UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate and proud of what we do. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career, while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, commitment
How can you make a difference?
There is increasing recognition that addressing inequities—by investing in the health, education, and protection of the most disadvantaged children—not only helps every child reach their full potential but also promotes long-term national growth and stability. This focus on equity lies at the heart of UNICEF’s mission, as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and is central to the 2020–2024 Strategic Plan, which emphasizes helping children survive, thrive, and transform. Achieving this requires integrated, multisectoral efforts that address the root causes of ill health and support strong community health systems, enabling equitable access to quality primary health care through government-supported community health workers. To further these goals, UNICEF and Africa CDC have launched an Expanded Partnership for 2024–2027 through a Joint Action Plan (JAP), aiming to strengthen resilient and digitally enabled health systems that reach underserved populations. The partnership, aligned with the SDGs and Agenda 2063, focuses on improving community-level primary health care, immunization, and emergency preparedness. As part of this effort, UNICEF supports the Community Health Delivery Partnership (CHDP)—a platform that coordinates investments and technical support across sectors and levels to expand and finance community-based primary health care, reinforcing regional and country-level coordination mechanisms for community health and nutrition.
Join our team and play a vital role in transforming community health systems across Africa.
Under the guidance of the Associate Director for PHC/MNCAH, and in close collaboration with teams at Africa CDC, this position offers a unique opportunity to drive progress in expanding Primary Health Care at the community level. The selected candidate will provide strategic and technical leadership to support the implementation of community health initiatives under the Joint Action Plan (JAP), contributing directly to the ambitious goals of the UNICEF–Africa CDC Expanded Partnership Framework.
You will lead efforts to design, manage, monitor, and evaluate community health strategies that are essential to building stronger and more resilient PHC systems. In coordination with the HEPR team, your work will also help ensure that these systems are better equipped to detect, prevent, and respond to public health emergencies.
If you're passionate about making a tangible impact on health systems in Africa and advancing community-level care, we encourage you to apply.
The role entails leading strategic and technical support to African Union Member States in strengthening community health systems and scaling institutionalized community-based primary health care (PHC) programs. The incumbent will guide the development of evidence-based policies, resource mobilization efforts, and monitoring and evaluation systems aligned with continental frameworks. They will also ensure coherence with global efforts, particularly through alignment with the Community Health Delivery Partnership (CHDP), and support capacity-building for governments and partners to improve service delivery and sustainability. Additionally, the role includes supporting Africa CDC’s engagement in programme reporting, donor relations, and high-impact intervention tracking.
The incumbent will also represent Africa CDC in regional and global forums, ensuring that Africa’s community health priorities are effectively advocated. They will lead partnerships and strategic alliances, promote cross-sectoral linkages, and contribute to continental policy development, knowledge management, and training initiatives. This includes supporting emergency preparedness, implementation research, and the creation of peer learning platforms, all aimed at advancing resilient and equitable community-based PHC systems across Africa.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Medicine, Public Health, Sociology, Pediatric or family health, global/international health, health policy and management, environmental health sciences, health research, biostatistics, socio-medical sciences, health education, epidemiology, or another relevant health-related discipline and any other related fields.
Work Experience: At Least 10 years of relevant work experience in Health, Public health planning and management, and/or in relevant areas of child and community health, and health emergency/humanitarian preparedness at the international level, with some of this experience preferably in a developing country.
Skills: Capacity Building, Collaboration, Communication, Community Engagement, Emergency Preparedness, Policy Development, Resource Mobilization, Service Delivery, Sustainability, Programme Development, Project Development, Implementation
Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.
Desirables
- Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language.
- Experience in Health Programme, Project Development, and Project Management, particularly in emergency or humanitarian contexts
- Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergencies
- Proven skills in Knowledge Management, Capacity Building, and Advocacy
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 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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.
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's active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. 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.
In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.
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.
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.
