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, the right to a Champion
The fundamental 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 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 by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
Strategic office context:
UNICEF is committed to Safeguarding, including Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) as a core organizational priority, ensuring that all individuals are protected from harm arising from their interaction with UNICEF programmes, personnel, and partners. Safeguarding encompasses prevention and response to all forms of harm, including but not limited to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, violence, neglect, exploitation and unsafe practices.
In Afghanistan, the complex humanitarian context—characterized by high vulnerability, dependency on assistance, access constraints, and reliance on implementing partners and contractors/vendors to deliver essential services to the vulnerable group of people—elevates Safeguarding/PSEA risks across all programme sectors and operations. Further intensified restriction against girls and women linked with security concerns largely impacted women’s rights to access to fundamental service and job opportunities as well as worsened economic has further increased an already existent risk of SEA, SH and other safeguarding concerns. These risks affect children, women, communities, and frontline workers and require system-wide prevention, mitigation, and response measures embedded across programmes, partnerships, and operations.
ACO constantly receive SEA/SH and Safeguarding incidents alerts, which requires quite intensive response, including record, reporting, response to survivors, follow up on verification and investigation process with UNICEF HQ OIAI, implementing partners, other UN agencies and 3rd party HR company. With ACO’s donor agreement, reporting/update process is a part of donor compliance. It is imperative that Afghanistan country has an extensive capacity to attend these requirement in handling SEA cases.
At the same time, the cultural and intensified restriction with fear of victimization, accusation and retaliation, continuously remains as barrier for the beneficiaries and affected populations, and frontline workers to be able to report incidents of SEA/SH and Safeguarding issues. It is essential to continuously strengthen the capacity of UNICEF, partners, contractors and suppliers to prevent, report and respond appropriately to SEA.
Further, due to the UNICEF’s mandate and coverage to deliver essential services for children and vulnerable communities, ACO has huge volume of intervention of various programme, including Education, Health, Nutrition, Polio, WASH, Child Protection, Emergency Cash Transfer etc. PSEA, as core principles for humanitarian intervention, has to be integrated into all the programme. Making sure the programme documents and activities in practice have PSEA consideration and negotiation and awareness raising towards donors are essential.
How can you make a difference?
UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) is committed to strengthening a culture of Safeguarding, ensuring that:
- Office wide Accountability Framework is put in place – with clear role and responsibility and regularly monitored PSEA/Safeguarding Action Plan;
- Risks of harm are proactively identified and mitigated;
- Communities have safe, accessible, and trusted reporting mechanisms;
- Safeguarding concerns and incidents are promptly reported and addressed using a survivor-centred approach linked with smooth connection/referral to qualified Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services and appropriate and impartial verification and investigation;
- Safeguarding is integrated across all programmes, partnerships, and operational systems.
Purpose for the job:
The Programme Specialist (Safeguarding/PSEA) will be based in Kabul and provide technical and strategic support to strengthen UNICEF Afghanistan’s Safeguarding system across programmes and operations under supervision of International Programme Specialist (PSEA) P4. The role supports the prevention, risk mitigation, reporting, and response to all Safeguarding concerns and incidents, including but not limited to PSEA, and ensures alignment with UNICEF’s Safeguarding Policy and inter-agency standards.
The incumbent will:
- Lead the implementation of a comprehensive Safeguarding/PSEA approach and action plan across office;
- Strengthening Safeguarding/PSEA capacity, culture, and accountability mechanism within UNICEF and partners;
- Support safe programme design and delivery, ensuring risks of harm are identified and managed;
- Strengthen internal and external safe reporting mechanism to assure confidential and accessible channel for staff and beneficiaries;
- Ensure timely, confidential and survivor-centered response to PSEA/SH and Safeguarding concerns including survivor assistance as well as verification/investigative process.
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
- Strengthening Safeguarding Systems through Implementation of Afghanistan Country Office Safeguarding/PSEA Action Plan
- Prevention and Risk Mitigation
- Assure Appropriate Reporting and response of Safeguarding allegations
- Capacity Building and Awareness
- Assure the PSEA Capacity for Implementing Partners through PSEA Capacity Assessment and PSEA Capacity Building
- Safeguarding in Partnerships and Programme Integration
- Inter-Agency Coordination and Advocacy
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 
JD Programme Specialist PSEA P3 .pdf
To qualify as a champion for every child you will have...
Minimum requirements:
- Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.
- Work Experience: A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in design, implementation and management of Safeguarding including PSEA, preferably with the UN and/or international NGO. Experience working in humanitarian contexts
- Skills: Awareness Raising, Excellent Communication and Teamwork, Facilitation, Networking, Advocacy
- Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.
Desirables:
- Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
- Familiarity with the latest development in Safeguarding Policy and Practice, PSEA, inter-agency PSEA responses and humanitarian cluster system.
- Expertise in investigation, Child Safeguarding, Survivor centered and GBV case management, Implementing partners management/HACT and Human Resources
- Familiarly with Afghanistan and the region or Similar context and working with UN or International NGO.
- Familiarity in Gender issues 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
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.
This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.
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.
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 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.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
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.
