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 Protection

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Innocenti, the Office of Strategy and Evidence, undertakes and commissions research on emerging and critical issues impacting children and their rights globally. Through evidence generation, foresight, and strategic influence, Innocenti supports UNICEF's policy, programming, and advocacy priorities while shaping global discourse on children's rights.

UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti uses foresight to set the agenda for children uncovering emerging trends and deepening understanding of key issues facing girls and boys and serving as a go-to office for advising UNICEF and a diversity of actors, including governments, the United Nations, private sector, civil society and children and young people themselves in the face of the continually changing global economy, political and security environment.

UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti also strives to lead global discourse by creating an enabling environment and platform for children and young people along with global influencers and decision-makers to transform their contributions into future strategies, policies and actions of UNICEF and the world. Thereby positioning children and UNICEF at the centre of theglobal conversation through prominent external engagement, communication, and influence.

This role is especially important in the context of UNICEF’s new Centre of Excellence structure, including its support to the Prevention of Harmful Practices agenda. The Centres of Excellence represent UNICEF’s commitment to delivering high-quality, demand-driven technical assistance to Country Offices, Regional Offices and partners. They serve as a single entry point for tailored support, bringing together specialized expertise in thematic programming, financing for scale and institutional strengthening, while also advancing global policy leadership, normative standard setting and cross-sectoral coordination.

Within this structure, the research post based at Innocenti provides critical evidence, research and strategic support to the Centre of Excellence on the Prevention of Harmful Practices

The Manager reports to the Chief, Research Gender Equality, Rights and Protection.

UNICEF Innocenti has a dedicated research portfolio on the prevention of harmful practices focused on strengthening evidence, learning, and research uptake to inform policies, programmes, and investments to end child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and related issues affecting girls and adolescents globally.

The harmful practices research portfolio supports UNICEF’s strategic leadership and technical engagement on harmful practices through evidence generation, synthesis, agenda-setting, implementation learning, and evidence translation. Research undertaken by the team is closely aligned with UNICEF programme priorities and is implemented in collaboration with UNICEF country and regional offices, governments, UN agencies, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and global research networks.

The harmful practices research portfolio is comprised of four interconnected workstreams:

Research prioritisation and agenda-setting
Evidence generation, thought leadership, and strategic direction
Evidence-informed programme strengthening
Evidence dissemination, uptake, and strategic influence

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File Research Manager Prevention of Harmful Practices TA P-4 EXT.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

- 1. - Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in social sciences, public policy, gender studies, international development, public health, sociology, anthropology, economics, or another relevant technical field is required.
    - Work Experience: At least 8 years of relevant work experience in social science research covering harmful practices, gender equality, adolescent girls' programming, child protection, or related fields.
      - Demonstrated experience managing complex research portfolios and multi-country research initiatives.
      - Proven experience conducting and overseeing social science and mixed-methods research.
      - Strong experience in evidence synthesis, implementation research, and research-to-policy translation.
      - Proven experience leading global research agenda-setting processes.
      - Demonstrated experience engaging with governments, UN agencies, donors, academic institutions, and civil society partners.
      - Proven track record of producing high-quality technical reports, publications, and evidence products.
    - Skills: multi-country research, social sciences, mixed-methods research, evidence synthesis, implementation research with a focus on gender equality
    - Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.

Desirables

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Relevant experience with research communication, producing diverse publication outputs, convening and coordinating evidence to action
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.

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.

Research Manager (Prevention of Harmful Practices), P-4, Temporary Appointment (364 days) Innocenti, OSE, Florence, Italy. #00137935