Emergency Specialist (Preparedness), P-4, Fixed Term Position, RAPS, Office of Emergency Operations, Rome, #00133320

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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Chance

As emergencies become more frequent, and resources invested in humanitarian action grow, expectations for UNICEF to deliver on the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs) in a timely and effective manner increase. Emergency preparedness significantly enhances UNICEF’s ability to meet these expectations, not only saving lives, but making our emergency operations faster, greener and more cost-efficient. Emergency preparedness at UNICEF is being increasingly mainstreamed as everyone’s responsibility, beyond specific functions or typical emergency contexts.

The Risk Analysis and Preparedness Section (RAPS) in UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) main purpose is to support UNICEF in being ready to meet the CCCs in humanitarian emergencies. Thus, it focuses on ensuring that UNICEF anticipates future events that could adversely affect children’s lives and prospects, prepares for emergency responses as part of longer-term development goals, and has the resources to implement preparedness actions.

UNICEF has made preparedness planning mandatory and adopted new and more systemic ways promoting it across the organization and in its work with partners. The mandatory Procedure on Preparedness for Emergency Response ensures that preparedness is mainstreamed across UNICEF. It includes mandatory Minimum Preparedness Actions and Minimum Preparedness Standards for Country Offices (CO), Regional Offices (RO) and Headquarters (HQ). The Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP) is an online tool for implementing the procedure. The EPP helps teams analyze risks, self-assess and monitor their operational preparedness. and identify high-return actions to get ready for immediate response. EMOPS supports RO and CO emergency preparedness efforts through guidance and capacity building, technical assistance related to the EPP, as well as capacity within EMOPS to frequently scan the horizon for imminent risks.

Purpose of the Job:	Under the supervision of the Chief of the Risk Analysis and Preparedness Section (RAPS), the Emergency Specialist (Preparedness) will work to strengthen global, regional and country early warning and preparedness systems and capacities to improve readiness for humanitarian response.
Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:	Under the guidance of the Section Chief, RAPS, the Emergency Preparedness Specialist will: 1. Initiate, lead and support policy development and capacity-building for emergency preparedness: – Act as the preparedness focal point for UNICEF, in direct support to COs and ROs, and in coordination with HQ divisions. – Review and update the emergency preparedness procedure and related guidance documents, within UNICEF at with inter-agency partners. – Represent UNICEF in inter-divisional discussions. seeking linkages to address risk analysis and preparedness more comprehensively as an organization. – In collaboration with other divisions, develop guidance on preparedness for anticipatory action and global level catastrophes including pandemics. – Support the implementation of the Humanitarian recommendations related to preparedness. – Document good practices and lessons learned in preparedness. 2. Lead the improvement and effective use of the Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP), and related preparedness efforts: – Review the EPP’s fitness for purpose and develop structural improvements as needed. – Develop and update EPP guidance and resources; link guidance on anticipatory action and preparedness for global emergencies to the EPP. – Support COs and ROs in capacity building efforts to promote the effective use of the EPP. – Coordinate with ICTD, GSSC and others as relevant on software feature design and improvement, user acceptance testing, planning, monitoring, and troubleshooting. – Coordinate and provide technical assistance to ROs and COs in implementing the EPP, including quality assurance. – Connect analysis of CO preparedness levels/capability to UNICEF’s horizon scanning and risk analysis work. 3. Support and monitor implementation of preparedness funds, support fundraising efforts and facilitate reporting: – Support and monitor the implementation of preparedness funds allocated by EMOPS. – Collaborate with the Private Partnerships Division (PPD), the Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP) and other relevant actors on reporting and fundraising. Coordinate annual reporting, Executive Board updates, Consolidated Emergency Report, and other reporting requirements. – Provide briefings and promote data analysis on emergency preparedness to senior management. 4. This position can be deployed in the field as required to support Country Offices and Regional Offices.
Impact of Results:	Increased preparedness of COs, ROs and HQ divisions to respond to humanitarian crises in line with the CCCs (Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action). Improved integration of preparedness into regular planning processes and actions, with a focus as well on specific thematic areas. Core mandate and priorities of UNICEF well-reflected in interagency preparedness priorities and community-level preparedness efforts supported. Increased resources available to support emergency preparedness efforts across the organization.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  SJD P4 ES (Preparedness) (5).pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in International Studies, Public Administration, Development Studies, Social Science, Humanitarian Affairs and any other related fields.
  A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional work experience in preparedness and/or humanitarian action is required.
• Skills: Experience of work in risk analysis, emergency preparedness and/or anticipatory action at national, regional and HQ level is required.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in both written and spoken English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• Experience in policy development and coordinating multi-stakeholder processes is a strong advantage. Complementary experience in international development is an advantage. Demonstrated familiarity with quantitative tools for data and risk analysis is an advantage.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, all eligible and suitable candidates 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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.