UNICEF, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, works together with partners in 190 countries and territories to promote and advocate for the protection of the rights of every child.

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, safety

How can you make a difference? 

Emergency Preparedness

1.  Provides professional assistance in risk analysis to identify emergency-prone conditions/situations and contribute to early warning and timely emergency preparedness.

2. Assists in the formulation of plans of action in preparation and response to emergencies. Gathers information on best practices in emergency situations for the preparation of contingency plans. Monitors compliance of all sectors with emergency plans of action.

3. Identifies formal and informal sources of information. Collects, interprets and analyses all available data on the evolving emergency situation and its implications to the emergency operation. Keeps the effective flow of information and communication crucial for the planning and implementation of emergency measures. Identifies availability of resources in emergency prone areas

4.  Assists in organizing and conducting staff training for the office’s capacity building in emergencies preparedness and response.  Provides briefing, as required. Participates in other emergency training workshops in the region, and contributes to enhancement of the emergency preparedness and response capability of the office staff.

Emergency Response

5.  In the event of an emergency, promptly assists in implementing the initial operational tasks relating to emergency assistance. Immediately collects reliable information to verify the nature and extend of the emergency with staff, government officials, other UN agencies or local organizations and media.  Follows up to ensure that the office is provided with effective telecommunications facility and staff security assistance in an emergency, as necessary. Contacts with all UNICEF staff and their dependants and visitors to ensure their safety and whereabouts, and promptly informs head of office, supervisor and other emergency staff of their status as required.

6.  Assists supervisor with assessment of local emergency and security situation.  Visits the location to conduct an initial rough assessment of the magnitude of the crisis and its implications for children, mothers and the community. Assists with the assessment of the validity of the emergency preparedness plan and ability of the office vis-à-vis the current crisis as well as immediate and additional needs. Provides input in and contributes toward determining priorities and an appropriate intervention by UNICEF. Coordinates with other partners to make a rapid assessment covering priority areas as defined by the Core Commitment for Children in Emergencies.  Establishes contact with community groups, government, UN agencies, media and other partners to keep the country office of emergency situations.  

7. Participates in Implementing the emergency preparedness and response plan as necessary.  Assists in identifying urgent staffing requirements and redeploying country office staff. Follows up with the timely delivery of assistance and procurement of supplies, and monitors the appropriate and effective use of UNICEF resources. Identifies problems and constraints in project delivery.  Sends daily situation reports to concerned parties.

Emergency Project

8.  Participates in the implementation of plans of action and workplans for emergency project. Undertakes field visits to emergency project areas, to assess local conditions and monitor project progress. Carries out project administration. Prepares inputs for appeals and updates related to emergencies. Coordinates with program sections staff and others to mobilize donor response and recovery/rehabilitation-related funding, including humanitarian appeals and documents (e.g., pitch documents). Communicates and advocates on the situation and needs of children through local and international media, as appropriate.

9. Collects and analyses lessons learnt from UNICEF's emergency operations experience and contributes towards adoption of the best practices and standards for longer-term emergency interventions. Assists in identifying longer-term requirements of the emergency intervention/operations.

10. Works with other colleagues to make sure that disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response strategies are mainstreamed in the country office's workplans. Assists in the preparation of sectoral input for the country programme documents, plan of action, annual work plans, and other related documents of the office’s Emergency Preparedness and Response. Provides technical input in the preparation of the Situation Analysis and the Country Programme document, as required. 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Emergency Officer

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: University degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, public administration, law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines.
• Work Experience: Two years of relevant professional work experience at the national and/or international levels in programe/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation or administration. Developing country work experience (for IP) or field work experience (for NO). Training/experience in emergency response management highly desirable. 
• 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:

a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required (for the job)

(Technical knowledge requirements specific to the job can be added here as required.) 

• UNICEF policies and strategy to address on national and international emergency issues, particularly relating to conflicts, natural disasters, and recovery.

• Knowledge of global humanitarian issues, specifically relating to children and women, and the current UNCEF position and approaches.

• Knowledge of the principle of gender parity and equality.

b) Common Technical Knowledge Required (for the job group

• The UNICEF mission statement; UNICEF Board policy papers and decisions.

• The Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies.

• The Convention on the Rights of the Child; Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women.

• EMOPS Technical Notes, EMOPS Emergency Field Book.

• UNICEF Program Manuals, policy guidelines, ExDirs, PROs; Country Programme documentation.

• UNICEF personnel, financial, supply and administrative rules, regulations and manuals.  

• National development plans and policies; Guidelines and manuals from NGO/donor partners

• Annual work plan.   

• UNDAF; The UN Humanitarian Reform; IASC documents, guidelines and materials on UN Humanitarian Reform and the cluster approach.

• Information & Communications Technology literacy, including skills and knowledge of office system applications, LAN, internet navigation, telecommunications, and data analysis.

• Gender equality and diversity awareness

c) Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced (for the Job) 

• Knowledge of local conditions and country legislation relevant to UNICEF programmes.

• UN security operations and guidelines.

• UN policies and strategy to address international humanitarian/emergency issues and response.  

• UN common approaches to programmatic issues and UNICEF positions in international developing cooperation.

• Knowledge of the latest developments and trends in emergency preparedness and response management related fields.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about children’s rights and making a lasting difference on children’s lives, one of the global leading entities on children’s rights would like to hear from you.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. 

UNICEF is also proud of a diverse workforce who are profoundly committed to supporting the full realization of children’s rights, and in uplifting a rights-based approach in all that we do.

The 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 

[add the 8^th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. 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 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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

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.