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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Chance

The Haya Karima (Decent Life) Initiative is a national development program launched by the Government of Egypt to improve living conditions, infrastructure, and access to services in rural and underserved communities. The initiative aims to enhance quality of life through integrated interventions in housing, healthcare, education, economic empowerment, early childhood development and social development, while promoting citizen participation and sustainability.
UNICEF Egypt is a key partner in Haya Karima, working with the Government of Egypt to ensure that children, adolescents, and women benefit from equitable access to quality education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation (WASH), and protection services. UNICEF’s support focuses on child rights, social inclusion, gender equality, and community participation, in line with the UNICEF–Government of Egypt Country Programme 2023–2027.

The EU for Haya Karima (Decent Life) programme is a flagship initiative aimed at addressing multidimensional poverty in Egypt’s rural communities. The joint programme will be implemented over four years by UNICEF, WHO, and ILO, in close collaboration with the Government of Egypt. The programme targets over 7 million children under five, pregnant women, informal workers, and vulnerable families.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF in collaboration with ILO and WHO will be launching a joint programme to improve the quality of life of rural population affected by multidimensional poverty. The project will aim to achieve the following specific objective(s):

• Improved access to and quality of health services in rural communities.
• Strengthened social protection systems, both at the national and local levels, for the benefit of the less advantaged groups.

Within the delegated authority under the supervision of the Chief of Social Policy and Child Rights monitoring, and working in close collaboration with the Representative, Deputy Representative Programme, UNICEF Partnership and programme teams as well as the focal points from ILO and WHO, the Project Officer supports UNICEF’s coordination, visibility, and reporting roles within the EU-Haya Karima programme, ensuring coherence across partners and alignment with donor requirements.

Key functions/accountabilities:

1. Coordination and Internal Alignment

2. Contracts and Formal Agreements

3. Stakeholder Consultations and Partnerships

4. Partnership and Field Support

5. Planning and Workplan Management

6. Monitoring, Results Tracking, and Risk Management

7. Budget Monitoring and Financial Oversight

8. Communication, Knowledge Management, and Visibility

9. Reporting and Consolidation

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File JD Programme Officer No-2 TA.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, Development Studies, Public Administration, Public Health, or related field or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience: Minimum 2 years of progressively responsible experience in project coordination or management, preferably within development, humanitarian, or government programmes is required.
Skills: To be considered for this position, you should demonstrate expertise in Project Coordination, Stakeholder Engagement, Partnership Management, Budget Monitoring, Report Writing and Interagency Collaboration.
Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
Demonstrated experience in coordinating or supporting joint programmes involving multiple UN agencies, including the development and follow-up of joint workplans, coordination mechanisms, and consolidated reporting is an asset.
Familiarity with the Hayah Karima programme is considered an asset.
Relevant experience in integrated or multisectoral programming across social protection and health, with the ability to strengthen coherence and linkages across programme components is an asset.
Knowledge of aspects of social protection and/or health is an asset.
Strong facilitation, coordination, and consensus-building skills, with demonstrated ability to bring multiple institutions together around shared programme objectives, roles, responsibilities, and deliverables is an asset.
Experience with UN agencies, EU, international NGOs, or government-led initiatives is highly desirable. Experience in the design, implementation, and/or evaluation of social protection national development strategies, multisectoral public policy frameworks, or large-scale reform programmes is considered an asset.
Experience in facilitating high-level consultations with government stakeholders, development partners, UN agencies, and civil society, is considered an asset.
Experience working with multiple international development and UN partners and agencies and national governments is an asset.
Familiarity with rural development and social sector service delivery in Egypt is considered an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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 are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable male and female candidates from targeted underrepresented groups 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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.

Programme Officer (Hayah Karima) (NO-2), TA, 364 days, #138287, Cairo - Egypt, MENA