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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

For every child, a champion

Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and is the second most populous country on the continent with an estimated population of 115 million. It borders six African countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and covers 1,104,300 square kilometers. Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its people.

Over the past two years, children and their families across Ethiopia faced multiple and complex emergencies, such as the conflict in the northern Ethiopia and the drought, which resulted in millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.

How can you make a difference? 

Coordination, representation and leadership

• Ensure, establish and maintain a coordination mechanism that facilitates the effective achievement of the cluster functions (as outlined by the IASC Reference Module) and the requirements of the HPC (HNO, HRP and CCPM) and which builds on pre-existing coordination structures where appropriate and furthers the development of current or future national and subnational capacities,
• Oversee the functioning of any sub-national or hub Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group where they exist, ensuring alignment of work and priorities, effective communication, reporting, engagement and coordination between the levels,
• Supervise the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group coordination team,
• Ensure appropriate coordination and build partnerships with all relevant sector stakeholders including government counterparts and national authorities, local, national and international organizations and affected populations,
• Build complementarity of partner actions within the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group, pro-actively negotiating with partners to avoid and resolve duplication and gaps,
• Coordinate, collaborate and represent the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group with stakeholders across all sectors, including through inter-cluster coordination fora, developing cross-sectoral relationships as appropriate.

Needs assessment and analysis

• Lead the planning and implementation of needs assessment and analysis, including representing the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group in multi-sectoral needs assessments and joint analysis of need, at national and subnational levels,
• Analyse needs assessment data and work collaboratively with the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group partners to create analytical products, including an HNO based on evidence-based information.

Strategic response planning

• Lead and coordinate strategic planning, response prioritization and the development of the sectoral response plan that is based on the HNO and aligned with national priorities, policies and plans,
• Ensure all programme delivery modalities (in-kind, cash, voucher and services) are given equal consideration in the strategic response planning and establish and implement systematic measures for supporting their consideration and use,
• Provide technical expertise and advice to Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group partners to ensure activities are relevant, appropriate and in line with national priorities and communities' needs,
• Ensure that the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group response plan is updated regularly according to evolving needs and that it establishes indicators by which performance of the cluster can be measured,
• Engage with OCHA and other AoRs/ Clusters/ Sectors/ Working Groups to contribute to the development of the HRP, advocating for a response that reflects and addresses the concerns of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group.

Resource mobilization and advocacy

• Support and coordinate the mobilization of adequate resources to ensure the effective functioning of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group and its response and subsequent handing over and establishment of medium to long term capacities when the cluster approach is deactivated,
• Monitor, analyse and communicate information about the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group’s financial situation and resource mobilization and identify appropriate actions to address gaps or constraints,
• Advocate for improved sectoral outcomes, by developing an advocacy strategy, networking with advocacy allies, influencing stakeholders' decision-making.

Implementation and monitoring

• Monitor, evaluate and report on the coverage, equity, quality and progress of the response against the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group strategy, priorities and agreed results,
• Plan and support gap and coverage analysis to identify spatial and temporal gaps, overlaps and coverage of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group humanitarian response,
• Monitor Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group adherence to IASC cluster approach principles, relevant humanitarian and sectoral agreements, standards, initiatives and guidelines and support partners to make improvements.

Operational peer review and evaluation

• Lead the annual cluster coordination performance monitoring (CCPM) exercise and annual review and contribute to other sectoral and humanitarian evaluations as appropriate.

Accountability to affected populations

• Be accountable to the affected population by establishing inclusive and consultative feedback mechanisms, creating meaningful opportunities for the involvement of the affected population in the response and encouraging partners to operate accountably,
• Ensure the inclusion of cross cutting issues (age, child protection, disability, gender, gender-based violence (GBV) mitigation and response and HIV & AIDS) in Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group activities throughout the HPC,
• Establish and implement systematic measures for supporting inclusive work practices and processes, 

Strengthen national and local capacity

• Encourage participation of local and national actors in Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group activities and strategic decision-making, removing barriers to access.
• Adhere to child safeguarding and PSEA policies including procedures for challenging and reporting incidents and ensure other members of the coordination team comply.
• Lead the development of a capacity assessment and capacity strengthening strategy for Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group members and oversee implementation and harmonization of initiatives.
• Lead early warning, contingency planning, and emergency preparedness efforts for the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group, ensuring adequate cluster participation in inter-cluster early warning, contingency planning and emergency preparedness activities.

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

The following minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, health and hygiene behavior change communication, WASH-related engineering or another relevant technical field. 

• Work Experience: A minimum of 8 years of professional experience, preferably at the international level, in WASH-related programmes planning and management is required. Relevant experience in programme management in WASH related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.

  Experience in humanitarian contexts is required. Experience in development contexts is an added advantage.

  A minimum of two years of experience of WASH Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group coordination is desirable.

• Language Requirements: 

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with Others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to Achieve Impactful Results (2)
• Manages Ambiguity and Complexity (2)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes [KR5], and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and persons with disability are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required [LK6] 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.

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.

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

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.