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 Dedication

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria. 

The Pacific Multi-Country Office is the oldest and largest MCO in UNICEF. As such it is a model for the new MCOs being established.  All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. UNICEF’s programme focuses on advancing children’s rights and wellbeing through integrated efforts in health, nutrition, education, child protection, climate resilience, and social policy—addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing small island developing states, including vulnerability to climate change, geographic isolation, and service delivery constraints. 

Through the MCO approach, staff contribute to meaningful, system-level changes supporting governments and communities to strengthen essential services, improve equity for the most vulnerable children, and build resilience across generations. With nearly 40 per cent of the region’s population under 18, the impact of UNICEF’s work is both immediate and long-term, shaping healthier, safer, and more inclusive futures for children across the Pacific. 

Explore the different areas of our work here:   Work for UNICEF in the Pacific.mp4

Living in Suva, the vibrant capital of Fiji, offers a unique blend of professional opportunity and quality of life while still being in a development context. Set along a lush tropical coastline, Suva is a diverse and welcoming city known for its rich Pacific cultures, lively markets, and strong sense of community. Residents enjoy easy access to natural beauty—from rainforest hikes and exploring nearby islands—while benefiting from modern amenities, international schools, and a growing café and arts scene. The city’s role as a regional hub also means exposure to a dynamic mix of cultures and ideas from across the Pacific.

How can you make a difference?

The Risk and Compliance Specialist reports to the Deputy Representative Operations and is responsible for providing complementary support, and monitoring related to the management of risk, including but not limited to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of risk management practices at a process, systems, and entity level. You will ensure that will ensure the achievement of risk management objectives follows organizational rules and regulations, and acceptable ethical behavior; internal controls; information and technology security; sustainability; and quality assurance. Moreover, Incumbent will provide analysis and report on the adequacy and effectiveness of risk management and internal controls.

1. Risk Management Support: Strengthen the office's risk management framework by coordinating risk assessments, monitoring mitigation measures, leading assurance reviews, and embedding risk-informed decision-making across programmes, operations, and governance processes.

2. Compliance Support: Strengthen organizational compliance by promoting robust internal controls, reviewing systems and processes, supporting audits, monitoring delegated authorities, and ensuring adherence to UNICEF policies, procedures, and governance requirements.

3. Fraud Risk Management Support: Promote a culture of integrity by supporting fraud risk prevention, advising management on investigation outcomes, strengthening anti-fraud measures, and building fraud awareness among staff, partners, and suppliers.

4. Oversight and Advisory to Management: Provide strategic oversight and expert advice to management to strengthen governance, accountability, transparency, and risk-informed decision-making, while coordinating risk and compliance initiatives across internal and inter-agency forums.

5. Awareness and Capacity Building: Build organizational capacity by strengthening internal control awareness, promoting continuous learning, supporting policy implementation, and ensuring staff understand their responsibilities for ethics, compliance, fraud prevention, and safeguarding.

6. Regional Office Support: Contribute regional expertise by supporting risk and compliance reviews across country offices and fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement within regional and global risk and compliance networks.

The ability to support assessment, mitigation, monitoring, review and reporting on the most significant risks that could potentially harm the organization, is a critical element of UNICEF’s risk and internal control performance management framework. Risk management skills are necessary to safeguard UNICEF’s reputation, resources, continuity of operations and reputation to fulfill our primary mission to save and protect children globally.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD - Risk and Compliance Specialist Level 3.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher*) in Business Administration and Financial Management. Operations Management, Strategic Management, Risk Management, Audit, Investigation, Internal Control, Statistics. A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

• Work Experience: At least 5 (five) years of continuous professional work experience in Risk and Compliance or another directly relevant area, several of which in internal audit. Experience in financial management, particularly developing and implementing financial control systems, ERM, audits, internal control preferably with international organizations, NGOs and UN. Field experience and/or familiarity with emergencies.
• Skills: Emotional Intelligence, Managing complexity and change. Strategic Advisory Skills: Using innovative thinking to identify solutions for management by translating technical risk and compliance issues into practical business solutions. Stakeholder engagement and influencing: Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across programme, operations, and external partners. Training and capacity building: Ability to design and deliver training and strengthen organizational capacity in risk management, ethics, fraud prevention and compliance, particularly regarding HACT (Harmonized Approach on Cash Transfer). Proven experience in donor relationships, resource mobilisation and complex grant management is required.
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• Knowledge of fraud prevention and anti-fraud frameworks
• Knowledge of ethics and accountability frameworks.
• Strong data analysis and reporting skills, including the use of dashboards and risk analytics
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and/or Asia Pacific. 
• Background and/or familiarity with emergency or humanitarian contexts is considered as a strong asset. 
• Data Analysis or Accounting certifications are considered as assets
• NGO, UN experience
• 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.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 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 female candidates, eligible and suitable candidates (both male and female) who are age 35 years and under, candidates from the East Asia and Pacific region, and 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.

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.