing grant proposals, and managing budgets.

This role will also lead UNICEF’s efforts to develop strong country engagement processes that expand community health and nutrition programs as part of PHC. Advocate for policies promoting community health, build and maintain networks with stakeholders, and strengthen partnerships with key entities. Support the capacity building of partners and stakeholders through technical advice, sharing best practices, and facilitating training sessions. Enhance visibility and alignment with country priorities by engaging with policymakers, health professionals, and community leaders. Further details can be found in JD.

The following minimum requirements:

Advanced University Degree in 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 other health related sciences is required.

Work Experience:

A minimum of ten years of professional experience in public health planning and management and/or in relevant areas of child and community health, health emergency/humanitarian preparedness, at the international level some of which preferably in a developing country is required.

Desirables/Assets:

Relevant experience in health program/project development and management in any UN system agency or organization is an asset.

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…

• 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.