UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

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, an advocate

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference?

Under the general guidance and direction of the PPD Senior Advisor and Team Lead, the Public Partnerships Specialist is responsible for various aspects of grant/contribution management, external relations, development and implementation of partner strategies and approaches for assigned member states (United States for this post) and respective thematic areas; as well as liaison with: Government agencies and Departments, UN agencies, UNICEF Headquarter Divisions and UNICEF Field Offices.  The Partnerships Specialist is responsible for maintaining on-going contacts at working levels with these various offices. This position sits in the team that oversees UNICEF’s partnership (financial and policy) with the Governments of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. The position focuses on managing key aspects of the UNICEF-United States Government humanitarian partnership, which is valued at around $1 billion annually with over 300 active grants/awards across over UNICEF country offices globally. The Partnerships Specialist manages this high-volume partnership with another Partnerships Specialist within the team.

Key functions and responsibilities:

1. Contribute to the Partnership, Advocacy and Resource Mobilization Strategies with Member States

• Under the supervision of the PPD Public Partnerships Team Lead and working closely with the Public Partnerships Specialist within the team, contribute to the partnership, advocacy and resource mobilization strategies for assigned Member States, in coordination with the respective National Committees and relevant UNICEF Divisions and Offices.
• Monitor and analyze 1) global trends in development cooperation and aid; 2) relevant government foreign policies and statements that impact UNICEF’s humanitarian programs; 3) development and child rights policies, budgets, and positions of partner countries; 4) cross-cutting UN policy matters and initiatives that impact UNICEF’s partnership with assigned Member States.
• Implement engagement plans and activities with the objectives of (1) increasing core and quality resources; (2) identifying all possible sources of new and continued funding; and (3) advocating for child rights with selected partner countries.

2. Support senior management for their strategic engagement with government and other partners

• Facilitate high level contacts with senior officials of Missions to the UN, departments of assigned Member States, and other internal and external interlocutors in order to promote cooperation with UNICEF and the attainment of UNICEF’s goals and objectives.
• Prepare comprehensive and substantive analyses, briefs, reports, statistics, income projections and requirements for Executive Director’s meetings with minister level counterparts, senior Member State officials, senior parliamentarians, or heads of major institutions.
• Help formulate advice to UNICEF senior management on recommended action with selected Member States/partners, to influence policies, (inter-governmental) positions and practices and maintain and increase UNICEF’s resource base.
• Develop policy papers and guidelines to enhance Partnerships and initiatives for assigned partner countries for review/consideration of PPD senior management.

3. Effectively manage partnership agreements

• Under the guidance of the Public Partnerships Managers and Public Partnerships Specialist, negotiate terms of agreements of funding between UNICEF and assigned Member States (primarily United States) in a manner that is consistent with UNICEF Regulations and Rules in coordination with the UNICEF Legal Office, HQ divisions and field offices. Ensure appropriate management of negotiated contributions according to UNICEF Regulations and Rules.
• Guide and support field offices in their engagement with partner/donor countries, and advise them on proposal development, legal arrangements and donor reporting.
• Provide quality assurance for contribution/grant management in close coordination with relevant internal offices.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social sciences, or related technical field.  A first university degree (Bachelor’s) in a relevant field, combined with 2 additional years of professional experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme management, monitoring and evaluation, United Nations intergovernmental processes, humanitarian assistance, or a related field.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

In the cover letter, applicants should summarize relevant experience, including grants management (being specific on what aspects of the full grant cycle), humanitarian and/or development experience, and donor engagement experience with USAID or other donors.

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

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.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that 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.