This vacancy announcement is issued for a post that is established effective 1 January 2027. 

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.

How can you make a difference?

The Southern Region of Afghanistan remains the epicenter of wild poliovirus transmission and is classified as high-risk area for polio outbreaks in the country; this region is characterized by persistent environmental detections, ongoing population movement, and pockets of missed children—risking sustained transmission chains across Kandahar and Helmand provinces.

UNICEF’s field presence in the southern region provides the required programme leadership to foster integrated service delivery approaches linking polio, routine immunization, nutrition, and primary health services to build community trust and confidence to improve uptake of polio and routine vaccinations.

The Southern region is of strategic importance to national and global polio eradication goals, requiring sustained leadership, operational flexibility, and partner coordination to interrupt poliovirus transmission and safeguard progress toward the eradication endgame by 2029.

Purpose for the job:

Under the broad supervision of the Chief of Field Office and the Chief of Immunization/Polio Team Lead, the Senior Programme Manager  provides strategic leadership and overall managerial oversight for the Polio Programme in the Southern Region of Afghanistan. The role is responsible for driving policy dialogue and advocacy with local authorities, strengthening programme integration, representing UNICEF at the Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC), and ensuring close coordination with WHO counterparts and other humanitarian partners.

The position oversees the quality implementation of eradication strategies and innovations, including monitoring and evaluation, while ensuring effective planning, execution, and management of all phases of polio programme delivery. It also provides senior-level coordination and accountability for achieving programme results in alignment with organizational priorities, technical guidance from ACO and the broader polio eradication endgame strategy.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:  

1. Managerial Guidance, Policy Advice, and Coordination
2. Knowledge Management
3. Country Programme Development and Management
4. Rights-Based and Results-Based Programme Management Approach
5. Optimum Use of Programme Funds
6. Programme Monitoring and Evaluations
7. Facilitate National and Local Capacity Building of Frontline Workers
8. Rights Perspective and Advocacy at the National, Community, and Family Levels
9. Promote Networking through Partnership and Collaboration

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD_Senior Programme Specialist_P5

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Medicine, Public Health, Pediatric Health, Global/International Health, Health Policy and Management, Family Health, Socio-medical Sciences, Health Education, Epidemiology or other fields relevant to immunization.
• Work Experience: At least 10 years of relevant work experience at the national and international levels in development, planning, programming, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and managing of health/immunization programmes and public health emergencies within UN organizations. Professional work experience in a managerial position, or a technical expert position in child survival and health care.
• Skills: Strategic leadership, data-driven decision-making. strong monitoring systems, community engagement, partnership, collaboration and negotiation with internal and external counterparts.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language, especially Arabic and French.
• Experience in coordination of emergency response especially in disease eradication/elimination and complex humanitarian environment.
• Experience in large scale Social Behavior Change programmes and /or vaccine supply management.
• 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
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

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 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.

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

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.