Deadline: 20 August, 2021

Location: Shire, Ethiopia

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has opened applications for the role of Health Specialist.

Across 190 countries and territories, UNICEF works for every child, everywhere, every day, building a better world for everyone.

Responsibilities

• Ensure comprehensive and current data on health is available to guide design and management of health programmes/projects
• Participate in strategic programme discussion on the planning of health programmes/projects
• Formulate, design and prepare a sector of health programme/project proposal, ensuring alignment with the overall UNICEF strategic plans and country programme, response plan and coherence/integration with UN Development Sustainable Assistance Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies
• Establish specific goals, objectives and strategies and implementation plans for health sector(s) based on results-based planning
• Prepare required documentation for programme review and approval
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes, ensuring integration, coherence and harmonisation of programmes/projects with other UNICEF sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated
• Work collaboratively with the health cluster and partners to contribute to Ethiopia’s humanitarian needs overview and design of an efficient response plan that adequately addresses the needs
• Contribute to preparation of UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) and contribute to resource mobilisation to finance implementation of these actions
• Plan and collaborate with internal and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurement
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts
• Prepare monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and weaknesses in programme and management, identify lessons learnt and use knowledge gained for planning and timely intervention to accelerate achievement of goals
• Actively monitor projects through field visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues, including referral to relevant officials for timely resolution
• Monitor and verify the appropriate use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), confirming compliance with organisational rules, procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity and ensuring timely reporting and liquidation of resources
• Prepare regular/mandated programme/project proposals, briefs and reports for management, donors and partners
• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other partners and donors on interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices and approaches on health and related issues
• Participate in discussions with national partners/clients/stakeholders to promote health and development issues, especially in the areas of emergency preparedness and prevention and treatment of children, mothers, and routine immunisation
• Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use, information or consideration
• Participate in emergency preparedness initiatives programme development and contingency planning, as well as participate in response to emergencies in hot spots
• Support and participate in health cluster activities and initiatives
• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector government counterparts, regional stakeholders and partners/allies/academia through active networking, advocacy and effective communication to build capacity and exchange knowledge/expertise to facilitate the achievement of programme goals
• Prepare communication and information materials for programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for health programmes
• Draft donor proposals, donor reports and advocacy briefs
• Participate or represent UNICEF in appropriate discussions involving UN agencies and plan on health and related issues
• Apply/introduce innovative approaches and good practice to build the capacity of partners and stakeholders and to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results

Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Global/International Health, Health Research, Policy and/or Management, or a related field
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field combined with two additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced degree.
• Five years, minimum, of relevant professional experience in medicine, public health, planning and management in relevant areas of maternal, newborn, and child health at the national/international level
• Relevant experience in health programme/project development and management in any UN system agency or organisation is an asset
• Fluency in English
• Knowledge of a local language is an asset

To apply and for more information, click here.

Photo source: IMF