Programme Specialist (Health System Strengthening), P3, Pacific Multi Country Office, Kiribati & Tonga # 136010, #136011 [Temporary Appointments, 364 days] Batch Recruitment of 2 positions

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 health.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands.

How can you make a difference? 

The Programme Specialists (Health System Strengthening – HSS) provide technical, managerial and operational leadership for in-country PHIT activities, a component of a regional initiative supporting Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu to strengthen health systems through enhanced health workforce capacity, expanded digital health innovations, and improved service delivery enabled by regional collaboration. They will act as the UNICEF’s primary in-country coordinators (one located in Tarawa, Kiribati, and the other located in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, with regular missions to Tuvalu), ensuring effective implementation of PHIT activities while maintaining coherence with UNICEF’s broader health and nutrition programming in each country. The roles ensure: effective delivery of country-level, UNICEF-supported PHIT outputs aligned with regional designs, including support to the COE element for PHC elements; strong partnership with the Ministries of Health, Project Management Units (PMUs); oversight of local vendors, consultants, and technical partners as relevant; coherence and complementarity between PHIT activities and UNICEF’s broader health and nutrition programming in Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu, respectively; hands-on implementation support to the PMUs, including M&E system setup, routine tracking of project results, support for annual performance assessments; and compliance with UNICEF policies and procedures and applicable donor requirements, including those of the World Bank and other financing partners.

Summary of Key Functions/Accountabilities:

1. Country programme implementation and coordination

• Lead day-to-day implementation of in-country PHIT activities, ensuring alignment with regional frameworks, standards, and timelines, as well as national health strategies.
• Coordinate with UNICEF Health and Nutrition team on the ground to ensure PHIT activities complement and reinforce broader health and nutrition programming supported by UNICEF in each country.
• Identify risks, bottlenecks, and implementation challenges; propose mitigation measures.
• Monitor delivery, quality and timeliness of contracted services and technical outputs in each country, while ensuring adherence to UNICEF policies and standards, including digital health interoperability and data protection.
• Provide hands-on support to the PMU in each country for: work planning; setting up routine project tracking and M&E system aligned with the Results Framework; data management, quality assurance, and reporting against agreed indicators; and contribution to semi-annual progress reports and annual performance assessments.

2. Technical leadership – health systems strengthening and digital health

• Provide technical guidance to Ministry of Health and PMU on PHC, service delivery models, digital health and health workforce development. Share best practices and approaches in health systems strengthening with government counterparts, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors.
• Contribute to the country’s efforts to develop and/or strengthen: CPD and accreditation framework; health worker registry; telehealth services; deployment of AI-enabled diagnostic and treatment tools; and referral pathways. For digital health interventions, ensure compliance with digital health standards, data protection, cybersecurity, interoperability, ethical AI principles and regulatory requirements.
• Support the PHC elements of the COE in each country, including designing, implementing, and documenting innovative service delivery models, continuity of care in dispersed geographies, and other PHC-related innovations such as effective community outreach and engagement as well as supply chain strengthening.
• Participate in discussions with national partners and other stakeholders to promote health, nutrition and development issues, especially in strengthening health systems.

3. Monitoring, reporting, knowledge management, and capacity building.

• Actively monitor programme implementation on the ground through field visits and exchange of information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks, potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
• Track and report on progress, challenges, and lessons learned for country-based activities. Contribute to preparation of narrative and financial reports for PHIT to the donors and other stakeholders.
• Promote documentation and sharing of good practices and country-specific lessons for regional learning.
• Oversee financial planning, budget execution, and expenditure tracking for PHIT country-specific activities in line with UNICEF policies and procedures as well as the donor requirements.
• Ensure timely and high-quality preparation of narrative and financial reports, results updates and donor submissions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and performance. Support capacity development of team members and national counterparts to promote sustainable results on health system strengthening through mentoring, coaching, and structured learning to ensure effective delivery of PHIT activities.
• Keep abreast of evidence for implementation of best and cutting-edge practices in strengthening health systems.

4. Partnership and coordination

• Serve as UNICEF’s primary in-country focal point for PHIT activities.
• Maintain effective relationships with national government, ministries of health and finance, PMU, and other stakeholders in each country. Facilitate effective collaboration, role clarity, and complementarity among in-country partners.
• Represent UNICEF in national technical working groups and coordination forums relevant to the PHIT Project.
• Prepare communication and information materials relevant to PHIT for programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes.
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) discussions and planning on health system strengthening issues in each country to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNSDCF planning and preparation of health programmes/projects, ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated into the UNSDCF process in development planning and agenda setting.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, health systems, health informatics, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience: 

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in programme or project management in health systems strengthening, digital health or public health.
• Experience working in a developing country is required, ideally some in low-capacity settings.
• Demonstrated experience managing country-level implementation of complex health programmes.
• Work experience in Small Island Developing States and in the Pacific is highly desirable.
• Experience in effective engagement with government counterparts and other stakeholders.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

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 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.

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.