Planning Manager (P-4), Temporary Appointment, #00136540, NYHQ/Public Partnerships Division – USA, 6.5 months (Parental Leave Coverage)

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 Digital future

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do.

Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide. The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For more information about UNICEF and its work, please visit: www.unicef.org

The Public Partnerships Division (PPD) leads UNICEF to secure quality public sector income for all children, promotes international development and humanitarian resources for child focused outcomes, and facilitates UNICEF’s intergovernmental and interagency engagement to champion child rights. The Division does this through its core functions of income, influence, insights and stewardship by: maintaining and expanding flexible resources for children from a diverse range of key international development and humanitarian partners; leading UNICEF’s engagement with public sector partners globally; providing strategic insights and analytics on public partnerships; undertaking evidence-based influence & engagement with public sector partners to raise income and to champion child rights; providing global strategic direction, guidance and oversight of the public partnerships function.

The position serves as the PPD’s sole strategic planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation function, ensuring alignment of PPD’s activities with UNICEF’s corporate planning and reporting processes. The incumbent leads PPD’s engagement in the Structured Funding Dialogue with the Executive Board and Funding Compact commitments, coordinating senior leadership inputs and cross-divisional processes. The role provides strategic analysis and policy advice to inform executive decision-making and representation in various external and internal governance forums. It strengthens divisional performance monitoring, reporting, and evaluation coordination.

Key Functions, Accountabilities and Related Duties and Tasks:

• Orchestrate UNICEF’s Structured Funding Dialogue with the Executive Board: In close coordination with teams, lead end-to-end preparation and delivery of the Structured Funding Dialogue and Funding Compact annex for the Executive Board Second Regular Session; coordinate internal clearance with Division leadership and OED in line with the OSEB planning calendar; prepare senior leadership presentations and briefs; provide real-time support to leadership during the session and decision negotiations.
• Lead on PPD strategic planning and performance monitoring: Coordinate mid-year review, and corporate reporting to systematically track and strengthen PPD’s results across core functions of income, influence, insights and stewardship.
• Provide strategic advisory for PPD leadership: Provide strategic analysis and policy-relevant insights to inform executive decision-making and high-level engagement; support leadership in adequately representing PPD in cross-organizational workstreams and governance forums (GMT, RMTs).
• Support thematic funding procedure and partner engagement: Support development of the 2026–2029 Thematic Funding Procedure in collaboration with PFP, GPD, EMOPS and relevant Divisions/Offices; strengthen PPD engagement with public sector partners to mobilize thematic funding; develop corporate guidance and facilitate learning (e.g., webinars) for CO/RO thematic reporting.
• Strengthen inter-agency coherence: Coordinate with UN partners (UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women) to harmonize messaging on the Structured Funding Dialogue, share knowledge, and undertake joint analysis on the Funding Compact.
• Serve as Division focal point for evaluation: Coordinate divisional inputs into corporate and thematic evaluations related to public partnerships and translate evidence into actionable management and policy decisions.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Terms of Reference (TORs) – Planning Manager, TA, P4, post 136540.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

1. Education: Advanced university degree in international relations, international development, social sciences, political science, economics, statistics or a related field is required.
2. Work Experience: Minimum of 8 years of progressive professional experience in strategic planning, analysis, program coordination/management or related field. Proven experience leading and coordinating organization-wide and/or interdivisional processes. Solid background in corporate planning, monitoring, reporting, and related corporate systems.
3. Skills: Excellent analytical and strategic writing skills is a must; demonstrated experience drafting and coordinating official Executive Board documentation.
4. Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

1. Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
2. Strong interpersonal and influencing skills to work effectively across Divisions and Cones, and experience within the UN system is an asset.
3. 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

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, 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.