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, … good health….!

UNICEF contributes to health emergencies preparedness and response through its unique role in addressing the specific needs of children and women. UNICEF simultaneously addresses both the causes of health emergencies, contributing to control efforts, and addressing its socioeconomic consequences. UNICEF plays a lead role for areas critical to outbreak prevention and control including infection prevention and control and water, sanitation and hygiene (IPC and WAS, risk communication and community engagement (RCC, immunization and supply and logistics as well as continuity of essential social services and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.  UNICEF’s contribution to continuity of essential services is part of its multisectoral response to the socioeconomic impact of public health emergencies including but not limited to the areas of nutrition, child protection, prevention, mitigation and response to GBV and other forms of violence against children, social protection, and education. UNICEF’s response in health emergencies is underpinned by health systems strengthening and resilience building approaches.

How can you make a difference?

Join our team as a Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Specialist (Infectious Disease Outbreak Respons! In this vital role, you’ll work under the guidance of the Senior Adviser for public health emergencies and in collaboration with the Associate Director. You’ll have the opportunity to travel to country offices to coordinate UNICEF’s efforts in responding to health emergencies, including officially declared public health crises. Your expertise will make a meaningful impact in supporting communities during critical times.

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

• The response and coordination efforts focus on deploying quickly to UNICEF country offices facing infectious disease outbreaks, ensuring an effective and wellcoordinated response. This includes providing specific support and technical expertise backed by targeted funding, mentoring field officers, and facilitating communication to address urgent needs. Additionally, a systematic tracking system will be implemented to monitor support requests from regional and country offices, ensuring timely responses within a 48hour benchmark.
• Preparedness and capacity strengthening initiatives aim to build longterm resilience against health emergencies. This includes mentoring staff, sharing lessons learned from deployments, and promoting innovative technologies for outbreak detection and response. Regular reporting and interagency reviews will help document experiences and refine future strategies. Collaboration with NGOs, governmental bodies, and international organizations will enhance outbreak response efforts, while technical guidance and protocol development will ensure best practices in disease prevention and management are effectively disseminated.

The following minimum requirements:

An advanced University degree in Public Health (MPH, MSc. DrPH, Ph, or another relevant field or other elated technical areas is required. A medical degree is an advantage.

Work Experience:

A minimum of eight years of professional work experience at national and/or international levels in emergency preparedness, infectious disease management and/or response, or a closely related field is required.

Desirables/Assets:

• Experience working in the UN or INGO sector in a humanitarian role an asset.
• Strong understanding of epidemiological principles and outbreak investigation techniques.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, government agencies, and community organizations.
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships with stakeholders, including healthcare providers, NGOs, and international health organizations.

Language Requirements:

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAunderpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates selfawareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• 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, socioeconomic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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 does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zerotolerance 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(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 (vaccinatiorequirements, including against SARSCoV2 (Covi. 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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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 trainin. 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.