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Emergency Specialist (Access), P3, Temporary Appointment (6 months), Kabul, Afghanistan, #00136739 (Open to Non-Afghan Nationals only)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
P3 Mid-level Professional Temporary Internationallly Recruited
Closing soon: 3 Apr 2026
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Posted Yesterday
Job Description

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, right to education 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbkJiMmvKqk

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose for the job:

Under the direction and guidance of the Senior Advisor - Access, the Emergency Specialist for Humanitarian Access will lead and coordinate country office efforts to establish, maintain, and improve the quality and consistency of humanitarian access for children and women in both regular and hard‑to‑reach locations. The incumbent will be responsible for maintaining the UNICEF Afghanistan Humanitarian Access and Engagement Strategy, and for coordinating the implementation of associated action plans, actor mappings, and policy‑related documents. The specialist will also provide technical assistance, implementation support, and capacity building to UNICEF staff across functional areas on humanitarian access, in alignment with the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs), UNICEF Emergency Procedures, inter‑agency standards, and in collaboration with the HPS/CHTE teams in EMOPS. Additionally, the role will coordinate the country office on quarterly child rights impact reporting. 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

  1. Strengthened capacity of UNICEF Afghanistan CO/FO staff across functional profiles on humanitarian access and related issues, in line with the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs), UNICEF Emergency Procedures, and other UNICEF and interagency policy and guidance, and in collaboration with HPS/CHTE EMOPS team
  2. Continuously improved access to all areas with humanitarian needs, and particularly to hard-to-reach areas, through technical assistance, implementation support to UNICEF Afghanistan CO/FO staff.
  3. Development and operationalization of UNICEF Afghanistan access and engagement strategy with action plans, actor mapping and other policy related documents.
  4. Strong inter-agency engagement including with OCHA, Sectors and Partners on access and civil-military coordination issues, to ensure coordinated strategy and implementation.
  5. Emergency preparedness is effectively arranged together with establishment of country contingency plans and early warning mechanisms. 
  6. Emergency preparedness and response plans address gender issues that may be expected to intensify during emergencies. 
  7. Coordination and management of emergency preparedness and response and a consistent flow of information of the humanitarian situation are effectively maintained within the office.
  8. Needs assessment is effectively conducted to determine priorities and an appropriate intervention by UNICEF based on the local emergency affecting children and their families and community.
  9. Management is kept informed of humanitarian developments in relevant policies, situation developments, potential threats and opportunities/issues in the country.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: [JD- Emergency Specialist-Access P3.doc]

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

  • Advanced University degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines. Preferably a combination of management, administration, and relevant technical fields.

Work Experience:

  • Minimum Five years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and administration.

  • Developing country work experience (for IP).

  • Specialized training/experience in emergency response management highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) 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…

  • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
  • Works Collaboratively with others (1)
  • Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
  • Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
  • Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
  • Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
  • Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

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 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 female candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member’s original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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.

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