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 health

Since 1950, UNICEF has been supporting the most significant transformations in the area of childhood and adolescence in Brazil.

In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. Therefore, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most excluded and vulnerable girls and boys, as well as those who are victims of extreme forms of violence.

These highly vulnerable children and adolescents are present throughout the country, but are more concentrated in the Amazon region, the Semi-Arid region, and large urban centers.

Read more about us here: UNICEF Brazil

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Chief Health and Nutrition, the Health Officer (Mental Health) provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the Health Programme within the Country Programme, from development planning to delivery of results, by preparing, executing, managing, and implementing a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development implementation, programme progress monitoring, and evaluating and reporting of results.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Download File TOR_Health Officer (Mental Health)_NO2 TA.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: A completed first level university degree in one of the following fields is required: mental health, public health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, health education.

Work Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: mental health, adolescent health, public health planning and management.
Experience in advocacy and policy dialogue, applying innovative and digital solutions to service delivery is required.
Advanced Monitoring & Evaluation experience is required.
Experience working effectively in diverse or resource-constrained settings is required.
Experience in cross-sector coordination, deliver capacity-building initiatives, engage adolescents through participatory approaches, and apply cultural competence and safeguarding principles is required.
Experience with Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and its links to mental health, rights-based frameworks (e.g., CRC), and research methods is required.

Skills: Comprehensive knowledge of adolescent development and mental health (including prevention and early identification), social determinants, stigma and access barriers, and public health systems (especially PHC and integrated care models) is required.
Strong ability to design and implement evidence-based programs, analyze and use data (including Monitoring and Evaluation), produce technical documents, and manage projects effectively from planning to delivery is required.

Language Requirements: Fluency in Portuguese and proficiency in English is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, French or Russian) is a plus.
Experience working in different regions from Brazil, with adolescent engagement and developing/implementing adolescent health strategies are highly desirable.
Professional experience in Social Psychology is highly desirable.
Experience working with government counterparts and partners is highly desirable.
Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is highly desirable.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is desirable.

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.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 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.

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.

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.

Health Officer (Mental Health), NO-2, TA, 364 days, #00137864, Brasilia – Brazil, LACR