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

Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and is the second most populous country on the continent with an estimated population of 115 million. It borders six African countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and covers 1,104,300 square kilometers. Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its people.

Over the past couple of years, children and their families across Ethiopia faced multiple and complex emergencies, such as the conflict in the northern Ethiopia and the drought, which resulted in millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:   

Join our team to improve measles vaccination coverage, minimize missed opportunities, and enhance program efficiency, the Ministry of Health (MoH), with support from GAVI and Alliance partners, is transitioning from the 10-dose measles vial to the 5-dose measles vial (M5D). This switch is a complex, system-wide process requiring strong coordination across national, subnational, and service delivery levels. It demands robust technical guidance, continuous monitoring, and proactive risk mitigation—particularly in areas such as wastage management, adherence to the open vial policy, reducing missed opportunities, correct use of vaccines and diluents, and surveillance of adverse events following immunization (AEFI)

Scope of Work

A. Strategic Planning and Coordination

• Provide technical support to national and subnational planning and coordination of the M5D switch through Technical Working Groups, and regional taskforces.
• Facilitate detailed microplanning at regional, woreda, and health facility levels,
• Ensure full alignment of the M5D switch with broader routine immunization strategies and the accelerated catch-up plan.

B. Training and Capacity Building

• Support cascade trainings at zonal, woreda, and Primary Health Care Unit (PHCU) levels on M5D eligibility, delivery model, scheduling, and documentation.
• Provide on-the-job technical assistance to ensure consistent understanding of vaccine handling, open vial policy, and missed opportunity reduction.

C. Service Delivery Support

• Promote daily measles vaccination at all eligible public, private, and NGO-run health facilities.
• Strengthen integration of measles vaccination with other child health services and nutrition
• Support implementation of catch-up strategies such as Periodic Intensification of Routine Immunization (PIRI), outreach, and mobile sessions, particularly in underserved areas.

D. Cold Chain and Logistics Management

• Oversee cold chain readiness to ensure adequate storage capacity for M5D vials.
• Monitor vaccine and supply bundling distribution, mechanisms and stock management.
• Ensure systematic tracking of vaccine wastage, redistribution of unused vaccines, and compliance with safe waste management and disposal protocols.

E.  Monitoring and Evaluation

• Support integration of M5D indicators into DHIS2, including revised wastage tracking and coverage monitoring tools.
• Facilitate weekly and monthly performance reviews, supportive supervision, and use of rapid community surveys.
• Document lessons and contribute to national and subnational post-switch review meetings.

F.  Demand Generation and Communication

• Strengthen interpersonal communication skills of health workers to reduce dropouts and missed opportunities.
• Support mobilization of community platforms, including Village Health Leaders (VHLs), Women Development Army (WDA), religious leaders, and dissemination of key messages local media to promote daily measles vaccination.

H. AEFI Surveillance and Safety

• Ensure health workers are trained and equipped with tools for timely AEFI detection, reporting, and facilitate proper investigation during the switch period.
• Monitor and mitigate risks related to vial mix-ups, diluent errors, and other safety concerns associated with the transition.

I. Reporting and Documentation

• Prepare comprehensive monthly progress reports highlighting coverage trends, wastage rates, training status, risks, and mitigation actions.
• Systematically document best practices, innovations, and operational challenges during the M5D switch.
• Contribute to donor updates, knowledge products, and the final M5D switch implementation report.

Work Assignments Overview	Deliverables/Outputs	Delivery  deadline
Support national & subnational coordination mechanisms TWGs, to facilitate roll out microplanning at regional, woreda, and health facility levels.	Submission of M5D switch readiness and progress report	28-Feb
Lead and support the development of job aids cascade trainings to ensure consistent understanding of the M5D service delivery model	Submission of report on the training status across the country	31-Mar
Strengthen daily measles vaccination and integration with other child health services,  including outreach and catch-up strategies to reach zero-dose children	Submission of detail report on the ZD, proportion of HF switched	30-Apr
Support cold chain readiness, vaccine storage and distribution,  stock management, wastage tracking, and safe disposal to ensure vaccine quality and accountability.	Submission of report on M5D stock status	31-May
Strengthen preparedness for AEFI detection, reporting, and response, and mitigate risks related to vial handling, diluent use, and vaccine safety during the switch.	Submission of performance report on switch status, challenge and mitigation strategies	30-Jun
Support integration of M5D indicators into DHIS2, facilitate routine performance reviews and supportive supervision, and document lessons learned throughout implementation	Submission of assessment report on the performance of switch integration of M5D, wastage rate	31-Jul
Prepare timely progress and technical reports and systematically document best practices, innovations, and operational challenges to inform learning, scale-up, and accountability.	Submission of overall process and progress report on M5D switch including challenges, lessons and way forward	1 September 30 October

Note:

Applications submitted without a fee rate will not be considered.

 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Reproductive health, epidemiology,  health systems, Health related discipline. 
• Work Experience: At least five [5] years of relevant work experience in immunization and health systems.
• Skills: Strong quantitative skills. 
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is considered an asset.

Desirables:

• Work experience at the national, sub-national, and health facility levels
• Experience in coordinating immunization, new vaccine introduction, and SIA
• Experience in immunization services  and initiatives
• Ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
• Relevant experience at the 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

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 

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 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 female candidates and persons 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.

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.