Join UNICEF Madagascar as a Partnerships Specialist and help build strategic collaborations with companies, foundations, and business networks to mobilize resources and advance children's rights. This role combines private sector engagement, resource mobilization, and advocacy to drive sustainable impact for children while promoting responsible business practices across key industries.

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 Champion

How can you make a difference?

The position supports the Chief of Communications and Advocacy and senior management in advancing UNICEF’s engagement with the private sector in Madagascar. The role focuses on developing partnerships with companies, foundations and business networks to drive sustainable impact for children, mobilizing financial and non-financial resources for UNICEF programmes, and promoting responsible business practices that advance children’s rights.

  1. Maps private sector partnership opportunities in Madagascar and proactively identifies, cultivates and promotes collaborations with companies, corporate foundations and business networks. Works with UNICEF colleagues to identify programme funding needs and develops partnerships that mobilize financial and non-financial resources in support of UNICEF priorities.
  2. Develops and implements annual private sector partnership engagement plans aligned with UNICEF’s Business for Results (B4R) framework, identifying priority partners, engagement opportunities and resource mobilization strategies to support UNICEF programme priorities.
  3. Screens and manages inquiries from potential private sector collaborators and facilitates engagement with relevant UNICEF teams. Monitors the external environment and private sector landscape to identify emerging opportunities, risks and trends, and shares timely analysis to inform UNICEF partnership strategies.
  4. Provides strategic, logistical and programmatic support to senior management and other UNICEF staff in corporate engagement and interaction with assigned partners.
  5. Develops and maintains deep knowledge and familiarity with current and prospective partners and relevant stakeholders, contributing to a database of key contacts and to UNICEF’s base of knowledge on partnership and resource mobilization. 
  6. Enables private sector and relevant policy makers on children’s rights in a business context and how to ensure their respect as part of corporate strategies. Identifies trend topics in Madagascar for private sector capacity building (such as family friendly policies) that enables private sector understanding for children’s rights and its own impact, aligned with the UNICEF Child Rights and Business agenda.
  7. Expands UNICEF’s network of private sector interlocutors by cultivating relationships with companies, corporate foundations, business associations and economic leaders, strengthening UNICEF’s positioning as a partner of choice for private sector engagement.
  8. Acts as a focal point for identification and pursuit of opportunities for private sector related outreach, engagement, policy influence and collaboration, including on how to anticipate and respond to partners’ concerns and priorities, ensure that UNICEF’s interests, perspectives, and knowledge are taken into account in relevant policy and institutional processes addressing the private sector landscape, and ensure that they are fully aware of UNICEF’s perspectives, policies, priorities and capabilities. Contribute to the development and management of initiatives for high-level advocacy outreach, including for UNICEF’s Senior Management.
  9. Contributes to the development of new partnership and resource mobilization practices and approaches. This includes proposal, reporting and monitoring stages of partnership-agreements as well as analyzing current trends within designated partners and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches and message development.
  10. Contributes to strategies for engagement and the development of communications products to enhance UNICEF’s visibility vis à vis private sector actors and influence with existing and prospective partners and key stakeholders by providing analysis of the current environment and trends and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches and message development. Works closely with UNICEF’s colleagues to ensure that policy advocacy and outreach is strongly grounded in the experience and insights of UNICEF’s programmes. Contributes written inputs for communications instruments that best inform and influence decision makers.
  11. Engages companies in key sectors with high risks of children’s rights abuses (e.g. mining, tourism and other priority industries) to promote responsible business practices in accordance with international labor law and standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP), encouraging private sector commitment to children’s rights.
  12. Performs other related duties as assigned by the supervisor to ensure the success of the team, including guiding, training, and coaching short-term staff, including interns and consultants, as needed.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD_Partnerships Specialist_NO3

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

Minimum requirements:

  • Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Political Science, Communications, International Development, International Relations, Law, Human Rights and any other related fields.
  • Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant work experience in private sector partnerships, programme management, corporate engagement, public affairs, external relations, labor law, human rights law and any other related fields.
  • Skills:
  • Demonstrated ability to develop new approaches for resource mobilization and partner outreach.
  • Ability to speak in public and hold workshops or other capacity building formats addressing the business world.
  • Ability to conduct sound policy and stakeholder analysis to inform partnership and engagement strategies.
  • Diplomatic communication and negotiation skills to establish and maintain trusted partnerships for achievement of objectives and to develop close and effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
  • Language Requirements: Proficiency in English and Fluency in French is required.

Desirables:

  • Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or Malagasy language.
  • Experience engaging the private sector on responsible business practices, sustainability, or the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) .
  • Basic knowledge of national and regional mandatory human rights and sustainability due diligence legislation.
  • Understanding of basic human rights standards in international labor law and international guidelines around responsible business conduct, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and ILO Core Conventions.
  • 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 female candidates and candidates with disability 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.

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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.