The Security Manager (P-4), serving as Deputy to the Regional Adviser Security, provides leadership, analysis, and technical support to strengthen security risk management across the ECAMENA region. The role focuses on guiding country offices, enhancing preparedness and coordination, and integrating security into operations to reduce risks in complex and high-risk environments.
This is a re-advertisement, candidates who have already applied do not need to re-apply.
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 Future
The ECAMENA Regional Office leverages expertise and scale across a diverse and rapidly evolving region that is playing an increasingly important role in shaping global agendas on the realization of child rights, human capital, migration, climate, equity, and digital transformation. It supports the achievement of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan results in the context of rising needs and constrained resources. The region encompasses all country typologies, including high-income, middle-income, and low-income contexts, as well as fragile and conflict-affected settings, each with distinct development trajectories and policy drivers. This requires differentiated approaches, agile business models, strategic partnerships, and strengthened risk management. The region is further shaped by ongoing challenges such as conflict, migration, economic volatility, and varying degrees of political openness and reform. At the same time, countries across the region are connected by shared challenges and opportunities, including investment in the early years, addressing learning gaps and equipping adolescents and young people with 21st-century skills, the need for resilient national systems, and the imperative to strengthen child rights governance. In this context, the ECAMENA Regional Office acts in line with the organization’s value proposition for Regional Offices through: (i) strategic leadership and governance; (ii) regional and political representation and engagement; (iii) programme oversight, knowledge, and foresight; (iv) digital transformation and innovation; (v) people-centered management; (vi) financial and risk management; (vii) supply and logistics; (viii) emergency preparedness and response; (ix)communication and strategic advocacy; and (x) partnerships and financing.
Within this framework, the security function is a critical enabler of acceptance, access, operational continuity, and UNICEF’s ability to stay and deliver across the ECAMENA region. The function provides authoritative security advice, analysis, and quality assurance to the Regional Office, Centre of Excellence, and Country Offices, enabling risk-informed decision-making in a region characterized by complex emergencies, fragile settings, cross-border risks, and evolving threats to personnel, assets, and programme delivery. In line with the ECAMENA operating model, the security function advances four mutually reinforcing areas of work: strategic security risk management; evidence-informed analysis; region-wide security mainstreaming, culture and empowerment; and inter-agency coordination. The function is supported by broader regional security capacity across the region, including this post as deputy support to the Regional Adviser Security.
How can you make a difference?
Under the direct supervision of the Regional Adviser Security (P-5), the Security Manager (P-4) serves as the Deputy to the Regional Adviser Security for the ECAMENA Regional Office and provides high-quality security leadership, analysis, and technical expertise to the Regional Office and Country Offices across the region. The post plays a leading technical role in advancing strategic security risk management, evidence-informed analysis, region-wide security mainstreaming, and inter-agency coordination across ECAMENA, while providing authoritative technical advice, within established parameters, to senior regional and country management on person-centered security risk management approaches, broader security procedures, contingency planning, preparedness, access-related strategies, compliance, and operational security requirements. The role serves as a key technical expert to Country Offices in strengthening security analysis and risk mitigation measures and contributes to reducing risks to personnel, eligible family members, premises, assets, programmes, and operations in complex and high-risk environments. The incumbent also supports regional emergency response through surge deployments, country missions, capacity building, training, and thematic analysis of insecure environments, while helping ensure that security considerations are integrated into preparedness, programme continuity, and decision-making across the diverse ECAMENA context. In the absence of the Regional Adviser Security, the post acts as Officer-in-Charge on delegated technical matters, within established parameters, to help ensure continuity of the regional security function.
Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks
Within the delegated authority and organizational structure, the incumbent may hold primary, shared, or contributory accountabilities for the following major duties and key outcomes:
- Regional Security Risk Management, Quality Assurance, and Planning
- Regional Security Analysis, Technical Services and Functional Continuity
- Programmatic Security Analysis, Access, and Decision Support
- Technical Security Coordination, External Liaison, and Partnership Building
- Regional Security Compliance, Technical Oversight, and Risk Escalation
- Security Innovation, Regional Learning, and Capacity Building
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:
JD - Security Manager_P4_136998.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
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Education: An advanced university degree (Master's Degree or equivalent) in one of the following fields is required: security risk management, international relations, conflict analysis, intelligence analysis, diplomatic studies, conflict and security, counter-terrorism, political science, or another related field. Equivalent formal security training, such as police or military senior command training, may be accepted where relevant.
A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. This is applicable to internal (FT, Continuing and Permanent) staff only. - Work Experience: minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience in security risk management, security analysis, security preparedness or related areas in an international context is required. Demonstrated international security management experience in emergency and/or conflict contexts, and sound understanding of the United Nations Security Management System, are required.
- Experience operating in humanitarian and emergency settings is required.
- Skills: regional security analysis, security risk management, quality assurance, compliance oversight, security capacity building, technical advisory
- Language Requirements: Proficiency (Written & Oral) in English is required.
Desirables:
- Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
- Experience providing authoritative technical advice to senior management, Country Offices, or security decision-makers in high-risk contexts is highly desirable.
- Experience in regional security analysis, security risk management quality assurance, compliance oversight, and security capacity building in complex or multi-country environments is highly desirable.
- Experience supporting security preparedness, contingency planning, access-related security analysis, or programme continuity in emergency or fragile settings is highly desirable. Experience within the regional context of the position is desirable.
- Experience in conflict or post-conflict contexts is desirable. Women’s Security Awareness Training (WSAT) certified trainer is considered an asset.
- Trainer and Development Course (TDC) for Safe and Secure Approaches in Field Environments (SSAFE) and Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) is considered an asset. Security Analysis Process and Practice (SAPP) certification is an asset.
- 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.
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.