UNICEF is seeking a Health Specialist (Health Emergency Preparedness and Response – HEPR), P‑4 to support governments and UNICEF Country Offices in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from public health emergencies and humanitarian crises. Based within UNICEF’s Centre of Excellence, this role provides high‑quality technical assistance, including surge deployments, to strengthen health systems, ensure continuity of essential services, and uphold the Core Commitments for Children in emergency settings. The position contributes to global health security, multi‑sectoral coordination, and implementation of Pandemic Fund–supported initiatives, directly advancing UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and health emergency priorities.
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 a Calling
How can you make a difference?
UNICEF’s fundamental mission is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does. Guided by its equity strategy, UNICEF prioritizes the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, ensuring that all children have the opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential.
The Global Programme Division (GPD) provides global strategic leadership, policy direction and technical expertise to drive programme excellence across UNICEF. It strengthens country-level implementation through integrated technical support, linking global policy with on-the-ground action to deliver results for children at scale.
Within GPD, UNICEF has established Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Nairobi, Panama, Amman and Bangkok to deliver high-quality, demand-driven technical assistance to Country and Regional Offices, governments and partners. These Centres support policy reform, at-scale programme design, institutional strengthening and humanitarian response, while promoting resilient development.
The frequency, scale and complexity of public health emergencies and humanitarian crises continue to increase, with more than one in six children globally affected. UNICEF’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) programme works across global, regional, national and community levels to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from health emergencies, while ensuring continuity of essential health services. Anchored within the Programme Offer for Technical Assistance, HEPR provides specialized, deployable expertise to strengthen preparedness, coordination, surge response and system recovery in line with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and the Core Commitments for Children.
Join UNICEF’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) team and play a critical role in protecting the health and survival of children in emergencies. As a Health Specialist (HEPR), you will provide technical leadership and hands‑on support to governments, UNICEF Country Offices, and partners to strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery for all‑hazard health emergencies, while ensuring continuity of essential health services.
You will deliver technical advisory support on health emergency preparedness and response, including National Action Plans for Health Security, emergency preparedness planning, and Pandemic Fund–supported programming. The role includes capacity development, strengthening systems, institutions, and workforce readiness at country and regional levels. You will contribute to strategic planning and coordination, support multi‑sectoral and inter‑agency collaboration, and engage in surge deployments during emergencies as required. Through knowledge management, strategic communications, and partnerships, you will help position UNICEF as a trusted leader in health emergency preparedness and response globally.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 
P4_Health Specialist (HEPR).pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements
- Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in public health, medicine, global or international health, health research, health policy and/or management, environmental health services, biostatistics, epidemiology, disaster management, international development, public policy, or social policy.
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Work Experience: A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience at the international level in coordinating health emergency preparedness and response, public health emergencies, or humanitarian health programming, including work in fragile, conflict-affected, or high-risk settings, is required.
Experience in developing countries, including familiarity with managing and delivering health or public health emergency responses, is required. Training in emergency response management, familiarity with children’s rights in the context of health emergency preparedness and response, and experience working with the United Nations system and with international non-governmental humanitarian organizations are required. -
Skills: Knowledge of healthcare and public health systems, including in fragile settings.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities across a varied and dynamic portfolio. Results-driven, with demonstrated ability to translate strategy into action within complex operational environments. - Language Requirements: Fluency in English required.
Desirables
- Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
- Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
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 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.
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 candidates 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.
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.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
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.