Emergency Specialist – Preparedness & Resilience (P-4), #129350, FT, ECARO o/p Istanbul – Turkiye

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, hope

Countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) are prone to multiple risks and hazards including earthquakes, floods, disease outbreaks, conflict, extreme weather events and large-scale population movements. In 2023, floods, avalanches and earthquakes affected over 15.2 million people in Türkiye and over 450,000 people in the Western Balkans and Central Asia. In Central Asia, natural disasters cause US$10 billion in economic losses annually. Political instability, civil unrest, and displacements present significant risks to families, including the ongoing war in Ukraine which has had devastating outcomes for children inside the country and sparked one of the largest refugee crises in Europe since World War II. Many countries in ECA serve as routes for complex, mixed migration movements, including refugees, asylum seekers, economic and other types of migrants, leaving thousands of vulnerable families and children in their wake. Ongoing humanitarian, economic and political crises in the Middle East, Asia and Africa create significant risk of additional new population flows into Europe, while the impacts of the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan present a continued threat to bordering Central Asian countries. Disruption of services during the pandemic, coupled with significant population movements, has increased risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and cross-border epidemics, while adverse climate projections bring recurrent threat of floods, landslides, extreme weather events and forest fires are likely to exacerbated in the coming years.

UNICEF is committed to build resilient systems of the countries in ECA region, working closely with regional, national and local entities to promote child and youth centered resilience, enhance preparedness and response capacities; provide technical support and capacity building and advocate for policies and standards aligned with International Humanitarian Law, the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and the Sendai Framework for DRR.

How can you make a difference?

• Advise regional and country management of the imminent risk facilitating decision making processes to take proactive preparedness actions. This includes undertaking the situation/risk analysis for countries across ECA region and periodic monitoring and analyzing the political, social and economic risks, operational environments and trends/transboundary nature of risks etc., and its impact on vulnerable children and their families, in coordination with the security advisor and relevant sections.
• Support the implementation of effective emergency preparedness and preventive measures in country offices and the regional office, enhancing cross-sectoral collaboration, taking into account of the lessons learned from past emergencies in high/upper middle income country context in Europe, Caucasus, Western Balkans and Central Asia.
• Ensure quality assurance of country office preparedness plans and provide technical guidance and support to align the plans with Government and inter-agency plans and facilitate implementation support in coordination with relevant regional sections.
• Develop sub-regional preparedness approaches for cross border emergency management through the development and updating of the sub-regional preparedness/contingency plans and support the implementation of those plans in coordination with regional sections and country offices.
• Provide guidance, contextualize tools and support in the establishment and maintenance of early warning early action mechanisms, take/scale up anticipatory actions to protect the most vulnerable children and their families from foreseeable crisis.
• Coordinate and deliver trainings/workshops for UNICEF staff and implementing partners to enhance their understanding and skills in implementing inclusive humanitarian action, anticipatory actions, and risk-informed programming in coordination with relevant section and divisions.
• Support resource mobilization for emergency preparedness, prevention and mitigation initiatives by leveraging internal/external funding streams and expanding climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction as part of inter-connected strategies.
• Ensure that preparedness and resilience strategies are mainstreamed in country programme documents.

• Promote child centered risk assessments and provide technical support to ensure disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response strategies are mainstreamed in the country office’s workplans and ensure integration of resilience measures into humanitarian interventions to work towards longer term solution in close collaboration with ECARO programme and planning sections.
• Establish and nurture engagement with National Disaster Management/Civil Protection Authorities, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and other regional, sub-regional diaspora to facilitate pooling of resources, strengthening the capacities of social service entities on emergency preparedness, response and disaster risk reduction, facilitate cross-country/sub-regional coordination; and provide technical support to adhere to international norms and frameworks and child centered resilient social protection systems and services.
• Enhance institutional capacity of disaster risk management counterparts in countries across the Europe and Central Asia region in understanding the needs of vulnerable children and families, conducting joint risk assessment, providing technical support, policy advice and advocating for polices that ensure access to basic social services in health and nutrition, child protection, education, water sanitation and hygiene and social protection during emergencies.
• In coordination with the regional, sub-regional partners, organize, facilitate joint trainings, workshops, lessons learnt exercises to enhance the capacity and skills of policy makers at regional, national and local level to adapt and integrate national and subnational disaster risk management and climate change adaptation policies and plans are child sensitive.

• Explore, establish and nurture strategic partnerships at regional and sub regional level through networking and advocacy with relevant EU institutions, IFIs, private sectors, UN agencies, regional and national government counterparts, NGOs, to reinforce cooperation, leverage the combined technical expertise, resources and networks on shared goals, mutual accountability and effective communication mechanisms on child centered humanitarian action agenda.
• Organize and develop evidence-based advocacy initiatives on child sensitive preparedness, prevention and mitigation, promoting children and youth engagement in decision-making forums in the regional and sub-regional platform to contribute to a strengthened, inclusive, child-focused resilience, DRR and climate agenda in Europe and Central Asia.
• Maintain continuous, effective and strategic coordination, communication, consultation and liaison with Government, UN agencies, NGOs, donors and allies to ensure regional initiatives and support to country offices are well coordinated.

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

Minimum requirements:

• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in humanitarian programming, disaster management, and programme planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and administration is required.
• Proven experience of successfully developing, formulating and overseeing the implementation of preparedness/disaster risk reduction and/or resilience programmes is required.
• Prior hands-on experience, at regional level, in emergency preparedness and response management in upper-middle/high-income country contexts is required.
• Proven experience, working with international, national and local stakeholders to promote preparedness/disaster risk reduction and/or resilience agenda will be prioritized.
• Prior experience with EU institutions, IFIs, Private Sector, other UN agencies, regional and national government counterparts, and/or NGOs as related to leveraging regional and or/strengthening National, Regional and Sub-Regional systems/structures will be prioritized.
• Knowledge of multi-hazard risk assessments, risk informed programming in upper-middle/high middle income country contexts in UNICEF is a significant asset.
• Understanding of International Humanitarian Frameworks, UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and UNICEF’s Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan is required.
• Understanding and experience with UNICEF policies and strategies related to emergency preparedness and response is preferred.
• Knowledge of global humanitarian issues, specifically relating to emergency preparedness and resilience, and the current UNICEF position and approaches is preferred.
• Prior experience in managing and supporting upper-middle/high-income countries facing emergency and humanitarian issues is required.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Ability to be deployed and travel to emergency countries at short notice is required.

• Fluency in English, written and verbal, is required. Working knowledge Russian 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…

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, 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 candidates from underrepresented groups 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.

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.