Emergency Specialist

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, operates in over 190 countries and territories with a mission to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. The organization is committed to promoting the rights of every child and offers diverse opportunities for professional and personal development. UNICEF is known for its inclusive culture and attractive compensation and benefits package, aiming to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the children it serves.

Job Overview:
The Emergency Specialist position at UNICEF involves supporting the coordinated planning, implementation, and reporting of UNICEF’s humanitarian response to emergencies, specifically in the context of Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka. The role requires ensuring coherence, accountability, and child-focused delivery across all emergency interventions. The incumbent will coordinate the implementation of emergency priorities, engage in humanitarian coordination mechanisms, and support timely decision-making in a fast-paced operational environment. This position is critical for ensuring that UNICEF's interventions are aligned with the evolving needs of affected children and families, and it involves close collaboration with various stakeholders, including government counterparts and other UN agencies.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the Emergency Specialist include:

• Providing day-to-day coordination and oversight of UNICEF’s Humanitarian Priorities Plan (HPP) response to Cyclone Ditwah.
• Coordinating the implementation of emergency priorities and ensuring alignment across program sections and operations.
• Acting as UNICEF’s internal coordination focal point for the emergency response, facilitating timely decision-making and issue resolution.
• Supporting coordination and tracking of emergency supplies and response inputs, identifying delivery bottlenecks, and ensuring alignment with program priorities.
• Coordinating emergency reporting, including Situation Reports and donor updates, ensuring accuracy and consistency of information.
• Supporting UNICEF’s field presence during the emergency phase, conducting field visits to monitor implementation progress and strengthen links between field teams and central planning processes.
• Maintaining effective coordination with government counterparts, UN agencies, NGOs, and partners to support UNICEF’s humanitarian response.
• Collaborating with senior management to ensure coherence across the humanitarian-development nexus and identify transition priorities for recovery and longer-term programming.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires an advanced university degree in social sciences, public administration, law" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">international law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration, or related disciplines. A combination of management, administration, and relevant technical fields is preferred. Additionally, candidates should have at least 5 years of progressively responsible professional work experience at national and international levels in program/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and administration. Specialized training or experience in emergency response management is highly desirable.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree in fields such as social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration, or other related disciplines. A combination of management and relevant technical fields is preferred, indicating a well-rounded educational background suitable for the complexities of emergency response.

Experience:
The role requires a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional work experience at both national and international levels. This experience should encompass program/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and administration, particularly in developing countries. Specialized training or experience in emergency response management is highly desirable, indicating the need for a candidate who can navigate the challenges of humanitarian crises effectively.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory for this position. Knowledge of another official UN language, such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, is considered an asset, enhancing the candidate's ability to communicate in diverse international contexts and collaborate with various stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is temporary and may involve specific conditions regarding contract duration, seniority level, and full-time or part-time status. UNICEF promotes an inclusive workforce and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including those from underrepresented groups. The organization has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with its aims, including discrimination and abuse. Selected candidates will undergo rigorous background checks, and appointments are subject to medical clearance and visa requirements. UNICEF does not charge any processing fees during the recruitment process.