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, health

Since 2011 the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has undergone a dramatic transformation. What was once a middle-income region, where UNICEF was implementing mostly upstream work, has now become the region with the greatest concentration of humanitarian needs in the world with emergencies and many countries that are facing protracted conflicts as well as civil unrest and/or political transition. The role of MENA regional office (MENARO) is to support all countries in the region in a more deliberate, consistent, and value-added way, explicitly allocating the vast majority of programme and cross-cutting staff time and resources to country office technical assistance and quality assurance. The countries in the region are facing an increasing number of acute and protracted crises, conflicts and natural disasters, including those exacerbated by the climate emergency, along with disease outbreaks.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Regional Health Advisor, you will will initiate and provide policy and programme planning support in health emergency preparedness, response, resilience, systems strengthening, and risk informed programming, including where relevant for public health emergencies, for countries in the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENAR). You will be responsible for the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the emergency interventions to ensure the survival and well-being of children and mothers and affected communities in emergency, including public health emergencies. You will also provide coordination and support for policy and programme planning and management in UNICEF-supported emergency programme.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Technical lead on RO health emergency preparedness and response activities and CO technical support
2. Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
3. Knowledge management
4. Other related duties

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: MENARO FT P4 Health Specialist (from Empidemiologist to Emergencies).docx

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Public Health or related field. In addition to the advanced degree, a bachelor’s in a health discipline (Medical Doctor, Nursing or other relevant health discipline) preferred.

Work Experience:

• A minimum 8 years of progressively responsible experience in public health, with field experience in responding to health in emergencies. This includes coordination and partnerships, risk assessments, planning, programming, implementation monitoring and evaluation of health emergency programmes.
• Experience with infectious disease control response highly preferred.
• Experience with UNICEF and/or other UN agencies, and/or INGOs in emergency settings essential.
• Work experience in a district/field/subnational health system is a strong advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages (Chinese, Russian, Spanish) especially Arabic and/or French, 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…

(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 is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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 females 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.

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.