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?

The Programme Specialist is a critical role within the Programme Delivery and Quality team.
Under the general guidance and supervision of the Chief of Education, this role is responsible for leading ECW’s safeguarding work, ranging from conducting Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) assessments of partner organizations, managing ECW’s response to safeguarding incidents and safeguarding concerns involving partner organizations to leading capacity strengthening activities with partner organizations. Crosscutting in nature, this role will work closely with colleagues in the Programme Delivery and Quality team, as well as with colleagues within the Finance, Risk & Operations, Evidence, Results and Reporting and Partnerships, Advocacy and Resource Mobilization teams. Additionally, this role will engage with UNICEF colleagues in cross-divisional safeguarding meetings and with partner organizations that receive ECW funding.

Key Tasks of the Programme Specialist – Programme Delivery and Quality Team:

Conduct PSEA assessments under the UN Common PSEA assessment tool
Manage ECW’s response to Safeguarding Incidents and Concerns
Manage reporting to donors and briefing stakeholders on safeguarding incident
Develop guidance materials and participating in outreach activities
Support the design of programme interventions and quality assurance

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: TOR_Programme Specialist (Safeguarding)_P3_TA

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in International Development, Law, Social Work, Public Administration, Gender Studies and any other related fields.
Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant work experience in Programme Management, Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), child safeguarding, gender-based violence (GBV) risk mitigation, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), Safeguarding Incident Management and any other related fields. At least five years of relevant experience working with/in humanitarian contexts.
Skills:
- Experience undertaking UN Common PSEA assessments, engaging with partner organizations to strengthen their safeguarding practices and maintaining PSEA assessment records in the United Nations Partner Protocol (UNPP)
- Managing reporting to donors on safeguarding incidents and presenting to/briefing donors on safeguarding incidents and safeguarding initiatives;
- Developing guidance materials and PowerPoint presentations related to PSEA and child safeguarding;
- Proficiency in Office 365 applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and SharePoint required
Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish), specifically proficiency in French.
Designing programme interventions to safeguard children and youth from harm and quality assure programme proposals.
Knowledge of the UNICEF Safeguarding Policy 2024, related UNICEF data protection and whistleblower policies.
Managing a response to safeguarding incidents and safeguarding concerns (reference UNICEF’s Safeguarding Policy 2024) involving partner organizations, ensuring that survivor-centered approaches and data protection requirements are adhered to.

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, qualified and suitable candidates from other regions, including Eastern and Southern Africa, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, West and Central Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and East Asia and the Pacific, 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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

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.

Programme Specialist (Safeguarding), P-3, TA, 364 days, #00138203, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), UNICEF Hosted Fund, Geneva, Switzerland