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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, vaccination 

The universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere.  ,

The Global Polio Eradication Program is at the forefront of UNICEF equity agenda and envisages a world where no child, regardless of where they live is at risk from the crippling effects of the polio virus.  Despite considerable gains the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission continues in the epidemiological block of Afghanistan and Pakistan and is increasing.  While important gains were made over the period 2019 to 2022, the trajectory of polio transmission in both Pakistan and Afghanistan has recently reversed putting at risks the GPEI goal of declaring the world eradicated from wild polio virus by 2027.  

Given the complex geopolitical and epidemiological context of these remaining endemic areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the urgency to stop polio transmission, UNICEF has determined that it needs to place its regional oversight and support for the two polio programs closer to our teams in the endemic countries.  The Regional Advisor for Polio position will be outposted to Islamabad starting in 2025.  This will facilitate greater insights to the program challenges and context, allow better alignment of support to the GPEI programme and partners in the two countries, and more rapid engagement and support to our two UNICEF country teams.

How can you make a difference? 

Reporting to the ROSA Regional Director, your key tasks will be to: 

• Support the planning, implementation and assessment of all UNICEF polio related activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and coordination support and alignment with other ROSA programmatic areas (SBC, Health and Immunization, Nutrition, Gender).
• Represent UNICEF in GPEI regional coordination and oversight bodies for strategic and general view across all areas (access, overall planning, and strategy).
• Provide inputs, with a regional perspective, to the Global Polio Eradication Team, for the GPEIs governance bodies (POB, Strategy Committee, different Programme Support Groups) and for Briefings to Global Management.  
• Support HR planning and talent management for Country Offices.
• Act as the main reporting related officer to UNICEF Global and Regional team on  progress of the Polio eradication in the Region(Country level Indicators, Communication outcomes, Impact on Immunization targets, etc) .
• Contribute to the development of the Post Certification Strategy and its roll out for the Region. This includes a plan for the use of polio assets and lessons learned from Polio eradication to improve RI coverages in Polio high-risk areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

These key tasks will specifically include:

- Regional leadership
- Technical Guidance and Support
- GPEI Budgetary Oversight
- Data-driven and results-based management
- Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
- Knowledge management

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:   Regional Advisor Polio, Fixed Term, P5, UNICEF ROSA, Islamabad, Pakistan - JD.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Public Health, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Public Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or other relevant disciplines.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of Ten (10) years progressively responsible work experience in planning, programming, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, public health, including vaccine management at national or international levels.  
• Experience in developing and establishing policies and strategies in immunization disease control.
• Experience of strategic partnerships in global health or other accelerated initiatives to combat vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Specific experience in providing technical leadership, management advice, and programme support and capacity building on vaccine-preventable disease initiatives is desirable.
• Experience of GPEI and polio eradication programmes is an asset.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency. 

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…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (3)
• Works Collaboratively with others (3)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (3)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (3)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (3)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (3)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (3)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and persons with disabilities 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.

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.