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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

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations.

UNICEF is committed to creating environments where women, children and their communities are safe and respected by humanitarian and development personnel and can access the protection and assistance provided to them without fear or risk of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). UNICEF has been a leader in the fight against SEA of children and beneficiaries. Across the organization, UNICEF is committed to continuously strengthening its efforts in these areas. In mid-2018, the UNICEF Executive Director served as the Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) Champion for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Sexual Harassment for a one-year period, further underscoring UNICEF's global leadership on these issues.

UNICEF is committed to accelerating PSEA across all humanitarian settings and the development and peace nexus. PSEA is an organization-wide accountability, and UNICEF Child Protection plays a leading role and is a key contributor to this work. UNICEF’s Child Protection strategy prioritizes the prevention of violence, which includes prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 includes core commitments on PSEA, including within Goal Area 3: Every child is protected from all forms of violence, exploitation, abuse and harmful practices. The Strategic Plan also includes a strategic enabler on the establishment and strengthening of PSEA systems at country-level, for which Child Protection plays a leading role. UNICEF’s PSEA commitment is further grounded in UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs) and Emergency Procedures.

As a leader in child protection globally and as an agency mandated to strengthen the protection of children and women, UNICEF is also committed to driving forward best practice to deliver on the shared IASC PSEA framework and priority areas and is scaling up its programming to prevent and respond to SEA. UNICEF’s approach stems from ED Fore’s work as IASC Champion on PSEA in 2018 and 2019. Under ED Fore’s leadership, the IASC developed and endorsed the IASC Plan for Accelerating PSEA in Humanitarian Response at Country Level ("the IASC Acceleration Plan"); a common IASC PSEA Country-Level Framework; and the IASC PSEA strategy to effectively deliver on its commitments to prevent and respond to SEA and advance a survivor-centered approach. UNICEF continues to advance the PSEA work as a key contributor to the IASC Acceleration Plan and the new IASC Strategy and Vision on the PSEA and Sexual Harassment (PSEAH) 2022−2026.

Sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment emerge from imbalances of power and opportunities for exploiting such imbalances. Generally, there is a deep imbalance of power based on gender - some are more likely to have control of resources, and others are more likely to be dependent on those for their access to resources and services. Given this strong gender dimension, SEA is often a form of gender-based violence and to address it comprehensively, response, prevention and risk mitigation strategies need to be implemented. UNICEF plays a crucial role in addressing gender-based violence, leveraging its expertise in some of the most challenging humanitarian contexts. Responding to GBV is a life-saving intervention and is a central pillar of UNICEF’s humanitarian work. UNICEF’s GBViE response is guided by its Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs). The UNICEF’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan outlines a minimum set of GBV risk mitigation actions that are mandatory for all country offices to report against. Moreover, UNICEF is undergoing a strategic shift to ensure its added value in working at the intersection between violence against children and women is realized in all settings. GBV programming is fully aligned with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and Gender Action Plan (2022-2025), as well as its commitments to gender equality.

PSEA and GBV are inherently linked and both fundamental to safeguarding the rights and dignity of the communities UNICEF’s serves. UNICEF’s integrated approach ensures coherence and complementarity between these efforts, providing comprehensive, survivor-centered support as well as risk mitigation across both domains in the Europe and Central Asia region.

How can you make a difference? 

Given the critical need to address SEA and GBV issues that continue in the Europe and Central Asia region, UNICEF is looking for a specialist to support the effective implementation of UNICEF’s PSEA strategy and relevant GBV interventions, including in countries with focal points but no dedicated staff. This includes work in countries with ongoing emergencies, such as Ukraine, countries on the emergency-development nexus, as well as high-income countries. Reporting to the Chief, Child Protection and working closely with the Regional Advisor for Child Protection and the Child Protection team, the role focuses on enhancing UNICEF’s ability to deliver in these two key areas. The Specialist will work closely with ECARO Operations section in the areas of PSEA risk management and PSEA for implementing partners.

The Specialist will implement the UNICEF Regional Office Action Plan on PSEA. This includes strengthening the capacity of UNICEF COs to prevent and respond to SEA, managing incident responses, and supporting partners with complaints and investigation mechanisms. The Specialist will also represent UNICEF in PSEA networks and inter-agency forums, ensuring a coordinated response. Aligning efforts to the PSEA Strategy, the Specialist will provide technical guidance for GBV prevention, risk mitigation, and response across the region. This includes ensuring alignment with global standards such as the UNICEF Strategic Plan, Gender Action Plan (2022-2025), and the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs). The Specialist will work closely with country offices, regional teams, and external partners to support the design, planning, and quality assurance of GBV programmes.

The Specialist will manage centralized information related to the enhanced and accelerated response for PSEA and GBV, working closely with relevant sections, offices, and focal points. They will ensure the swift transmission of information to the Regional Director and Child Protection Regional Advisor and provide recommendations for necessary actions. While they will not replace or substitute existing systems for reporting and investigating misconduct, they will channel communications as appropriate, maintaining confidentiality. The Specialist may be deployed to new emergencies on short notice and will undertake technical assistance missions as required, supporting the CPHA Coordinator when necessary. Additionally, the Specialist will serve as a member of the EMT and participate in other leadership forums as needed. The key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks are expected to be as follows:

1. Strategic Advice and Coordination:

PSEA

• Provide strategic leadership in developing, implementing, and monitoring the PSEA strategy across the ECA region.
• Ensure PSEA is reflected in regional level strategic documents, including HACs and sitreps.
• Lead and support Country Offices in drafting action plans for PSEA, including considerations on risk assessments and establishing response mechanisms.
• Serve as the focal point for regional level inter-agency PSEA coordination, ensuring UNICEF's representation and leadership in regional PSEA forums.
• Serve as Safeguarding focal point at the regional level

GBV

• Develop strategic priorities for the ECA region on GBV considering the different settings and environments.
• Ensure GBV is reflected in regional level strategic documents, including HACs and sitreps.
• Provide technical leadership on GBV prevention, risk mitigation, and response aligned with global standards and UNICEF’s GBV in Emergencies Operational Guide.
• When relevant, support country offices in scaling up GBV programming, focusing on response, risk mitigation, and prevention across sectors.
• Engage in regional level inter-agency GBV coordination mechanisms, ensuring comprehensive action plans to address GBV in emergencies at regional and country levels.
• Ensure GBV is included in resource mobilization efforts by contributing to reports, proposals, and advocacy materials that reflect the scope and impact of GBV interventions.

2. System Strengthening:

PSEA

• Support offices to institutionalize PSEA policies within UNICEF systems and across all programmes as well as comprehensive GBV risk mitigation efforts.
• Support the strengthen feedback mechanisms and referral systems, ensuring timely and survivor-cantered assistance for SEA survivors, within CP and GBV systems.
• Build capacity of PSEA focal points to support the sustainability of PSEA interventions at the country level.

GBV

• Support COs in strengthening UNICEF’s role to work at the intersection between violence against children and women with a focus on the GBV dimension of the broader strategic shift.
• Work with COs and other UNICEF sectors to adapt and roll out interventions targeting adolescent girls and other vulnerable groups in humanitarian settings.
• Ensure GBV risk mitigation measures are integrated across all sectors, with a focus on integration within child protection, as per IASC GBV Guidelines, and UNICEF’s strategic plan.

3. Technical Assistance and Capacity building:

PSEA

• Support senior management on the reporting and response to Child Safeguarding/PSEA allegations, ensuring all complaints are handled according to UNICEF protocols.
• Lead training initiatives to build the capacity of UNICEF staff, partners, and offices on PSEA.
• Coordinate with PSEA focal points in countries, ensuring they have the necessary resources and training to fulfil their roles.
• Contribute to the development of global and regional guidance on PSEA, integrating lessons from the ECA region.
• Provide technical assistance to UNICEF Staff and Implementing partners on conducting PSEA risk assessments, developing risk mitigating plans and their follow up, and PSEA monitoring.

GBV

• Provide guidance and technical support to strengthen GBV response and risk mitigation, focusing on staff and partner training.
• Facilitate the development of relevant technical resources and lead documentation and dissemination of lessons learned and good practices on GBV in line with regional priorities.
• Document lessons learned from GBV in emergency programs and disseminate best practices across the ECA region to inform future programming.
  
  

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

• An advanced university degree (Master's) in one of the following fields is required: child protection, international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, public policy or another relevant field.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in PSEA or GBV prevention and response in humanitarian, development settings in child protection is required.
• Proven experience designing PSEA approaches in high-income countries is essential, as well as familiarity with the ECA Region.
• Proven experience in design, implementation and management of PSEA actions with UNICEF.
• Familiarity with the latest developments in PSEA from IASC and UNICEF’s policies and guidance; Including the intersection with Child Safeguarding and AAP.
• Strong understanding of UNICEF’s GBV programming approaches, and applications i.e. on Adolescent Girls, IASC GBV guidelines, as well as violence against girl, boys and women programming.
• Prior hands-on experience in middle and or high-income contexts is required.
• Experience working in an upstream GBV/PSEA development context is required.
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and deliver under pressure is a requisite.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a diverse organization tailoring language, tone, style, and format to match audience.
• Ability and willingness to travel to emergencies countries if necessary.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Excellent facilitation, training, networking and advocacy skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the organization.
• Proficiency in English, written and verbal, is required. Working knowledge of another official UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) and/or regional language as needed to perform the role 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…

Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
Works Collaboratively with others (1)
Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. 

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.