The Chief of Health will provide strategic leadership for UNICEF's health programme, overseeing a broad portfolio encompassing maternal, newborn and child health, immunization, disease prevention, health system strengthening, emergency preparedness and response, and health equity. The role requires a leader who can navigate complexity, engage effectively with de facto authorities and partners, and balance immediate humanitarian priorities with sustainable systems strengthening.
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
UNICEF's fundamental mission is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in programmes, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy translates this commitment into action by focusing on the most disadvantaged and excluded children. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an equal opportunity to survive, develop and thrive. Investing in the health and well-being of the most vulnerable women and children is not only a moral imperative it is essential for building resilient communities and supporting long-term stability and development.
How can you make a difference?
UNICEF works in some of the world's most challenging contexts to uphold the rights of every child. Afghanistan remains one of the most complex humanitarian and development environments globally. Decades of conflict, economic shocks, climate-related crises, disease outbreaks and widespread poverty continue to place enormous pressure on the health system and the lives of women and children.
UNICEF Afghanistan is seeking an experienced, strategic and highly accomplished Chief of Health to lead one of UNICEF's largest and most influential health programmes worldwide. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape health outcomes at scale in a fragile and rapidly evolving context, where strong leadership, sound judgement and effective partnerships are critical to delivering results for children and women.
The Chief of Health will provide strategic leadership for UNICEF's health programme, overseeing a broad portfolio encompassing maternal, newborn and child health, immunization, disease prevention, health system strengthening, emergency preparedness and response, and health equity. The role requires a leader who can navigate complexity, engage effectively with de facto authorities and partners, and balance immediate humanitarian priorities with sustainable systems strengthening.
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
- Provide strategic and managerial leadership to the Health Section, setting priorities, managing performance, and ensuring delivery of results in line with UNICEF's strategic objectives.
- Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of UNICEF's health strategy and programme portfolio, ensuring evidence-based planning and adaptive management in a dynamic operating environment.
- Guide programme quality, monitoring, risk management and accountability, ensuring effective use of resources, strong oversight and timely donor reporting.
- Provide high-level technical and policy advice to government counterparts, donors, UN agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders on maternal, newborn and child health, health system strengthening, outbreak response and emergency preparedness.
- Lead UNICEF's engagement in health sector coordination mechanisms and represent the organization in strategic discussions with government, donors, international financial institutions and development partners.
- Build and sustain strategic partnerships that advance advocacy, resource mobilization and programme delivery for women and children.
- Promote innovation, learning and knowledge management, driving the adoption of best practices and scalable solutions that improve health outcomes in fragile settings.
- Strengthen the capacity of UNICEF teams and partners to deliver high-quality, sustainable health programmes across humanitarian and development contexts.
Impact of the Role
The Chief of Health will play a pivotal leadership role in shaping UNICEF's health response in Afghanistan. Through strategic leadership, principled engagement, strong partnerships and innovative programming, the position will contribute to reducing preventable maternal and child deaths, strengthening health systems, responding to emergencies, and expanding equitable access to essential health services for millions of women and children across the country.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 
JD - Chief Health Level 5.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: An advanced university degree in public health, medicine, pediatric health, family health, health policy and management, epidemiology, global health or another relevant technical field.
- Work Experience: At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience at the international level in public health planning and management, maternal and child health, health systems strengthening and/or humanitarian health programming. Demonstrated leadership experience managing large, complex programmes and multidisciplinary teams. Proven experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, humanitarian or high-risk environments, including engagement with government and de facto authorities.
- Skills: Strong partnership, representation, advocacy and resource mobilization skills.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.
Desirables:
- Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language (Dari and Pashto) is an asset.
- Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset, Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, or humanitarian and emergency settings with de facto authorities is strongly preferred, Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as 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
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people
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 from targeted underrepresented groups 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.