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Chief Field Office, (NO-3), Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, #132729, [Temp Appointment: 364 days]

Apply now Job no: 584239
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Duty Station: Monterrey
Level: NO-3
Location: Mexico
Categories: Programme Management

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 opportunity

The Northeast region of Mexico anchored by Monterrey (Nuevo León) concentrates some of Mexico’s fastest-growing urban and industrial corridors, with deep supply-chain links to the U.S. market. Monterrey’s metro area faces persistent development challenges despite high GDP per capita: water scarcity and recurrent droughts, worsening air quality, rapid urbanization outpacing basic services in peri-urban settlements, and inequalities that affect children’s access to quality education, health, WASH, early childhood services, and safe public spaces. In Coahuila, medium-size industrial cities (Saltillo–Ramos Arizpe, Piedras Negras, Ciudad Acuña). The sub-region is highly exposed to climate risks (heatwaves, drought, flash floods) and industrial hazards, calling for risk-informed social services, resilient schools and health facilities, and stronger municipal DRR/CCA systems. The private-sector footprint creates significant potential for alliances in safe schools, digital learning, green skills, and child-friendly corporate practices. 

Concurrently, border dynamics in Tamaulipas (Matamoros, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo) and northern Coahuila (Piedras Negras, Ciudad Acuña) produce sustained humanitarian pressures tied to mixed migration and returns from the United States. Children on the move face heightened protection risks, including family separation, violence, trafficking, extortion, and psychosocial distress, alongside barriers to documentation, regularization, learning continuity, primary health care, routine immunization, and safe WASH in shelters and informal sites. Local systems and civil society partners operate under chronic strain to provide child-sensitive case management, GBV/ship-to-shore referral pathways, alternative care, and inclusive education options. Insecurity and organized-crime dynamics in Tamaulipas complicate humanitarian access and service delivery.  

The Chief of Field Office will lead UNICEF’s integrated work coordinating with state and municipal authorities, UN and NGO partners, and the private sector—to (i) strengthen essential services for migrant and host-community children, (ii) scale risk-informed, climate-resilient education, health and WASH, (iii) reinforce child protection systems and social protection linkages, and (iv) leverage corporate alliances and public finance for sustainable, child-centred outcomes across Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and Coahuila. 

For more information related to the work of our organization in Mexico, please visit our website: UNICEF Mexico, the video of our amazing results in 2023: A good six-year term for children: Un buen sexenio para la niñez or read our Annual Report 2023: Informe Anual 2023 UNICEF México. 

How can you make a difference? 

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Field Operations (P-4), the Chief Field Office (NO-3) is accountable for managing and leading the total programme commitment of a field office within a country programme. The Chief Field Office (NO-3) represents UNICEF in the State of Nuevo Leon, leads and oversees the various program sectors and operational service teams ensuring the delivery of quality results in accordance with UNICEF’s programme of cooperation, country programme management plan and overall vision set forward by the Representative.

Within the delegated authority and the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be responsible for all or most of the following areas of major duties and key end results.

  1. Effective management of UNICEF presence, staff, and assets
  2. Knowledge Management for Programmes
  3. Programme Development and Management
  4. Optimum Use of Programme Funds
  5. Programme Monitoring and Evaluations
  6. Rights-Based and Results-Based Programme Management Approach
  7. National and Local Capacity Building/Sustainability
  8. Rights Perspective and Advocacy at the National, Community and Family Levels
  9. Partnership, Coordination and Collaboration

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:Download File ToRs Chief Field Office (Monterrey) - TA.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

  • Education: An advanced university degree (master's degree), preferably, in one of the following fields: social sciences, international relations, public administration, government, and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development, or another relevant technical field.
  • Work Experience: 
    • A minimum of five (5) years of professional work experience in programme management, planning, monitoring and evaluation, preferably with children-rights related programme. 
      • Two years of additional relevant work experience that was gained after obtaining a bachelor’s degree may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree (master's degree).   
    • Experience working with or within the northern region of Mexico.
  • Language Requirements: 
    • Fluency in Spanish.
    • Proficient level of English.

Desirables:

  • Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered.
  • Familiarity/ background with emergencies.
  • Fluency in English.

Important: For NO category positions, only candidates who are nationals of the country will be considered.

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 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

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 candidates from underrepresented groups 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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member’s original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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.

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category. As this is a national officer position, we are looking for candidates with Mexican nationality. 

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.

Advertised: Central Standard Time (Mexico)
Deadline: Central Standard Time (Mexico)

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