Programme Associate (GS-6), Programm Group – WASH, New York HQ (Temporary Appointment 364days) # 00127799

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

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.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. UNICEF WASH is steered by this commitment and focuses its efforts on increasing sustainable access to safe drinking water, eliminating open defecation, improving access to adequate sanitation and promoting hand washing and good hygienic practices, including in schools and healthcare facilities and with particular attention to girls and to children with disabilities. Leveraging its presence before, during and after emergencies, UNICEF WASH provides support to increase access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene among children and families in humanitarian situation. With presence across 190 countries and territories, along with UNICEF colleagues, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

For every child, an opportunity……

The Programme Associate reports directly to the Director, WASH and is responsible for supporting the oversight and daily operational activities of the office of the Director. This involves management of information and coordination of matters within a substantive team. The post is a key interface with a broad range of contacts including high-ranking officials, both within and outside the Organization. The post prioritizes tasks and organizes work independently based on general direction and guidance from the Director and relevant programme focal points.

How can you make a difference?

Support to office priority setting and decision making

• Assist in managing the flow of information to the Director, WASH Programme Team (WASH PT), in identifying matters that need urgent attention from the Director and in proposing actions; contribute to ensuring that appropriate action is flagged to the responsible Team Led on subjects brought to the attention of the Director.
• Support the smooth running of the daily operations of the Director in close collaboration with the Team Leads.
• Support Director’s Office engagement activities, including planning and coordination and execution of internal and external major meetings and events. Support the preparation of agendas, presentations, briefing notes, and any other material required by the Director.
• Confer with Team Leaders to secure timely and authoritative information relevant to matters requiring action, decisions, or approval of the Director.
• Ensure that the Director is prepared for meetings and missions by coordinating talking points with Team Leads and other Team members and researching relevant background information; and by establishing contacts (within and outside UNICEF) on the subject matters to be discussed.
• Ensure that high-level visitors are appropriately addressed, that they receive background information as necessary, and that protocol is respected.
• Develop and maintain a monitoring system to store, retrieve and track critical correspondence, decisions, memoranda, and other documents of the office.

Support to office planning and operations

• Focal point for the coordination and follow-up of WASH Team meetings, including developing / sharing to the Team agendas, meeting invitations, drafting the minutes, and following-up on action points.
• Follow-up on major issues requiring Director’s action, including correspondence with Offices of the ED/DED/Directors, and coordinating with staff members and other offices as required. Draft correspondence on a variety of matters on behalf of the Director.
• Act as the Director’s Office focal point to support the rollout of the Director’s Office components of the Teams digital workplace.
• Assist with drafting and/or organize materials and related documentations for office strategies to ensure optimum impact, scale, and sustainability of achievements/results.
• Assess and/or recommend appropriate information and materials for office initiatives verifying accuracy and quality for dissemination.
• Support Front Office planning, including strategic reviews, travel plans and coordination, budget and administrative support requirements, calendar and meeting management, as well as working with other programme assistants on other administrative or financial system support tasks that might be required.

Support to events, meetings, and conferences

• Effectively plan, coordinate, and implement all logistical, budget, and administrative arrangements for capacity development and advocacy meetings and conferences being organized by the WASH team including room booking and set-up details, Teams invitations and reminders, caterer details etc.
• Prepare, distribute, and maintain office event calendars ensuring key organisational and partner events, priorities and deadlines are reflected and updated as required.
• Contribute to preparations of logistics for events involving senior management participation. By participating in such meetings, follow up on the implementation of recommendations and actions by the relevant offices.
• Coordinate and produce tools, background documents, materials, and technical requirements for the meetings.
• Support effective working relations with other divisions and agencies and implementing partners through information exchange and collaboration.

Support to social media engagement, advocacy, and communications

• Act as focal point for Team social media engagement through WASH social media platforms (ie: UNICEFWater channels on X, Instagram, & Facebook) and advocacy initiatives.
• Develop and/or adopt social media plan with relevant content and collaborate with counterparts within & outside the programme and organisation to capture programme goals and office wide priorities and for added visibility.
• Fact check data, including internal and external policies for posting and utilize applications and research new products for improved engagement processes on WASH social media platforms (ie: UNICEFWater channels on X, Instagram, & Facebook)
• Contribute to the creation of advocacy strategy, including identifying priorities with the Director and Team Leads and development and execution of corresponding activity plan.

To qualify as a champion for every child, the candidate must have…

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the work of the organization.
  * For this position, a bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a relevant field may replace three years of related work experience.
  * A master’s degree may replace additional two years

• A minimum of six years of administrative or clerical work experience is required.
• General Service Staff are recruited locally therefore candidates MUST be US permanent resident/citizen.
• Prior experience in programme support functions is an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to effectively manage the section’s material resources and monitor its budget.
• Experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint.
• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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 including 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 benefits to our staff, 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 promoting 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. 

Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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 only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/”

For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page.  If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online Salary Estimate Calculator

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.