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

UNICEF’s Venezuela Health and Nutrition section is leading the MNCAH agenda within the organization and represents UNICEF in relevant fora with other stakeholders. Health Section is an active partner working with the country group to support and implement multi-sectoral programming for health and wellbeing integrated with the Nutrition section. UNICEF works with UN partners, in particular with MoH, UNFPA and WHO, to advocate and support policies and legislation, promote adolescent participation and community engagement and support service delivery for adolescents, mental health and healthy lifestyles. UNICEF is also an active member to reactive School a Health Promoting initiative, mental health, adolescent well-being, NCD prevention, SRHR, digital tools for health, multisectoral collaboration for adolescent health, and adolescent pregnancy. UNICEF Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (MNCAH) in the Health and Nutrition support also the efforts to ensure adolescent immunizations, including HPV and Td (tetanus-diphteria), and contributes to cross-sectoral efforts on prevention of violence and the Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents.

This vacancy is a temporary appointment ending on June 30, with possible extensions subject to the availability of funds.

How can you make a difference? 

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Support of this role includes collecting, analyzing, verifying, and synthesizing information to facilitate programme development, design and preparation, as well as the monthly reporting of the area.
• Prepare technical reports and input for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevancy of information.
• Facilitate the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning, through analysis of nutrition needs and areas for intervention, as well as submission of assessments for priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating of results.
• Prepare required documentations and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

2.  Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• The core component includes working closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect, analyze and share information on implementation issues. Suggest solutions on routine programme implementation and submit reports to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions. Keep records of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with governments and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), and verify compliance with approved allocation and goals, organizational rules, regulations, procedures, as well as donor commitments, standards of accountability, and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare input for sectoral programme donor reporting.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• The second core function is support COs to organize UNICEF response in maternal and child health, adolescents and school health, leading project review and scale-up strategies ensuring progress review, achievements and challenges with all stakeholders and to develop a national scale-up strategy.
• Undertake field visits and surveys, and share information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on health-related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Support identifying and liaising with potential stakeholders and donors for fund raising around maternal and child health, adolescent prevention programs, mental health, and school health. Maintain active communication with the management for resource mobilization through private or public fundraising and partnership opportunities.
• Promote a cross-sectoral, life-cycle approach to the care, protection, and empowerment of school-age children and adolescents, and promote the inter-generational position for these programmes.
• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to enhance programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to deliver concrete and sustainable results.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) on health programmes to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNSDCF operational planning and preparation of health programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNSDCF development and planning process.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, pediatric health, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health education, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience: A minimum of one year of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public health/nutrition planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, or health emergency/humanitarian preparedness. Experience leading or implementing maternal and child health programmes for children, school health-focused programmes, and adolescent programmes is considered an asset.

Language: Requirements:Fluency in Spanish is required. Intermediate English is required, proficiency is desirable.  Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or English) or a local language is an asset.

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…

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• 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)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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 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.

Remarks:

As this is a National Officer position, only nationals of Venezuela are eligible.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. 

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments are also 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 cancelled.

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 only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/”

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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.