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 answers 

UNICEF Innocenti tackles the questions of greatest importance for children, both current and emerging. It equips thought leaders and decision-makers with the evidence they need to build a better, safer world for children. The office undertakes research using primary and secondary data representing the voices of children and families. It uses foresight to set the agenda for children, including horizon scanning, trends analysis and scenario development. The office produces a diverse and dynamic library of high-level reports and policy papers and provides a platform for debate and advocacy.
UNICEF Innocenti’s Gender, Rights, and Protection team leads research to inform and accelerate the elimination of harmful practices. Through the STAR (Strategic Technical Assistance for Research) Initiative to End Harmful Practices, the team works to strengthen the generation, synthesis, and use of robust evidence to support UNICEF and UNFPA efforts under the Global Programme to End Child Marriage and the Joint Programme to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

How can you make a difference? 

We welcome applications from candidates with one or more of the following profiles:
• Mixed Methods and Implementation Research – Cash Transfers and Social Protection - Experience with quantitative and/or qualitative evaluations of cash transfer and social protection interventions in low- and middle-income countries.
• Mixed Methods Research – Adolescent Girls, Gender, Health, Harmful Practices (Child Marriage and FGM) - Experience in evaluating health and development programmes targeting adolescent girls, with a strong focus on gender and conducting systematic and scoping reviews of mixed methods research.
• Mixed Methods Research – Technical Research Support on Harmful Practices (Child Marriage and FGM): Experience supporting country and regional-level research on harmful practices, including methodological design, data analysis, and interpretation.
• Research Facilitation, Synthesis, Communication and Uptake: Skills in facilitating research workshops, engaging with stakeholders, and developing knowledge translation tools to strengthen research use in policy and programming.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference and Annex here:  Roster Harmful Practices 040925 EXT.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child please review the Annex here:  Annex 1 Skillset.pdf

with detailed information for applicants about the skillsets requested by the unit, including a description of the type of work and specific competencies required.

Please note that any application missing any of the minimum requirements indicated in the Annex will not be considered.

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:

(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. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process to persons with disabilities. 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 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.

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:  

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.

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. 

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.