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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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, 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 UNICEF Malaysia website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF locally.

How can you make a difference? 

1. Evidence Generation and Knowledge Management

• Identify, collect and organize up-to-date data on climate, environmental and disaster risks affecting children and youth.
• Support the development of data and knowledge products (e.g.  youth climate surveys, risk assessments, and situation analyses) to inform policy, advocacy, and programming.
• Capture and synthesize lessons learned and best practices globally and locally for protecting children from climate, environment and disaster risks.
• Develop strategic position papers, briefing notes, and knowledge products for internal and external use.

2. Policy Support and Advocacy

• Identify partners and entry points for strategic engagement and policy advocacy regarding impacts on children and recommendations for tangible solutions.
• Provide technical inputs to mainstream child rights into national climate, environment, and disaster-related policies, including the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Nationally Determined Contribution, disaster risk reduction policies/ action plans, and other policies under development.
• Produce policy briefs, position papers, and recommendations for UNICEF and partners to advocate for children’s rights to a clean, safe, healthy and sustainable environment.
• Support the development of policy dialogues and promote child-inclusive approaches in national planning and governance processes.
• Support implementation of advocacy strategies, including awareness campaigns, development of inclusive messages, and dissemination of evidence-based materials.

3. Partnerships and Youth Engagement

• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with government agencies, UN entities, civil society, academia, youth networks, and environmental organizations.
• Under the guidance of the supervisor, lead the design and implementation of platforms that enable meaningful youth participation in climate, environmental and disaster risk reduction decision-making at all levels.
• Facilitate capacity-building initiatives for young people to strengthen their knowledge, skills, and networks in climate advocacy and policy engagement.
• Collaborate with youth-led and youth-serving organizations to promote inclusive participation, especially of marginalized groups (e.g. indigenous, stateless, youth with disabilities).
• Explore and support mobilization of climate and disaster risk financing through innovative mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and vertical funds.

4. Programme Development and Management

• Support the development of platforms that empower children and youth to voice their opinions, co-create solutions, and actively participate in climate and environmental decision-making at local, national, and regional levels.
• Facilitate capacity-building programmes to equip young people with knowledge, tools, and networks to advocate climate and environmental and disaster risk reduction action and contribute to policy development.
• Collaborate with youth-led and youth-serving organizations, schools, universities, and government partners to foster sustained youth engagement, ensuring inclusive participation of under-represented youth groups (indigenous, stateless, youth with disabilities)
• Develop programme documents, concept notes, and funding proposals related to climate change and children.
• Coordinate with Implementing Partners to ensure timely and quality submission of work plans, financial and substantive reports in line with UNICEF’s internal requirements.
• Conduct regular field visits and assessments and provide technical guidance and resolving implementation challenges in collaboration with partners.

5. Results-based Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Support in the coordination of effective knowledge management systems in your specialist area (data collection, monitoring, report generation, evaluation and tasks related to documenting the programme process with partners) regarding UNICEF climate, environmental and disaster risk reduction actions.
• Support the supervisor in the process of ensuring that child-focused climate & environmental actions are appropriately integrated into results-based programme workplans, progress against set objectives and targets are monitored and jointly reviewed with Government to ensure achievement of quality and sustainable results.
• Prepare inputs to relevant reports and documentation as assigned including input into programme and project reports for external collaborators and management information and updates for UNICEF management

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Programme Officer Climate and Environment Classified JD.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: A Bachelors’ Degree in environment, climate science, social and economic development, social sciences or another relevant technical field.
• Work Experience: At least 2 years of direct professional work experience at the national level in policy, youth engagement, advocacy, or climate/ environmental governance.
• Technical knowledge and strong understanding of climate and environments in Malaysia is a requirement.
• Demonstrated experience working with young people and/or in public policy development and building their capacities is required.
• Experience in stakeholder coordination, policy research, or civic engagement is desirable.
• Experience working with the Malaysia government and familiarity with regulations and policies concerning climate & environment are considered an advantage is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside an organization.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Bahasa Malaysia is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language( Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is considered as an asset.

Desirables:

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

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 promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

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 encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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:

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidate with disabilities 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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.