Programme Specialist (Sustainability and Climate) (P-3) O/P Belgrade, Serbia, #129733 (Temporary Appointment)

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, dedication

Almost 160 million children across Europe and Central Asia are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and environmental degradation. Children are also affected disproportionately by these challenges. Climate change is a threat to almost every aspect of child health and well-being from pregnancy to adolescence. The impact on their health and wellbeing is felt at every stage of their childhood, from their first weeks of life, through their school years and into their young adulthood. They are hit first and hardest by every type of climate and environmental risk, from extreme weather events including, heatwaves, floods, sandstorms, mudslides, and slow-onset changes triggered by global warming, including drought, desertification, water quality and scarcity to the ever-present challenges of air pollution and energy poverty.

How can you make a difference? 

The Climate and Environment Specialist is part of the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia reports to the Regional Adviser Sustainability and Climate. The Specialist supports the Regional Adviser and country offices to integrate and mainstream climate and environmental sustainability actions as part of country programmes, in line with UNICEF SCAP and ECA targets. The Specialist will support UNICEF regional work on resource mobilization, leveraging opportunities for scaling up environment and climate change, and coordinate and provide oversight on the dedicated work on youth engagement and green skills in the UNICEF Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP).

If you are interested in additional information, please review the attached job description:   JD P3 Programme Specialist (Sustainability and Climate) TA.docx

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:

  An advanced university degree (masters degree or higher) in international development, environmental climate change an or other relevant technical field is required.

  * A relevant Bachelor’s degree in combination with 2 additional relevant years of experience may be considered in lieu of advanced university degree.

• Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant and progressively responsible professional work experience at international levels in programme/ project development in areas related to development cooperation in climate change adaptation and mitigation, environment and socio-economic development is required. 
• Additionally, the following experience is required:
  • Implementing projects on air quality
  • Project planning, design, follow-up, report writing, and monitoring and evaluation of projects
• Skillls: 

  Ability to coordinate and manage complex project work with a focus on environment, climate change, education and youth engagement is required.

• Language Requirements:

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

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Supporting the integration of global and regional programmes into national programmes 
• Working in projects targeted at children and youth, as well as climate change education 
• Working on issues related to climate change and children in the Western Balkans

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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

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 with disabilities 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.

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.