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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, the right to Health

How can you make a difference?

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. 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.

Child survival in Ukraine has deteriorated over the past 15 years. All mortality rates have risen during this period; while the largest increases occurred before the full-scale invasion, the upward trend has continued since. Under-five mortality has more than doubled from 5 deaths per 1,000 live births 15 years ago, to 12 deaths per 1,000 in the past five years. Over 80% (10 deaths per 1,000 live births) occur within the first year of life, and half within the first 28 days of life (neonatal mortality: 6 deaths per 1,000 live births). The sharpest differentials are associated with birth order and wealth quintile, indicating equity gaps rather than a uniform national problem.

Nutrition and early feeding cut in two directions at once. Stunting – a measure of chronic deprivation - varies widely by disadvantage, reaching 15% in the poorest wealth quintile, 12% where mothers have lower education, and 15% in the South. Overweight affects 13% of the poorest young children, and rises sharply from 6% among under-fives to 26% among children aged 5–9 — a quarter of that population. The older-child figure is heavily gendered, at 18% in girls against 32% in boys, and regionally concentrated in the Center (34%) and South (35%). Infant feeding practice underpins much of this pattern. Although 74% of newborns are put to the breast within the first hour, only 43% of infants aged 0–5 months are exclusively breastfed, roughly 15–20% receive no breastmilk at all in the first months, and 56% of children aged 6–23 months are given sweet beverages while 21% receive unhealthy foods. Maternal and newborn service coverage is high, but questions persist about quality and consistency.

In 2025, the National Immunization Programme (NIP) maintained coverage monitoring and recorded coverage improvements across key antigens compared to 2024. All five key antigens (HepB3, DTP3, Polio3, MMR1, and MMR2) were reported to reach coverage above 90%, and all increase compared to 2024. However, there remain 11,000 zero-dose children throughout the country, and immunization data management remains fragmented, resulting in low confidence in coverage figures and trends.

The child health picture is shaped in parallel by disability: 157,506 children held disability status as of 31 December 2025, 60% of them boys, with 15,454 newly registered during 2025 alone. Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa and Zakarpattia together host 43% of all children with disabilities. The burden of non-communicable and chronic disease, and the role of environmental exposures, remain insufficiently understood.

The war has had a heavy effect on the health system and on mental health. WHO has verified more than 3,000 attacks on health care as of 8 May 2026, with attacks rising nearly 20% in 2025. Hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed 1,389 times, at least 359 health workers have been killed and 379 injured, more than 90 attacks directly affected maternal health services, and over 120 disrupted services for children. An estimated 10 million Ukrainians, children included, need mental health support, and roughly a third of the child population shows clinically relevant anxiety, PTSD, depression, conduct or ADHD symptoms. Adolescent wellbeing has fallen steeply. Further, the workforce expected to respond is itself depleted — one in five healthcare workers shows signs of negative coping, rising to 23% among doctors; 72% of adults experienced anxiety, depression or severe stress in the past year, and only 20% sought help, falling to just 4% among health workers.

The above context reveals a system that must simultaneously recover from physical destruction, absorb a mental health caseload it is not staffed to meet, and correct long-standing structural weaknesses in data, infrastructure and equity.

In light of this analysis, UNICEF is refining its strategy and approach to improving health and nutrition outcomes for children in Ukraine. We maintain a programmatic focus on early childhood development;  early detection, intervention, and continuity of care for children with disabilities, developmental delays, and injuries; immunization coverage and equity; preparedness and response to health emergencies and the effect of the war on the health of children; and mental health and psychosocial support. We are further strengthening our approach to supporting health system strengthening and social sector resilience at both national and local levels.

Job organizational context: UNICEF Ukraine intends to fill the post of Health Officer in each of its four field offices: Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Lviv. The Health Officer is a member of a multi-sectoral team reporting to the Programme Specialist, under the overall leadership of the Chief of Field Office. The Health Officer will have a close working relationship and technical guidance from the Chief of Health and Health Specialists based in the country office in Kyiv.  

Purpose for the job: The Health Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the Health Programme within the Field Office, from development planning to delivery of results, by preparing, executing, managing, and implementing a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, and evaluating and reporting of results.

The Health Officer brings strong technical programmatic capacity and leadership to the Field Office. 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities: 

1. Support to programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
4. Networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD Batch Recruitment, Health Officer (NO-2), TA, (364 days), Ukraine, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, pediatric health, family health, health policy and/or management, health systems, socio-medical, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public health/nutrition planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, health system strengthening, early childhood development and/or intervention, or health emergency preparedness.
• Skills: Public Health, Programme Management, Health System, Health Care, Early Childhood Development, Nutrition Planning.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required.
  • 1.  

Desirables:

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or another international or national non-governmental organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience working in the region where the post is located is considered as an asset.
• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language.
• 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

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.

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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct.

UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.

Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these checks.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 are conditional on the selected candidates' willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

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 people with disability 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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. 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.

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.