Project Manager – People in Emergencies, P3, TA, Division of People and Culture, 364 days, Istanbul, Turkiye

Join UNICEF as a Project Manager – People in Emergencies in the Division of People and Culture, where you’ll play a vital role in advancing the rights of every child through strategic initiatives in humanitarian action. This position focuses on implementing the Humanitarian Review and HR in Emergency Retreat Initiatives, ensuring effective coordination and collaboration across teams to enhance organizational efficiency and engagement. As a key contributor to transformative change, you will support project planning, monitoring, and communication efforts, all while fostering partnerships within UNICEF and beyond. If you are passionate about driving impactful results for the most disadvantaged children and possess strong project management skills, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in children’s lives worldwide.

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, empowerment! 

The Division of People and Culture (DPC) acts as an enabler to the change strategies and ongoing transformation initiatives of UNICEF in line with the Global OneHR Strategy and Delivery Model to achieve results for children. Accordingly, DPC priorities are aligned to support UNICEF’s strategic plan, specifically to foster a ‘dynamic workforce and an organizational culture that is people-centered’, one of the key focus areas of the OneHR Strategy.

DPC is leading and supporting various Organizational change processes across the organization, including the Headquarters Efficiencies Initiative (HQEI), the global Recruitment Administrative Services (RAS) hub centralizing all recruitment transactions, HR Transition and Transformation and Humanitarian Review Initiatives, and it is a priority for DPC to ensure that staff and stakeholders understand the vision of these changes and how it will be achieved and are meaningfully engaged throughout the transformation. 

How can you make a difference? 

The Project Manager will be working under the guidance of the Associate Director People in Humanitarian Action, DPC and plays a pivotal role in supporting the coordination and implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the Humanitarian Review and HR in Emergency Retreat Initiatives. They will support the Chief of preparedness as identified with the facilitation of work teams to bring momentum to the design and implementation of initiatives /projects, liaising with teams, stakeholders and maintaining effective linkages with other relevant functional units both in DPC, UNICEF and externally and supporting active communicating within and external to UNICEF. They would also coordinate and implement specific strategic National Staff initiatives assigned and support fund raising efforts for personnel and projects.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

• Support the Associate Director and the team in setting and perusing key strategic objectives related to HR in Humanitarian Action.
• Support the Associate Director and key stakeholders with effective work planning, prioritizing, coordinating and monitoring of key initiatives/projects related to the implementation of the Humanitarian Review and HR in Emergencies Recommendations in line with the objectives set.
• Support the organization of the coordination board overseeing the implementation of recommendations. Ensuring it successfully functions and equipped with the information for timely decision making, allowing Project Leads to meet deadlines. Follow-up on projects, activities and actions and tasks presented by the coordination team.  Provide regular updates and identify exceptional issues which needs to be escalated.
• Collaborate with and contribute to appropriate management and monitoring with Project Leads to ensure quality and timeliness of completion, prevent gaps, overlaps and duplication of efforts.  Support troubleshooting on issues which may arise. Monitor work progress and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards and timelines, escalating any relevant issues to the Associate Director and coordination board as necessary.
• Determine, and obtain expertise from different UNICEF business units such as Evaluation Office and the Division of Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, innovative to agree on ways to measure impact of initiatives.
• Support reporting and communication on progress implementation of specific initiatives an as well as with the recommendations. Prepare background and position papers, briefing notes, presentation for the supervisor’s consideration in cooperation with relevant project leads. Consolidate content received, and finalize drafts prepared by project leads and other stakeholders.
• Collaborates with project leads and DPC communication team on developing communication materials for publishing.
• Manage the flow of information to the Coordination team including Directors of DPC and EMOPS, and Deputy Executive Directors for Management and Humanitarian Action and the key matters including challenges, opportunities and positive outcomes. Establish a knowledge sharing and management system to provide consistent information and ensure actions taken.
• Keep the supervisor aware of operational developments and follow up actions to be taken including liaising with key focal points in the field and feedback.
• Assist the supervisor in the preparation of documents and presentation for coordination meetings and meetings other key senior officers within and outside the organization.
• For projects being handled / led, or supported e.g. National Staff initiatives, Mentoring  establish objectives, goals and timelines; and provide update on progress.
• Build and leverage new and existing partnerships within UNICEF, with other UN Agencies, institutions (academic and otherwise), external experts, and other organizations. Liaises with inter-agency counterparts, and managers to learn and share good / best practices.
• Should a consultant be engaged under their supervision, establish clear individual performance objectives, goals and timelines; and provide timely guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly and efficiently.
• Participates in taskforces and working groups as assigned and provides regular feedback to supervisor and updates on points for decision making.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: An advanced university degree is required in Social Sciences, Human Resources, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science, Public Administration, or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience in human resources, external relations, public affairs, or international development cooperation, preferably within the UN, a government institution, or an NGO.
• Experience of coordinating projects with inputs and interests of multiple stakeholders toward strengthening partnerships for results delivery
• Experience in project management in Human resources would be an advantage.
• Prior experience of involvement in planning and reporting processes will be an asset.
• Experience in both headquarters and the field, working with multiple priorities in high-pressure environments is desirable.
• Experience in change communication or developing engaging written products, is an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

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…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

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.

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.