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...innovate

UNICEF recognizes that innovation is a key feature of its current and future strategy to solve the complex challenges (i.e. conflict and displacement, urbanization, disease outbreak, disasters, and climate change, among others) faced by millions of children and adolescents across the globe. What is needed now to deliver on these challenges for children, is a platform capable of fostering a truly experimental, enabling culture to co-create innovative financing approaches not just from the top down, but also the grassroots - and to bring them to scale, via a sustainable, transparent process, while accessing the untapped global financial solutions.

The Innovative Finance Hub in Finland will contribute to reimagine how UNICEF operates, accelerates and streamlines finding new sources of funding and financing to fill the SDG gap - to protect gains made, rebuild from losses from COVID-19 and radically accelerate progress towards the SDGs for children. Chief IF Hub Finland will be at the forefront of building an IF Hub platform that, in coordination with other IF initiatives and streams, will:
- Unlock the $40 trillion ESG market to meet funding and financing gaps for children
- Better integrate children’s needs into business investment decisions
- Catalyze a global pipeline of investable high-impact child-aligned projects
- Convene industry experts to incubate and build game-changing new social goods constructs

How can you make a difference?? 

Based in Helsinki, the incumbent will:

1) Contribute to unlock capital markets to fill the SDG gap and create thought leadership around innovative financing in support of children

2) Contribute to the adoption, awareness raising, and KPI creation for impact measurement of the IF Hub’s Child-lens Investing Framework (CLIF), a global field-building investing initiative to integrate children in investment decision-making strategies

The incumbent reports to Chief of IF Hub in Helsinki and will work closely with other divisions including the Innovative Finance team in Geneva, OED, PPD, PFP, PG, DFAM, Legal and SD, and external actors.

Your key responsibilities are:

- Advocacy/Investor Relations/Partnership Management

- Engaging with investment eco-system actors in Finland and worldwide to create opportunities and partnerships around CLIF and its adoption across the private and public equity markets, with the goal of contributing to the alignment of capital to close the SDG financing gap and create positive outcomes for children.

- On the public equity side, work alongside the team on engagement and brokerage of partnerships with networks, standards or data providers to elevate CLIF adoption and recognition to a higher agenda.

- Financial instrument and impact measurement development

- Working closely with the IF Hub’s technical experts on the creation and validation of usable tools and instruments across the private and public equity markets.

- Oversee the development of additional child-related KPIs and metrics for all types of investors, in partnership with industry standards and leaders, as well as UNICEF’s programmatic divisions.

- Knowledge Management

- Contributing to knowledge building within the organization including Country Offices and UNICEF Network of National Committees to promote effective interaction and partnerships in coordination with the Hub’s Finance Manager and the Innovative Finance team in Geneva.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Classified Job Descriptions - Programme Manager (IF).pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: An advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in one of the following fields is required: Innovation-related field, International Relations, Business Administration, Economics or another relevant technical field. 

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional work experience, with primary experience in sustainable finance.
• Strategic and analytical thinking, excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills required. 
• Ability to conceptualize, plan and execute ideas and projects required. 
• Strong capacity to work effectively in inter-divisional teams. 
• Familiarity with existing standards/frameworks adopted by financial institutions (i.e. ESG criteria). 
• In-depth understanding and relevant experience of direct impact investing, venture capital or private equity is essential. 
• Deal structuring and due diligence process experience is strongly preferred. 
• Familiarity with the Nordic sustainable finance ecosystem will be considered a strong asset. 
• Experience in metrics development and monitoring will be considered a strong asset. 
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is desired.

Language Requirements: Written and verbal fluency in English. Written and verbal fluency in Finnish will be considered an asset. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) 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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (1)

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1)

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact (1)

(4) Innovates and embraces change (1)

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

(6) Thinks and acts strategically (1)

(7) Works collaboratively with others (1)

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.

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

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.

In case of any questions, please contact us at swe-ooi-recruitments@unicef.org