Vacancies at UNICEF

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance of the Senior Education Adviser for Gender and Equity (UNGEI), the Education Specialist (Gender Equity) will lead strategic initiatives and provide high-quality technical assistance to UNICEF regional and country offices, governments, and global partners to advance gender equality in and through education. 

You will play a central role in strengthening national education systems to achieve gender equality, supporting Gender-Responsive Education Sector Planning (GRESP), fostering gender-transformative leadership, and addressing harmful gender norms and school-related gender-based violence. You will also contribute to advancing gender equality in education in emergencies and protracted crises, while supporting capacity-strengthening initiatives across UNGEI’s global network. 

In this role, you will provide strategic leadership and coordination for global initiatives such as the Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Gender Technical Assistance Initiative, working closely with governments, donors, and partners to deliver impactful and sustainable results. 

You will generate and apply evidence to inform policy and programming, lead research and learning agendas, and support the development and dissemination of global standards and analytical tools for gender-responsive education systems. You will also engage in high-level advocacy, partnerships, and global platforms to influence policy and mobilize action for girls’ education and gender equality. 

Working collaboratively across UNICEF and UNGEI platforms, you will strengthen partnerships with governments, civil society, and youth movements, contributing to a coordinated and results-driven effort to remove gender-related barriers across the education lifecycle. 

Through your leadership, you will help embed gender-transformative approaches into education systems, policies, and programmes, contributing to improved access, learning outcomes, and skills for girls and marginalized learners globally. Your accountabilities include:

• Leadership, Management, and Coordination
• Techincal Advisory Services and Support
• Research, Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation
• Advocacy, Networking, and Programme Partnership Building
• Programme and Staff Management, Monitoring of Results

Under the guidance of the Senior Education Adviser for Gender and Equity (UNGEI), the Education Specialist (Gender Equity) leads strategic initiatives and provides high-quality technical assistance to advance gender equality in and through education across UNICEF programmes and partnerships. 

The role drives key global initiatives, including the Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI) and the GPE Gender Technical Assistance Initiative, while supporting governments, partners, and UNICEF offices in strengthening gender-responsive education systems and policies. 

The incumbent provides technical advisory services on gender-responsive planning, contributes to research, evidence generation, and monitoring, and supports advocacy and partnership-building to influence policy and scale impact. 

Working collaboratively across UNICEF and UNGEI platforms, the Specialist promotes integrated, gender-transformative approaches, addresses harmful gender norms and school-related gender-based violence, and contributes to sustainable results for girls and marginalized learners globally.

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Education, International Business Relations, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Gender development, women's studies and any other related fields.
• Work Experience: At least 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience leading policy, programme, advocacy, or research initiatives that advance gender equality in and through education.
• Skills: Gender-responsive education sector planning, Policy advisory and systems strengthening, Partnership and stakeholder coordination, Research and evidence generation, Advocacy and global coalition building, Programme management and delivery.
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in both English and French is required. 

Desirables

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• Experience with complex, multi-country, multi-donor interventions with strong research and
  learning agendas.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

go to method of application »

How can you make a difference?

If you are driven to influence global systems and partnerships to deliver results for children at scale, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of WASH globally.

The Senior Adviser, Global Acceleration Programme and Global Initiative lead, reports to the Director WASH (D2) and is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of WASH partnerships and global programme—from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of results. 

In this role, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership in establishing a Global WASH Acceleration Programme and shaping UNICEF’s engagement with public and private sector partners
• Ensure coherence between programmatic priorities, strategies and partnerships, leveraging these to maximize results for children
• Influence global WASH agendas by leveraging UNICEF’s leadership, experience and partnerships
• Lead and coordinate collaboration with key stakeholders, including private sector, international financial institutions and global initiatives
• Strengthen country-level programming by supporting scalable solutions and innovative approaches across diverse contexts
• Represent UNICEF in global fora and networks, contributing to shaping policy discussions and global priorities

This position also serves as a deputy to the Director WASH, contributing to the overall leadership, coordination and strategic direction of the WASH function.

Join our team to shape UNICEF’s global WASH agenda and help deliver results for children at scale. As Senior Adviser, Global Acceleration Programme and Global Initiatives, you will provide strategic leadership to design and drive global WASH partnerships and programmes, from planning through to delivery. 

You will play a central role in ensuring coherence between programmatic priorities and partnerships, while leveraging public and private sector engagement to maximise impact for children. 

Your key areas of responsibility will include:

• Global partnerships and acceleration programme for WASH
• Advisory services and technical support across global, regional and country levels
• Advocacy, networking and partnership building to influence global WASH agendas
• Supporting overall WASH leadership, including deputising for the Director when required

In this role, you will help position UNICEF as a leader in shaping global WASH strategies and partnerships that deliver scalable, sustainable solutions for children.

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An Advanced University Degree in public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering, communication and advocacy or other specialist field related to WASH is required.
• Work Experience: A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in WASH related programmes, including work across multiple country contexts, with demonstrated experience in the strategic design, implementation, and oversight of large scale and/or multi country initiatives.
• Skills:
  • Strategic partnership development, including public and private sector engagement.
  • Analytical and evidence-based decision making, including synthesis of complex information for senior audiences.
  • Advocacy and influencing skills, with the ability to position UNICEF effectively in global and multi stakeholder settings.
  • Strong communication skills, including high-quality written products and confident, engaging public speaking.
  • Programme and project management, including planning, coordination, and delivery at scale.
• Language Requirements: Knowledge of English language at a Proficient/Fluent level is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language.
• Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement / supplement the main degree will be an asset.
• Experience working in fragile and conflict affected, humanitarian, arid, dimate vulnerable, and low access contexts.
• Experience designing, managing, or contributing to large, multi-year, multi country investment portfolios, including urban sanitation and water supply programmes.
• Experience engaging with International Financial Institutions (IFIs), including negotiation, programme design, and implementation support.
• Experience in market shaping and/or innovative financing approaches for WASH.
• Experience influencing or contributing to global WASH agendas and initiatives.
• Experience representing an organization at senior level in high level meetings, partnerships, or global fora.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.