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 Calling

How can you make a difference

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, 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. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

UNICEF works with governments and partners to strengthen health systems and supply chains, ensuring that vaccines and other temperature-sensitive health products remain safe, effective and accessible, including in resource-constrained settings. Within Supply Division, the Infrastructure and Energy Centre (IEC) supports the technical quality, sustainability and deployment of fit-for-purpose cold chain, energy, infrastructure and related technology solutions.

The Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a cross-cutting function within IEC that promotes technical quality, harmonization, knowledge management and continuous improvement across cold chain, energy, infrastructure, oxygen and related technical areas. TSU captures field evidence and lessons learned, transforms them into reusable tools and guidance, supports product and technology improvement, and provides structured technical support to Country Offices and programmes.

Purpose of the position

Under the supervision of the Highly Specialized Technical Expert (HSTE), P4, the Technical Officer supports the implementation of the TSU workplan by providing structured technical, operational and knowledge-management support across IEC.

The position has focus on cold chain equipment and associated infrastructure and works closely with material managers, project managers and technical specialists to ensure consistent and high-quality technical support, a harmonized approach between IEC units and country offices, effective monitoring of actions and the conversion of technical knowledge and field data into tools, guidance and capacity-development resources.

The Technical Officer also contributes to cross-functional projects, sustainability initiatives, operations and maintenance (O&M) approaches, and technical support to Country Offices, while technical decisions and approvals remain the responsibility of the relevant Material Owners (MO) and the HSTE.

Key Functions, Accountabilities and Related Duties/Tasks

1. Knowledge Management and Capacity Development

Support the planning, implementation and continuous improvement of TSU knowledge-management and capacity -development activities.
Capture and structure lessons learned, field evidence, audit findings, supplier feedback, complaints and project outcomes into reusable technical resources, including guidance, templates, checklists, FAQs, case studies and training materials.
Maintain document quality, version control, traceability and knowledge repositories.
Support onboarding, knowledge transfer and technical learning activities across staff and partners.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of IEC technical guidance, reference materials and knowledge-sharing tools.

2. Product Quality, Improvement and Process Coordination

Ensure the consistent application of agreed product monitoring, fitness-for-purpose, and continuous improvement processes by all materials managers, including the use of appropriate tools and templates and adherence to required levels of quality, completeness, and traceability.
Coordinate with MOs the review and update cycle of technical specifications, guidance documents, and reference documents, ensuring control, completeness, traceability, and integration of relevant field data.
Support quality monitoring, corrective and preventive action tracking, field evaluations and product improvement initiatives.
Coordinate with MOs the preparation of technical documentation related to procurement processes, product reviews and technology introduction activities.
Coordinate assigned cross-functional projects or workstreams, including planning, stakeholder engagement, risk tracking, action monitoring and reporting.

3. Infrastructure, Energy and O&M Support

Support technical initiatives related to cold chain equipment, temperature-controlled storage systems and associated infrastructure and energy solutions.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of O&M tools and resources, including preventive maintenance plans, spare-parts lists, monitoring tools and service templates.
Support the preparation of technical review tools, assessments, inspections, consultancy assignments and field activities.
Consolidate findings from projects, audits, commissioning activities and maintenance reports into actionable recommendations and follow-up actions.
Contribute to the evaluation and implementation of sustainable and energy-efficient technologies and solutions.

4. Country Support, Capacity Building and Sustainability

Coordinate assigned technical support requests from Country Offices by collecting information, facilitating specialist input and ensuring follow-up through closure.
Support remote and in-country technical assistance missions through preparation of diagnostic tools, assessments, mission documentation and action plans.
Contribute to technical capacity-development activities for UNICEF staff, government counterparts and partners.
Support the coordination and monitoring of IEC sustainability initiatives, indicators and reporting.

Maintain tracking systems for support requests, actions, decisions, risks and lessons learned, ensuring feedback is incorporated into knowledge management and product improvement processes.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File Technical Officer_P2

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in supply chain management, logistics, or cold chain management or another relevant field is required. An advanced university degree in a relevant field is an asset.
Work Experience: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in cold chain equipment, immunization technologies, technical supply or procurement support, product quality, field performance monitoring, supply chain, project coordination or a related area is required.
Skills: Working knowledge of cold chain equipment, temperature-controlled storage systems and related infrastructure. Ability to interpret and organize technical information from specifications, audits, commissioning records, maintenance data and field reports. Strong project coordination, stakeholder engagement and follow-up skills. Ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams and influence stakeholders without direct authority. Excellent analytical, drafting, communication and organizational skills.
Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

French is highly desired. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
Experience with technical documentation, supplier quality follow-up, maintenance/O&M, country support, or international development organizations is highly desirable.
Experience with UNICEF, WHO, other UN organizations, development partners or government programmes is 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

The 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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct.

UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.

Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these checks.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 candidates 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.

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

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.

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.

Technical Officer, P-2, Temporary Position, 364 days, Supply Division, Copenhagen, Denmark #00138905