Senior Health Specialist – Community Health (P-5), PG Health ACDC, Ethiopia #00130344

Join our dynamic team as you work under the guidance of the Associate Director for PHC/MNCAH, D1, within the Health Programme Team.

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….!

To establish an “Expanded Partnership” for 2024-2027 aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063, Africa CDC and UNICEF have created a Joint Action Plan (JAP). This plan aims to strengthen resilient, digitally enabled health systems for delivering high-quality, equitable primary health care (PHC), especially to disadvantaged populations in Africa. The initiative focuses on preventing, detecting, and responding to public health emergencies, improving health outcomes, and enhancing procurement and supply chain systems. Central to this effort are four key outcomes, with the second outcome emphasizing equitable PHC through community-level service delivery, immunization, and emergency preparedness. It builds on the Monrovia Call to Action by committing to invest in and scale community health programs, promoting Community Health Workers (CHWs) to increase access for women and children. Additionally, UNICEF, alongside partners, established the Community Health Delivery Partnership (CHDP) as a coordinated platform to enhance community health and nutrition initiatives, providing leadership and technical support to improve investment and expand community-based primary health care at global, regional, and country levels.

How can you make a difference?

Join our dynamic team as you work under the guidance of the Associate Director for PHC/MNCAH, D1, within the Health Programme Team.

This role is pivotal in enhancing the capabilities of Community Health teams at Africa CDC to expand Primary Health Care at the community level. You will provide vital technical and strategic leadership in implementing community health interventions as outlined in the Joint Action Plan, directly contributing to the success of the UNICEF-Africa CDC Expanded Partnership Framework. Your responsibilities will include managing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on the community health pillar, which is essential for building robust and resilient PHC systems. You will also collaborate with the HEPR team to strengthen the capacity of PHC systems to effectively detect, prevent, and respond to public health emergencies. Join us in making a meaningful impact on health outcomes across Africa!

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

The role focuses on developing, managing, and implementing community health programs to enhance health systems across Africa. You will lead strategic guidance for member states, collaborating with partners to strengthen community health systems and scale national programs to meet both national and continental goals. Key responsibilities include evaluating the feasibility of community-based primary health care, ensuring alignment with the global Community Health Delivery Partnership (CHDP), and supporting countries in building effective monitoring and evaluation components for impactful interventions. Additionally, you will guide resource mobilization efforts and assist in developing high-quality funding proposals.

Your strategic representation will involve advocating for community health strengthening at global, regional, and country levels, ensuring that Africa CDC’s vision is effectively communicated. You will build partnerships with key stakeholders, promote synergies across health sectors, and create communication materials to highlight program achievements and needs. Moreover, you will coordinate the development of continental policies and strategies for community-based primary health care, support capacity building through training and knowledge exchange, and contribute to emergency preparedness initiatives. Your efforts will ultimately enhance community health systems, improve health outcomes for marginalized populations, and support the goal of Universal Health Coverage aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The following minimum requirements:

A Medical or Advanced University Degree in public health, pediatric health, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health education, epidemiology or other health related sciences is required.

Work Experience:

A minimum of ten years of professional experience in public health planning and management and/or in relevant areas of child and community health, health emergency/humanitarian preparedness, at the international level some of which preferably in a developing country is required.

Desirables/Assets:

Relevant experience in health program/project development and management in any UN system agency or organization is an asset.

Language Requirements:

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’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…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness 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, socio-economic 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 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:

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 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.