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, the right to Health
How can you make a difference?
The assignment will support the development of a Child Survival Operational Plan for Somalia to accelerate progress in reducing under-five, newborn and maternal mortality, in line with national strategies. The plan will focus on improving coverage and quality of high-impact interventions to prevent and manage morbidity and mortality, while strengthening primary health care delivery platforms. It will also emphasize the operationalization and scale-up of quality MNCH interventions that remain limited across the service delivery continuum.
If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: External ToR TMC0008378.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...
Minimum requirements:
- Minimum requirements:
- Education: Master’s degree in public health, Pediatric or another relevant subject
- Work Experience:
- At least 15 years of progressively responsible national and/or international experience in public health planning, primary health care, RMNCAH, child health, child survival, or health systems strengthening.
- Proven technical expertise in child health, child survival, maternal and newborn health, primary health care, or integrated service delivery, preferably in a senior advisory, managerial, or technical leadership role.
- Demonstrated experience developing national or sub-national child survival, RMNCAH, primary health care, or health sector operational plans, including monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks and advocacy or implementation plans.
- Experience working in low- and middle-income countries, fragile or humanitarian settings, and a strong understanding of health system challenges in Somalia or comparable contexts.
- Skills:
- Strong strategic planning, analytical, facilitation, advocacy, communication, and partnership-building skills.
- Excellent ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to government, UN, donor, partner, and community stakeholder audiences.
- Excellent technical writing skills, including the ability to produce high-quality operational plans, analytical reports, consultation summaries, and results frameworks.
- Strong knowledge of UNICEF, WHO, government and partner-led health programming, and familiarity with global child survival, RMNCAH, PHC and SDG health frameworks.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel, with the ability to synthesize data and evidence into clear planning documents and presentation materials.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
- Desirables:
- Previous experience supporting development or implementation of child survival, RMNCAH, PHC or health sector operational plans in Somalia, the Horn of Africa, or similar fragile and humanitarian contexts is highly desirable.
- Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations with ministries of health, UN agencies, development partners, technical working groups and civil society organizations is an asset.
- Knowledge of Somalia’s health system, federal and state-level coordination structures, and key national health strategies is an advantage.
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
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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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 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.
Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):
- An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
- Cover letter
- A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal template TMC0008378.docx
- A detailed technical proposal: Applicants are required to submit a concise technical proposal (maximum 5 pages, excluding CV and annexes) in English, covering the following:
- Methodology: understanding of the assignment and proposed approach to reviewing existing documents and developing the national, Somaliland and Puntland Child Survival Operational Plans and the MLE framework.
- Workplan: a timeline of key activities and deliverables aligned with the deliverable schedule in this ToR.
- Stakeholder engagement approach: proposed approach for consultation and consensus-building with the Federal and State Ministries of Health, the RMNCAH Taskforce, UN agencies and partners.
Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
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.
