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For every child, the right to Health

UNICEF Algeria, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Mastercard Foundation, is implementing a 2025-2028 Community Health Workforce Programme to strengthen equitable access to primary health care through a skilled and sustainable community health workforce. As part of a 13-country African initiative, the programme aims to improve health outcomes while creating employment opportunities for young people, particularly women. In Algeria, the programme focuses on expanding and professionalizing community health services, strengthening health information systems, integrating community data into national platforms, and enhancing services for vulnerable populations, including migrants, refugees, and communities in the Sahrawi refugee camps of Tindouf.

Key Figures

• 2025-2028 Programme duration
• 13 African countries
• 500,000 CHWs targeted across Africa
• 250,000 new young CHWs, 70% women
• 17,000 CHWs deployed in 2026 (80% women)
• 15,000 CHWs planned in 2027
• 200,000 people reached through integrated community services
• 2,500 CHWs supported through entrepreneurship initiatives

Strategic Priorities

• Community health workforce expansion and upskilling
• Community health data integration and digitalization
• Strengthening primary health care systems
• Community engagement and social behaviour change
• Support to humanitarian health services in Tindouf refugee camps

Under the supervision of the Chief, Health and Nutrition, the Health & Nutrition Specialist will work across three areas: 

(a) The UNICEF–Mastercard Foundation community health programme, with a focus on the community health workforce, health information systems and data use, and the partnership with the Foundation (about 50% of time). 

(b) Technical support to the health, nutrition and early childhood development response in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf (about 30%). 

(c) The other components of the Health and Nutrition programme, including school health, nutrition and immunization, UN inter-agency coordination on health, and the Health and Nutrition contribution to the Country Programme Document 2028–2032 (about 20%).  

The incumbent will also support public health emergency preparedness across the three areas of work and foster effective collaboration between development and humanitarian actors, including government counterparts, UN agencies, donors and civil society. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

1. Programme development and planning 

2. Technical support and programme implementation 

3. Health emergencies and resilience 

4. Monitoring, evidence and reporting 

5. Partnerships, coordination and resource mobilization 

6. Knowledge management and capacity strengthening 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  H&N Specialist Ps Temporary Assignement..pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree in Public Health, Child Development, Water Sanitation, Public Administration, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or other relevant disciplines.
• Work Experience: Minimum Five years of professional work experience at the national and international levels in planning, programming, implementation monitoring and evaluation of technical cooperation programmes related to Health and Nutrition. Professional work experience in a managerial position, or a technical expert position in child survival & development, health and nutrition care.
• Developing country work experience and background/familiarity with Emergency is required.
• Demonstrated experience in health-system strengthening, primary health care, maternal and child health, immunization and/or public health emergency preparedness and response is required.
• Experience in community health programmes and in health information systems (e.g. DHIS2, community health information systems, health workforce registries), including the use of data for decision-making, is required.
• Skills: To be considered for this position, you should have expertise in Adaptability, Ambiguity Management, Self Awareness, Emergency Preparedness, Health Systems Strengthening and Community Health Programmes.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and French is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language. Knowledge of Arabic and Spanish (for engagement with the Sahrawi authorities and partners in Tindouf) are strong assets.
• Experience in humanitarian or refugee settings is highly desirable.
• Experience providing technical assistance to government, coordinating multi-partner programmes, using evidence for decision-making, and preparing high-quality technical and donor reports is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical, facilitation, writing, negotiation and partnership-management skills; ability to work effectively in multicultural teams and under time pressure; and proficiency in standard office and data-presentation tools, including basic data analysis and visualization are considered as assets.
• Command of UNICEF’s evidence-based planning and bottleneck analysis approach, and the capacity to train others in it, is an asset.
• Familiarity with UNICEF or another UN organization is an asset.
• 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

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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct.UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these checks.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 male 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.