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, … a champion

The Human Rights Unit is located within UNICEF’s Programme Group with staff situated in both New York HQ and Geneva HQ.

The Human Rights Unit supports UNICEF’s work to elevate child rights, and to reaffirm the independent status of every child as full rights-holders, including through steering the development and advancement of organizational strategic frameworks to strengthen the organisation’s child rights agenda.

The post of Global Lead – Human Rights provides strategic leadership for all aspects of the Unit’s work, operates with minimal supervision in the overall framework of organizational guidelines, supervises and leads the staff of the Unit, and works in close collaboration with senior staff across UNICEF HQ, ROs and COs, as well as representatives of other UN agencies, member States, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors, child rights experts and CSOs amongst others.

How can you make a difference?

Strategic Leadership and Program Management:

The role involves providing strategic vision, leadership and coordination for UNICEF's reinvigorated child rights agenda. This includes a focus on child rights  monitoring, advocacy, and in the planning, development and implementation of human rights programmes and initiatives. It require the fostering of partnerships with key stakeholders including member states, civil society organisations, independent child rights institutions, and others to amplify child rights advocacy and influence policy reforms. The Global Lead – Human Rights will manage the Human Rights Unit’s strategic objectives, ensuring excellence in technical leadership, influencing and contributing to broader organizational strategies, and grounding efforts of support at all levels of the organization.

Technical Expertise, Capacity Building, and Advocacy:

This position serves as the principal advisor on human rights issues, guiding and providing support to senior management. The role involves championing relevant research, providing technical support at HQ, RO and CO levels, and overseeing human rights work globally. Additionally, it includes developing capacity-building initiatives, advocating for children's rights, and forming strategic partnerships. Resource mobilization is also crucial, involving the planning and execution of fundraising efforts, donor engagement, and ensuring effective use of resources. Finally, the role includes enhancing knowledge management by fostering global networks and promoting impactful knowledge-sharing on human rights.

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

Strategic Leadership:

• Provide vision and strategic leadership and direction for UNICEF’s efforts on child rights including child rights monitoring, advocacy, accountability, and in the planning, development, and implementation of human rights programs and initiatives.
• Develop and implement innovative strategies to address complex human rights challenges and promote sustainable solutions.
• Lead on establishing and nurturing partnerships with key stakeholders including governments, civil society organizations, academia, independent child rights institutions and international bodies to amplify child rights advocacy efforts and influence policy reforms.
• Lead and manage the strategic objectives of the UNICEF Programme Group Human Rights Unit, ensuring excellence in technical leadership, approach, and partnership, and influencing and contributing to broader organizational strategies.

Program Development and Management:

• Champion UNICEF’s human rights and child rights-based approaches, including a focus on all children, including the most discriminated-against and marginalized - ensuring their inclusion in international agendas.
• Support alignment of programs and initiatives with organizational goals, international human rights legal frameworks and standards.
• Lead the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of complex human rights programs and projects.
• Identify emerging human rights issues and develop innovative strategies to address them effectively.
• Lead the planning, development, and execution of high-impact human rights programs and initiatives, ensuring rigorous monitoring and evaluation of outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement in programmatic effectiveness through strategic analysis, adaptive management, and learning.

Technical Expertise:

• Serve as the organization's principal advisor on human rights issues, providing expert guidance and support to senior management and other stakeholders.
• Conduct thorough analysis and research on human rights trends, policies, and practices.
• Lead efforts to influence policy change and legislative reforms to strengthen human rights protections and promote accountability.
• Provide global oversight for UNICEF’s human rights work, monitoring developments and providing strategic and technical guidance.
• Develop evidence-based materials to inform normative, policy-level, and programmatic developments in child rights.
• Offer technical support to UNICEF Regional and Country Offices, conduct field visits to strengthen implementation capacity, and collaborate with DHR to build organizational human rights capacity.

Capacity Building:

• Lead the development of compelling and continuous capacity-building initiatives  to enhance the capacity of staff, partners, and stakeholders in human rights frameworks, principles, standards and methodologies.
• Foster the development of a culture of human rights awareness, understanding and alignment within the organization.
• Foster the development of capacity-building initiatives within the organization taking into account cultural and other-diversity considerations.
• Lead the development of UNICEF programme strategies that build capacity for children and others on child rights.

Partnerships and Advocacy:

• Identify, build and maintain effective high-level relationships and partnerships with UN entities, member States, civil society organizations, academia, donors and international bodies, amongst others, to promote human rights objectives and  initiatives.
• Advocate for greater attention to children’s rights in international agendas, including in intergovernmental fora, multilateral processes, and inter-agency fora and networks.
• Advocate for legislative change and policy reform to strengthen human rights protections and frameworks for children.
• Identify strategic alliances in the development of programme goals and policy development for advancing children’s rights globally.

Resource Mobilization:

• Strategically plan and execute resource mobilization efforts in collaboration with relevant UNICEF business units.
• Engage donors in shared strategic visions, oversee and lead the development of funding proposals, and manage, as relevant, donor relations, and donor reporting and compliance.
• Ensure effective and transparent utilization of resource in compliance with organizational policies and donor requirements.
• Lead budget planning and review processes, advocating within UNICEF senior management for resources dedicated to UNICEF’s human rights agenda.

Knowledge Management:

• Strengthen partnerships with civil society, academia, UN entities, independent child rights institutions, and other child rights experts to foster global knowledge networks and products on children’s human rights.
• Develop strategies for impactful knowledge-sharing, and promote knowledge sharing and learning on emerging human rights issues, innovations, and best practices within the organization and externally.

The following minimum requirements:
An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Human Right, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in human rights at the field, national and international levels is required.

Desirables/Assets:

• Experience working in both developing and humanitarian contexts is considered a strong asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge of human rights-based and child rights-based approaches to programming a strong asset.
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills, with experience in leading and influencing multidisciplinary teams and managing complex programmes, issues and projects is a strong asset.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to think strategically, with a deep understanding of international human rights standards and frameworks is a strong asset.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills, with an ability to engage with stakeholders at all levels and nurture partnerships is a strong asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered 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…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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 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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children.

All selected candidates will 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.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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.