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, an advocate.
UNICEF Somalia | UNICEF Somalia
Organizational context
Somalia has faced long-standing conflicts, political instability, and insecurity, compounded by droughts, floods, and food shortages. These factors have significantly impacted the health of the population and severely disrupted Somalia’s delicate healthcare system, leading to some of the poorest health outcomes for mothers and children worldwide.
The leading causes of under-five mortality are pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles, and malnutrition, with pneumonia and diarrhoea alone claiming 21% and 18-20% of under-five deaths, respectively, while the leading causes of maternal mortality are postpartum haemorrhage and hypertension disorders.
The Somali Federal Ministry of Health, acknowledging that despite significant improvements in health outcomes for women, children, and adolescents over recent decades, progress has stalled. The trend is further exacerbated by worsening rates of malnutrition, poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene, low health literacy for young people, and the impacts of conflict, climate change, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as well as other social determinants of health. These have impeded efforts to fulfil relevant commitments made to advance the objectives and targets of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030) and the related road maps.
In the recent past, Somalia has demonstrated its willingness to turn the tide at the highest political level. The country proposed and obtained the 77th World Health Assembly’s approval of the resolution on accelerated progress towards reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.1 and 3.2.
In 2025, Somalia introduced the Pneumococcal and Rota vaccines, which have the potential to prevent approximately 40% of deaths among children under five caused by pneumonia and diarrhea, two of the leading causes of death in this age group. Immunizing children against these deadly pathogens can significantly reduce the burden of illness and mortality, thus protecting the health and well-being of countless young lives.
UNICEF aims to build on the progress to achieve even more ambitious results. Through advocacy, UNICEF will continue to focus on creating sustainable public and political support for vaccination and child health. This support will generate significant new policy and financial commitments to improve equal access to all childhood vaccinations and aid the revival and acceleration of primary healthcare (PHC) to prevent maternal and child mortality. A key focus will be on integrating health, nutrition, and immunization services to ensure continuity of care throughout life, from the maternal and newborn stages through childhood and adolescence.
Furthermore, this position will support the government to develop and implement communication plans to promote public health goals, especially concerning immunization and child health.
How can you make a difference?
Purpose of the job:
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
Organizational context
Somalia has faced long-standing conflicts, political instability, and insecurity, compounded by droughts, floods, and food shortages. These factors have significantly impacted the health of the population and severely disrupted Somalia’s delicate healthcare system, leading to some of the poorest health outcomes for mothers and children worldwide.
The leading causes of under-five mortality are pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles, and malnutrition, with pneumonia and diarrhoea alone claiming 21% and 18-20% of under-five deaths, respectively, while the leading causes of maternal mortality are postpartum haemorrhage and hypertension disorders.
The Somali Federal Ministry of Health, acknowledging that despite significant improvements in health outcomes for women, children, and adolescents over recent decades, progress has stalled. The trend is further exacerbated by worsening rates of malnutrition, poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene, low health literacy for young people, and the impacts of conflict, climate change, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as well as other social determinants of health. These have impeded efforts to fulfil relevant commitments made to advance the objectives and targets of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030) and the related road maps.
In the recent past, Somalia has demonstrated its willingness to turn the tide at the highest political level. The country proposed and obtained the 77th World Health Assembly’s approval of the resolution on accelerated progress towards reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.1 and 3.2.
In 2025, Somalia introduced the Pneumococcal and Rota vaccines, which have the potential to prevent approximately 40% of deaths among children under five caused by pneumonia and diarrhea, two of the leading causes of death in this age group. Immunizing children against these deadly pathogens can significantly reduce the burden of illness and mortality, thus protecting the health and well-being of countless young lives.
UNICEF aims to build on the progress to achieve even more ambitious results. Through advocacy, UNICEF will continue to focus on creating sustainable public and political support for vaccination and child health. This support will generate significant new policy and financial commitments to improve equal access to all childhood vaccinations and aid the revival and acceleration of primary healthcare (PHC) to prevent maternal and child mortality. A key focus will be on integrating health, nutrition, and immunization services to ensure continuity of care throughout life, from the maternal and newborn stages through childhood and adolescence.
Furthermore, this position will support the government to develop and implement communication plans to promote public health goals, especially concerning immunization and child health.
Purpose of the job:
Given the foregoing, advocating for immunization and continued investments in child survival will be to the country achieving its commitments in the National Transformation Plan and other national and international commitments. The purpose of this job is to:
- Strengthen political urgency to stop cVDPV2 transmission in Somalia, with a specific focus on zero dose children and high-risk populations (people living in inaccessible areas, IDPs, security-compromised, nomadic settlements, cross-border and urban-slum areas), particularly in Southern and Central Somalia States.
- Enhance high-level political commitment and leadership that places primary health care at the centre of health service delivery.
- Increase public awareness and support for newly introduced PCV and Rota vaccines.
- Advocate for political commitment to allocating budgetary resources for GAVI co-financing obligation.
- Enhance communication and advocacy capacity among federal and state level partners and GPEI partners to advocate and communicate during outbreaks as part of an outbreak response team.
- Create a groundswell of support among community leaders and influencers, devise a strong narrative on immunization and child survival in Somalia, and communicate key messages to constituencies with political leverage such as parliamentarians and community leaders. UNICEF will use every opportunity possible, including meetings with senior government leaders at federal and state levels, public events, media engagements, and social media, to raise the public profile of polio eradication and immunization in general.
- The Advocacy Specialist is accountable for coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating strategies to achieve positive outcomes for children. This includes supporting the implementation of national advocacy strategies.
The Advocacy Specialist will report to the Chief of Communication (Level 5) and is expected to work closely with the immunization team in UNICEF Somalia’s Health section.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 
JD - Advocacy Specialist PEI Immunization.docx
Minimum requirements:
-
An Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or higher) in Public Health is required.
- *A first level university degree with an additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
-
At least five (5) years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in PEI/immunization in Somalia.
Experience in leading the development and implementation of advocacy strategies, with clear theories of change, with specific, measurable and timebound objectives and performance indicators.
-
A track record of achieving or contributing to tangible policy change.
-
Proven experience in deploying a range of advocacy tactics based on a clear theory of change.
-
Experience in building and maintaining a network of advocacy stakeholders, and in working with advocacy coalitions.
-
Strong communicator with emphasis on being able to present complex policy ideas in succinct, engaging ways through campaign narratives and creative tactics.
-
Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including budget management and monitoring and evaluation of results.
-
Knowledge of international development, humanitarian issues and children’s rights.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language (Somali) is an asset.
Desirables:
- Experience in training and facilitation is an asset.
- 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
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 | 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 [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] 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.
