Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, health

Since 1950, UNICEF has supported the most important transformation for children and adolescents in Brazil. UNICEF Brazil with its main office in Brasília and nine field offices UNICEF works in close partnership with national and sub-national government, corporate partners, youth, and civil society organizations.

For information of the work of our organization in Brazil, please visit our website: UNICEF Brazil.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Chief of Health and local guidance of the Chief Field Office Boa Vista, the Health and Nutrition Officer will be responsible for conducting and updating the situation assessment and analysis; providing technical assistance to achieve objectives of UNICEF assisted Health & Nutrition interventions liaising with municipal and state health authorities, service providers and partners; ensuring effective coordination of partners; and supporting programme implementation, including financial planning and monitoring, activities progress monitoring, as well as internal and donor reporting. The key functions and accountabilities are:

1. Contribute to the development/establishment of sectoral goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through analysis of needs and areas for intervention and submission of recommendations for priority and goal setting, aligned with the new Country Programme Document (CPD).

2. Provide technical support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and managing a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials/documentation, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support health planning, results-based planning (RBM), and monitoring and evaluating results. This includes:

a) Manage and monitor sectoral project activities, consistently with the defined project strategic priorities and approaches;

b) Provide technical oversight, guidance, and support to ensure consistent quality results;

c) Ensure objectives and targets are timely achieved, through the development, submission, and monitoring of partnership agreements;

d) Act in coordination with Operations and Procurement to ensure efficient utilization of resources and delivery of supplies and non-supply activities in compliance with UNICEF rules and procedures by properly coordinating and monitoring project implementations.

3. Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues, partners, and authorities for advocacy, technical coordination, information sharing, and knowledge networking to contribute to the achievement of overall country programme objectives and the development of communication materials and strategies to support advocacy and community participation for Health & Nutrition.

4. Keep track record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned and share information with relevant partners as required., including:

a) Provide technical support at various stages of planning, development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the programmes/projects;

b) Conduct, design, and develop orientation activities for government personnel, beneficiaries, and other relevant partners, for the purpose of capacity building such as contribute to primary care actions based on local reality according to the needs of indigenous and non-indigenous children, adolescents and pregnant women;

c) Strengthen through effective capacity building support in the development of the Health and Nutrition programme prevention activities that may interfere with the health-disease process of the sheltered and unsheltered population, and

d) Partner with other relevant programmatic areas and foster cross-sectoral linkages/joint programming whenever feasible (Child Protection, WASH, Education, Communication/SBC, etc.).

5. Undertake field visits, as well as exchange information with partners to assess progress and provide high-quality technical support, take appropriate action to solve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution.

6. Provide technical support to government counterparts, and other partners on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on health/nutrition and related.

7. Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build capacity of stakeholders. Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable results. Assist with oversight of research and ensure results are available for use in knowledge products.

8. Participate as a resource person in capacity-building initiatives to enhance the competencies of partners/stakeholders.

9. Any other activities, required by the Supervisor, within the framework of the UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC), Health/Nutrition in emergencies and/or within the framework of the Regular Programme.

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

Minimum requirements:

• A university degree in health, nutrition, nursing, psychology, or other health-related areas is required.
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in public health/nutrition planning and management and/or in relevant areas of maternal and neonatal health care, indigenous health, and health emergency/humanitarian preparedness, and/or in a developing country is required.Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.

Desirables:

• Specialization in public health, family health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, and/or other health-related areas is considered an asset.
• Additional years of experience are considered an asset.
• Knowledge of Spanish will be considered an asset.
• Relevant experience in programme development in human rights and particularly in health/nutrition-related areas in a UN system agency or non-governmental organization is considered an asset.
• Very good knowledge of the Brazilian Health Unique System (Sistema Unico de Saúde – SUS), including the Indigenous Health Secretary (SESAI).
• Ability to conduct research and analyze results, identify issues, formulate opinions, make conclusions and recommendations for strengthening health care systems.
• Ability to review and revise policies and objectives of assigned programs and activities.
• Excellent communication skills.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, 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…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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. 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 Afro-descendants, indigenous, LGBTQIA+ and other minorities 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.