Adolescent Development Officer (Gender & Adolescence), (P-2), Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, #134311, [Temp Appointment: 364 days]

Join us as the next Adolescent and Gender Officer! Are you passionate about empowering adolescents and advancing gender equality? As Adolescent and Gender Officer, you’ll support the integration of adolescent development and participation especially for girls and young women across all sectors of the Equatorial Guinea Programme. You’ll help design, implement, monitor, and report on impactful initiatives that promote protection, engagement, and empowerment. If you're ready to make a difference, read the full job ad and apply today!

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 empowerment

UNICEF’s Country Programme in Equatorial Guinea (2024–2028) places a strong emphasis on advancing the rights and well-being of adolescents, especially adolescent girls, as a strategic priority to accelerate equitable and sustainable development. The programme recognizes that investing in adolescent development and participation is critical to breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty and discrimination, addressing gender inequalities, and fostering inclusive national progress.

In this context, the Adolescent Development Officer (Gender & Adolescence) will ensure the integration of adolescent development and gender equality, particularly for adolescent girls and young women, in all stages of programme design and implementation. The Officer will also engage with government entities, civil society organizations, youth-led networks, and other UN agencies to strengthen national capacity and commitment to adolescent- and gender-responsive policies and services.

How can you make a difference? 

The Adolescent Development Officer (Gender & Adolescence) provides professional technical, operational, and administrative support throughout the programming cycle to ensure the integration of adolescent development, participation, and gender equality -particularly for adolescent girls and young women- within the Country Programme. The Officer contributes to the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of programmes and projects that promote the empowerment, protection, and active engagement of adolescents across sectors.

1. Support to programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
4. Advocacy, networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: [attach JD/TOR here]

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:

A university degree (Bachelor's degree) in one of the following fields is required: in the social sciences (i.e. gender and development, sociology, demography, psychology, political science, social policy or economics), public health, public policy, public administration, international development, or in an area relevant to UNICEF’s sectoral work (e.g. Gender, Adolescent Development and Participation, Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, Social Inclusion, HIV/AIDs, etc.).

• Work Experience:

A minimum of two years of professional experience in social development planning and management on  gender transformative programming focused on adolescent girls and adolescent development & participation with a proven track record in at least two of the following areas: HIV prevention, SRHR & adolescent health, climate action and environmental education for adolescents and youth, and/or transferable skills development in formal and non-formal settings is required.

• Language Requirements: Proficient English & Spanish is required

Desirables:

• Academic credentials in gender.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization.
• Experience working with or providing support to government systems, adolescent and youth-led organizations and multi-sectoral partners, especially in the design or implementation of inclusive, community-based and adolescent-responsive interventions aligned with UNICEF's Strategic Plan priorities.
• Fluency in English and Spanish. Knowledge of another official UN language (particularly French or Portuguese) or a local language.
• If the selected candidate is not fluent in Spanish, they will be required to develop and implement a structured language development plan to achieve working fluency in both spoken and written Spanish within the first six months of the assignment.

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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 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. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable young people are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member’s original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.