Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a future.

Since 1950, UNICEF has supported the most important transformation for children and adolescents in Brazil. UNICEF Brazil with its main office in Brasília and nine field offices. UNICEF works in close partnership with national and sub-national government, corporate partners, youth, and civil society organizations. For information of the work of our organization in Brazil, please visit our website: UNICEF Brazil.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Emergency Manager/Focal Point for WASH and Climate issues and in close coordination with the Chief of Zone Office in Belém, you will support policy dialogue with the Pará state government to prepare for the COP-30: with a focus on environment education, 1MiOGreen Rising with three pillars: environmental education, youth action and green skills/jobs in the socio-bioeconomy context. The main functions/accountabilities are:

Lead the Green Rising Amazônia initiative

• Lead the rolling out of Green Rising Amazonia, together with key partners and Zonal Offices working closely with Belem/TAM coordinator and Brasilia team. The initiative’s key areas of work are environmental education, youth action (activism), green skills/jobs in the socio-bioeconomy context.
• Map stakeholders and opportunities to bring the voices of young people and adolescents in the development of public policies.
• Promote engagement of private sector, government, and civil society in the commitment to generate decent work and skills development opportunities for adolescents and young people in vulnerable situations through 1MiO initiative.
• Support the production of documents, including proposals, reports, terms of reference, and others, as well as the implementation efforts of the Green Rising Amazônia national and local teams.

Policy, advocacy and positioning of UNICEF

• Collaborate with the municipal and state actors to ensure integration of issues related to young people and adolescents into climate policies
• Act as a UNICEF liaison in Belém with state and municipal governments for preparation of COP30 in 2025.
• Coordinate interventions with local authorities and stakeholders, relaying key information in key meetings (adolescentsSELO working group, Belém Zone Office, etc.)
• Support youth-led climate action related to strengthening municipal and state public policies for adolescents prioritizing cross-cutting actions.

Youth Engagement on Climate

• Liaise with the Amazon Youth officer on issues related to youth mobilization/activism to ensure programme coherence and maximize results.
• Ensure meaningful children and youth participation in climate-related international, regional, and local events (COP-30, OTCA, NUCA etc.)
• Provide overall support and engagement on children/youth climate agenda related to COP-30 in Belem.

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

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Law, Public Policy, Psychology, Social Work, Anthropology, Sociology or Political Science, Urbanism or other relevant fields.

Experience:

• At least 2 years’ experience in institutional relations (government and/or private sector) on child and adolescent rights issues.
• At least 2 years’ experience in either climate change, environmental protection and management, youth engagement and skills development, green/circular economy and poverty reduction approaches.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and proven ability to facilitate processes to achieve a common goal is required.
• Experience working in a state authority in the Amazon region is an asset.
• Experience working on Brazilian environment, sustainability and climate issues is an asset.
• Advanced knowledge of State and Municipal governments and civil society organizations and the system of rights guarantee (SGD) is an asset.
• Experience working with children and adolescents in vulnerable communities is an asset.

Language: Fluency in Portuguese and English are required. Spanish is a strong asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).

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) and Manages ambiguity and complexity (1).

CHILD SAFEGUARDING

Child safeguarding involves proactive measures to limit direct and indirect collateral risks of harm to children, arising from UNICEF’s work, UNICEF personnel or UNICEF associates. The risks may include those associated with: physical violence (including corporal punishment); sexual violence, exploitation or abuse; emotional and verbal abuse; economic exploitation; failure to provide for physical or psychological safety; neglect of physical, emotional or psychological needs; harmful cultural practices; and privacy violations.

Certain UNICEF positions present elevated child safeguarding risks (“elevated risk roles”) and candidates and/or incumbents may be subject to more rigorous vetting and training. Roles may be elevated risk roles because of significant unsupervised direct contact with children, their data, having a role in responding to safeguarding incidents, or being otherwise assessed as presenting an elevated risk. This position has been identified as a non elevated risk role.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies. During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. 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, 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.

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

Remarks:

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable from diverse populations (afro-descendants, indigenous, LGBTQIA+ and other minorities) are especially encouraged to apply. We are committed to supporting inclusion and diversity within UNICEF Brazil.

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

The VA is open to all (internal and external candidates).

This job opportunity is presential and for Brazilians only or internal candidates with a work permit for Brazil.