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, a childwood

The UNICEF Chile Country Office operates within the framework of a High-Income Country (HIC), where UNICEF’s primary role involves providing technical expertise, policy advocacy, and capacity-building support to the government and civil society. Given the evolving context and the strategic focus on adolescents and youth, UNICEF Chile aims to enhance educational opportunities, the development of transferable skills that support adolescents’ autonomy, critical thinking, collaboration, and emotional well-being, and to promote meaningful and sustained adolescent participation through formal and institutionalized mechanisms. These efforts seek to ensure that adolescents can build their life projects, exercise their rights fully, and influence the decisions that affect their present and future. Within this strategic vision, the Education Officer (Skills) NOA plays a crucial role in integrating adolescent and youth participation into educational programming, bridging gaps in educational access, quality, and relevance, and ensuring sustainable development outcomes.

Under the supervision of the Education Officer NOB, the Education Officer (Skills) NOA provides professional technical, operational, and administrative support throughout the programme planning, design, implementation, and monitoring phases. This role is focused specifically on promoting and integrating the development of transferable skills and the construction of life paths, as well as effective adolescent participation through structured platforms such as student councils, advisory boards, and youth-led initiatives. These efforts ensure the achievement of UNICEF’s strategic goals for inclusive and quality education, while fostering adolescent capacities essential for life. Grounded in a rights-based approach, this work recognizes adolescence as a pivotal stage of human development, and positions adolescents as active agents of change.

How can you make a difference? 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
4. Networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

1. Support to programme development and planning
• Research and analyze regional and national political, educational, social and economic development trends. Collect, analyze, verify, and synthesize information to facilitate programme development, design and preparation regarding education and adolescents' development and participation
• Research and analyze national educational trends, focusing on adolescent skills, wellbeing, and participation..
• Support preparation of technical reports and provide inputs for programme preparation and documentation ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevancy of information.
• Contribute to the development/establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of education and other related information for development planning and priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and implementing a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Prepare required documentation and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.

• Work closely and collaboratively with internal colleagues and partners to collect, analyze and share information on implementation issues.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to track implementation progress specifically around adolescent education and participation activities.

• Suggest solutions on routine programme implementation and submit reports to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.

• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.

• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.

• Prepare draft inputs for programme/donor reporting.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Undertake field visits and surveys and share information with stakeholders to assess progress and refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.

• Conduct field visits and collaborate with partners to evaluate and enhance programme implementation, particularly regarding adolescent participation and skills enhancement.

• Provide guidance to government counterparts, NGOs, and other partners on UNICEF policies and best practices related to youth participation and educational innovation.

• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on water, sanitation, hygiene and related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on education programmes.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and alliances, and support fund raising for education programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings and events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of education programmes/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.

• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Provide support in identifying, capturing, synthesizing, and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of stakeholders.

• Identify, document, and share innovative practices and lessons learned related to adolescent education and youth participation.

• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.

• Research, benchmark and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.

• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:

  A university degree in one of the following fields is required: education, psychology, sociology, public administration, or another relevant technical field.

• Work Experience:

  A minimum of one year of relevant professional experience in programme planning, management, or research related to education, youth development, or adolescent participation is required.

  Previous experience working with UNICEF, other UN agencies, or international development organizations is an asset.

• Language Requirements:

  Fluency in English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian) is an asset.

Desirables:

• 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:

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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 diversity profiles 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. 

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Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.