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, dedication.

The Representative serves as the accredited representative of UNICEF in the country and reports to the Regional Director for general direction and oversight. The Representative is responsible for establishing dialogue with the Government to develop the framework of cooperation in the country and for working closely and collaboratively with the Government and national institutions, stakeholders and partners, to develop the Government-UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation in active support of efforts to advance children’s rights as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, other international treaties/frameworks, the SDGs, and UN intergovernmental bodies.

As Head of a large size Country Office, the Representative is responsible for providing leadership and vision to the UNICEF Country Office team in managing and leveraging resources for the achievement of results and realization of the rights of children. The Representative leads and oversees the various programme sectors and operations teams ensuring delivery of quality results in accordance with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework, ethics and integrity. The Representative is accountable for upholding UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability, and ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a non-discriminatory, inclusive and nurturing working environment for all staff and personnel, to enable them to effectively and efficiently deliver high-quality results for children.

How can you make a difference?

The Representative’s key functions and accountabilities include:

• Developing and planning the Country Programme
• Leading and managing the Country Office
• Monitoring and quality control of the Country Programme
• Representation and external relations at global/regional and national level
• Delivering high quality results for children, including in a complex operating environment
• Support to the Resident Coordinator and UN Country Team to advance the UN Cooperation Framework
• Leading resource mobilization efforts and nurturing and strengthening partnerships
• Leading innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
• Safety, security and well-being of staff, programmes and organizational assets

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Qualifications:

• An Advanced University Degree in social sciences, international relations, government and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development or other related fields, is required.
• A minimum of 13 years of professional development experience that combines managerial and technical leadership in development cooperation at the international level, some of which served in developing countries is required. Relevant professional experience in any UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Oral and written proficiency in English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Person Profile:

Proven experience as Representative or other similar senior positions, managing large and complex operations, preferably in an integrated mission environment with a strong policy, humanitarian and advocacy record. In particular:

• Capacity to drive results in complex humanitarian and changing environments.
• Strong dynamism, interpersonal skills and proven capacity to lead and motivate a large team of international and national professionals in unstable/insecure and complex environments
• Political savvy with strong analytical skills and ability to distill complex and sensitive issues.
• Ability to successfully operate under pressure, in a tense environment, and deliver within deadlines.
• Experience in complex national political processes, as well as institutional and public policy changes both at the national and local levels.
• Strong knowledge and hands-on experience in both humanitarian and programme development including emergency/security issues, emergency preparedness and response.
• Proven experience in translating strategic priorities into concrete programmatic actions, identifying and developing opportunities for children, with special emphasis on the implementation of public policies, investment in children, and institutional reforms.
• Ability to strategically position UNICEF as a partner of choice in the development sector, both at the governmental and non-governmental level, to advance national and local initiatives aimed at fulfilling children’s rights.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills, maturity and sensitivity to handle politically sensitive and difficult situations including staff security.
• Capacity to manage/strategize and build institutional capacity.
• Proven ability to successfully work in close partnership, cooperation and complementarity within the UNCT, including key partnerships with Private Sector, Donors, Civil Societies and NGOs.

Country Typology:

• Country Income Level: Venezuela is a lower-middle income country.
• Duty Station: Caracas is a “C”, family duty station.
• Office Size: Venezuela CO current structure is composed of 143 Staff, 32 IPs, 51 NOs, 60 GSs,   (48% F, 52% M).
• Annual Budget: USD$ 55.6 million
• Schooling: There are international private schooling options available, including in the US and British systems as well as IB. In terms of IB options, 1 school offers primary years programme; 2 schools offer middle year programmes; and 10 schools offer diploma programmes.

Brief country context:

• Venezuela’s population in 2018 is estimated in 31.8 million people; 20.7% (6.6 million) are children and 10.5% (3.4 million) are adolescents. In both groups, 51% are men and 49% are women.
• Following eight consecutive years of economic contraction in Venezuela, since 2021 there has been some macroeconomic stabilization, with moderate economic growth  in 2022, ranging between 6 and 18 per cent. Despite this positive macroeconomic outlook, the simultaneous impacts of chronic inflation, global economic instability, sociopolitical tensions and natural hazards aggravated by climate change continue to disproportionally affect children and their families.
• Since 2015, official data has become less available, limiting the monitoring of the situation of children and adolescents. Nonetheless, information from secondary sources has been useful to identify key situations of vulnerability experienced by children, adolescents and their families in Venezuela. Household purchasing power continues to be affected by inflation. While the availability of goods has improved, access to quality and diversified diets is limited due to high food costs, especially for the most vulnerable people. Venezuela is the third country in the world registering an inter-annual food inflation of 158 per cent between November 2021 and 2022. Moreover, estimates suggest that 22.9 per cent of the population is undernourished, while 1.9 million women aged 15–19 are affected by anemia.
• Deteriorated public infrastructure, constrained access to supplies and the loss of professionals (including health workers and teachers) who have left the country continue to stretch the capacity of the health system and jeopardize access to a quality education. Optimal nationwide immunization coverage has not been achieved, while early pregnancies, irregular antenatal consultations, infectious diseases and pregnancy/childbirth complications threaten the survival of newborns and mothers, particularly among adolescents and Indigenous groups. Programme data gathered throughout 2022 in 189 UNICEF-supported healthcare facilities reveals that, on average, 30 per cent of pregnant women accessing services are adolescents, and 39 per cent did not have regular antenatal care contacts. Additionally, since 2019 around 1.2 million children have dropped out of school (about 400,000 per year), while 68 per cent of students lack foundational reading skills. Among the most common reasons for school absenteeism are lack of food at home (46 per cent), inability to afford school supplies (30 per cent), lack of basic services (25 per cent) and having to work (24 per cent).
• Insufficient access to safe water and inadequate sanitation systems remain a concern in Venezuela. Poor water quality and quantity, combined with intermittent access to safe water, particularly in rural and remote areas, make basic handwashing, which is a key disease infection prevention measure, extremely challenging. Three quarters of households experience irregular water service provision. Similarly, in the sanitation sector, 79.9 per cent of people surveyed in 12 states declared having access to waste collection, of which only 46 per cent receive the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
• This situation has also negatively impacted water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in schools and health facilities. UNICEF surveys in 2022 at 450 public schools and 167 healthcare centres in 13 states⁷ show that 74 per cent of schools surveyed had limited access to WASH services and 40 per cent of healthcare facilities had no WASH services at all.
• Disasters associated with natural hazards, including heavy rains and floods, threaten to further aggravate the situation. Heavy rains, mainly in April and October of 2022, caused floods and landslides across Venezuela, damaging 14,000 houses and affecting 26,000 families,¹⁰ primarily in the country’s central region and to the south of Lake Maracaibo in Zulia state. These events impacted on property, infrastructure, livelihoods and human lives.

For every child, you demonstrate…

Core Values 

• Commitment
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Competencies

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others
• Nurtures, leads and manages people

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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This position is classified as “rotational” which means the incumbent is expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

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 may also be 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.