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OpenIGO | International Careers Development Network
UNICEF Jobs

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UNICEF Jobs

Find out everything about Jobs and Careers with UNICEF!

Working for an organization such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is an opportunity that could change your life. The organization combines good remuneration with meaningful work that can help millions of children improve their quality of life. You will be able to construct influential networks as well as receive encouragement to develop professionally. In addition, working for the UNICEF means having a global career with a global reach, in a multicultural and pleasant environment.

Because of the above-mentioned reasons, in addition to a competitive remuneration package, career mobility, and the support that successful candidates receive once they are assigned to a position at the organization, UNICEF Jobs selection processes are highly sought-after by many young professionals, making them highly competitive.

In pursuit of its mission, the OpenIGO network has prepared a comprehensive eBook (UNICEF Careers), as well as support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in this competitive selection process. These services include revising your application documents (curriculum vitae/resume and cover letter) and a mock interview, as per the United Nations model. We also offer a range of packages that combine the eBook with different services!

Download a free sample of our UNICEF Careers Ebook!

Unicef Careers eBook PDF


UNICEF overview

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the leading intergovernmental organization for child protection and support. It operates in 190 countries and has over 13,000 staff members of different nationalities. For the past 70 years the agency has sought to protect the rights of children with the support of governments, NGOs and private organizations. UNICEF helps supply vaccines for developing countries, supports projects linked to quality basic education for children and promotes actions to protect children and young people at risk in different parts of the world.

UNICEF’s main focus: Protection of the rights of children and adolescents.

Themes addressed by the UNICEF:

  • Child protection
  • Gender equality
  • Education
  • Humanitarian action for children
  • Innovation for children
  • Social Inclusion
  • Adolescent development
  • Children with disabilities
  • Communication for development
  • Environment and climate change
  • Supply and logistics
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Current jobs

UNICEF Jobs - Selection Processes

In order to start a career with UNICEF, applicants must know what are the existing recruiting initiatives, their eligibility criteria and different stages of the selection processes, as well as have a broad understanding of the culture and values of this complex international organization.

UNICEF has a varied array of job opportunities that reflect different levels of responsibilities, expertise and duties required in the organization’s activities.

There are 4 categories in UNICEF’s job opportunities roster:

a) UNICEF International Professionals 

They are recruited internationally and work in UNICEF’s duty stations around the world. These professionals act on leadership, managerial or specialist roles that require a lot of technical expertise.

b) UNICEF National Officers (NO)

They are nationals of the country where they work and are responsible for a diverse list of functions. As locals, these staff members have significant knowledge of the country’s setting and its institutions.

c) UNICEF General Service (GS)

They are staff recruited locally and they perform administrative and support activities for the organization in both UNICEF’s headquarters and field duty stations.

d) UNICEF Consultants and individual contractors

They are recruited by UNICEF for their expertise in a specific area. They provide specialized assistance for a diversity of projects and initiatives.

Besides those, UNICEF also has three other programmes: their Junior Professional Officer (UNICEF JPO), a government-sponsored opportunity for young professionals to familiarize themselves with UNICEF’s work; their internship program, which we have presented here; and, finally, their volunteering initiative.

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UNICEF Jobs - General Requirements

Before applying for a vacancy at an organization, it is important to understand which staff profile it employs and looks for in its selection processes. This will help you to: understand if your professional profile fits with what the organization is looking for; to get ready, in order to have greater chances of success in future selection processes, and to prepare better curriculum and application documents required for your application.

Therefore, an overview of the UNICEF staff profile will be presented in this section, so that you will be able to gain a better understanding of what this organization looks for in its human resources.

What are the fields of study required for jobs with UNICEF?

UNICEF’s job opportunities have a diverse range of fields. It is crucial to always check the fields accepted by the specific job opportunity. However, these are some of the most common fields required:

  • Computer Science
  • International Relations
  • Public Health
  • Health Sciences
  • Law
  • Public or Business Administration
  • Social Sciences

As there are many types of job opportunities within UNICEF, they differ in terms of education, language and work experience required. Below is the difference in these criteria for each job opportunity type.

a) UNICEF International Professionals

Education requirement:

International professionals are generally required to have an advanced university degree in an area relevant to UNICEF’s activities. It is important to always check the education requirements of the specific job opportunity you are interested in.

Language requirement:

Proficiency in English and in another language within the UN System (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is required. Knowledge of the language of the country where the job vacancy is located is an advantage in the selection process.

Work experience required:

International professionals are divided into different levels, each with a required minimum number of years of relevant professional work experience. As described in UNICEF’s career page, these are:

  • P-1: Requires one year of relevant professional work experience
  • P-2: Requires two years of relevant professional work experience
  • P-3: Requires five years of relevant professional work experience
  • P-4: Requires eight years of relevant professional work experience
  • P-5: Requires ten years of relevant professional work experience
  • D-1: Requires twelve to thirteen years of relevant professional work experience
  • D-2: Requires over fifteen years of relevant professional work experience

It should be noted that UNICEF’s International Professionals are expected to rotate frequently and work in different regions and settings, including emergency situations.

b) UNICEF National Officers

Education requirement:

National Officers are generally required to have an advanced university degree in an area relevant to UNICEF’s activities. It is important to always check the education requirements of the specific job opportunity you are interested in.

Language requirement:

Proficiency in English and in another language within the UN System (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is required. Knowledge of the local language is mandatory.

Work experience required:

National Officers are divided into different levels, each with a required minimum number of years of relevant professional work experience. As described in UNICEF’s career page, these are:

  • NO-1: Requires one year of relevant professional work experience
  • NO-2: Requires two years of relevant professional work experience
  • NO-3: Requires five years of relevant professional work experience
  • NO-4: Requires eight years of relevant professional work experience
  • NO-5: Requires ten years of relevant professional work experience
  • D-1: Requires twelve to thirteen years of relevant professional work experience
  • D-2: Requires over fifteen years of relevant professional work experience

c) UNICEF General Service

Education requirement:

General Service staff members are required to have completed a secondary education degree, while a first level university degree is considered an advantage.

Work experience required:

General Service staff members are divided into different levels, each with a required minimum number of years of relevant professional work experience. As described in UNICEF’s career page, these are:

  • G-1 to G-4: One to four years of relevant professional work experience
  • G-5 to G-6: Five to six years of relevant professional work experience
  • G-7: Seven or more years of relevant professional work experience
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UNICEF Jobs - Interview

After shortlisting candidates from the application’s pool, UNICEF will invite selected applicants for the assessment phase, which will be comprised of an interview, a reference check and other processes depending on the position level, area of work, and office context.

UNICEF may adopt one of the following interview models for their assessment phase:

Competency-Based Interview

This model is composed of questions aimed to identify, in the candidate, specific behavioral competencies associated with a work position.

Technical Interview

This model is composed of questions focused on the technical aspects of the job to assess the technical expertise of a candidate.

Blended Interview

This model is composed of various forms of questions, such as technical, competency, motivational, situational, scenario and strengths based questions.

Besides that, other types of assessments dynamics are possible to occur in UNICEF’s Selection Process, such as: Presentations, Tests and Exercises, Informal Conversation and other types of technical assessments.

To help you feel more secure and greatly improve your performance during the UNICEF Interview Process, OpenIGO Network has developed a mock interview, as per the United Nations original model, with a specialized professional who has extensive experience.

Click on the link below to find out more about our UN Jobs Mock Interview service:

Mock Interview

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UNICEF Jobs - Contracts

UNICEF offers 3 types of contracts to those hired by the organization:

Fixed-Term Appointment Contracts:

These contracts are generally issued for a period of two years, with a renewal option according to the needs of the organization. These are issued to International Professionals, National Officers and General Service staff.

Temporary Appointment Contracts:

These contracts are time-limited appointments issued for less than one year in order to meet specific short-term requirements, such as a response to emergencies. They are issued to International Professionals, National Officers and General Service staff.

Consultants and Individual Contractors:

These contracts are issued to consultants and individual contractors. They are limited to a maximum cumulative duration of 11.5 months in a 12-month period and can go up to a maximum cumulative duration of 46 months in a 48-month period. When the maximum cumulative contract duration of 46 months is reached, there is a mandatory 12-month break.

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UNICEF Jobs - Salary and Benefits

UNICEF offers remunerations in accordance with United Nations-wide salary scales, policies and practices, therefore being an excellent career choice in terms of payment and benefits.

Salaries

International Professionals

This job category is paid on the basis of salary scales applied worldwide. The level of remuneration is defined by reference to the highest-paying national civil service, and the whole salary and benefits package takes into account dependents and the living expenses at the duty station.

National Officers

This job category is remunerated according to a local salary scale. These scales are reviewed on a periodic basis with reference to comprehensive surveys of the best prevailing conditions of employment in the locality.

General Service Staff

This job category is remunerated according to a local salary scale. These scales are reviewed on a periodic basis with reference to comprehensive surveys of the best prevailing conditions of employment in the locality.

Consultants and Individual Contractors

Both of these job categories are entitled to receive Paid Time off and UN official holidays. The Paid Time Off benefit is pertinent to Individual Contractors who are working full-time and with the same working schedule as staff at the duty station.

Benefits

Tax exemption:

Salaries, grants and allowances paid by the UN to staff are generally free from income tax.

Family allowances:

Depending on your contract, you may be entitled to family allowances, including dependency allowances in case you have an eligible dependent spouse and/or child(ren) and, under certain conditions, an education grant if you have eligible children in school.

Rental subsidy:

International Professionals may qualify for a rental subsidy in case they have recently arrived at the duty station and their rent represents too high a proportion of their total remuneration.

Relocation support:

International Professionals may have their travel and shipping expenses covered when relocating from one duty station to another. An assignment grant may also be provided to them for assistance in meeting initial extraordinary costs when arriving at or relocating to a new duty station.

Hardship benefits:

At emergency and high-risk duty stations, a hardship allowance linked to living and working conditions is paid to International Professionals, and where there are restrictions on bringing family members, a non-family hardship allowance is also paid. International Professionals may also receive hazard remuneration and a rest and recuperation break when they serve in locations where the conditions are particularly hazardous, stressful and difficult.

Holidays and leave:

Depending on your contract, you will be entitled to 18 to 30 days of vacation per year. In addition, the UN also observes 10 paid holidays per year; these differ from duty station to duty station. International Professionals may also be eligible for home leave travel to renew social, cultural and family ties in their home country.

Maternity, paternity, adoption:

Staff members of any gender or sex can benefit from parental leave entitlements, regardless of how they become parents. This includes mothers, fathers, parents via surrogacy or adoption, and primary and secondary caregivers.

Health insurance:

All staff are eligible to participate in one of the UN-sponsored medical insurance plans, which include dental insurance. The monthly premiums are co-shared by yourself and the organization.

Retirement pension:

If you have a staff appointment of six months or more or complete six months of service without an interruption, you become a participant in the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund. A compulsory contribution will be deducted from your monthly salary.

Career Support:

UNICEF’s career management, learning, performance management and mobility programs are available to provide the staff with conditions to advance in their careers.

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Links

UNICEF Jobs webpage:

https://jobs.unicef.org/

Contact for inquiries:

https://www.unicef.org/about-unicef/contact-us

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