Emergency Specialist (System Strengthening), (NO-3), FT, #00138711, Mexico City - Mexico, LACR

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 protection

Mexico's humanitarian context is shaped by the convergence of large-scale mixed migration, organized and armed violence, and recurrent climate-related disasters. As a country of origin, transit, destination and return for migrants and asylum seekers from across the Americas and beyond, Mexico is home to a large and growing number of children on the move who face heightened risks of family separation, exploitation, trafficking and prolonged disruption to their access to health, education and protection services. At the same time, communities in several regions of the country are affected by organized crime and armed violence, exposing children to displacement, recruitment and severe psychosocial harm, while Mexico's exposure to hurricanes, earthquakes and other climate-related hazards places additional children at risk each year, as part of a regional caseload of several million children across Latin America and the Caribbean projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026. 

Responding to needs of this scale and complexity requires strong, consistent humanitarian leadership within the United Nations system, to ensure coherent inter-agency coordination and the consistent application of humanitarian principles and UNICEF's Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, and close support to the Government of Mexico, to strengthen national systems, protocols and institutions rather than substitute for them. 

In Mexico, UNICEF's humanitarian approach is anchored in system strengthening with the aim to enhance the capacity of government institutions at both federal and state levels to anticipate, prepare for, and respond effectively to emergencies affecting children. UNICEF's role in this context is therefore not only to deliver direct assistance to the most excluded children and families, but to help lead and sustain a coherent, principled humanitarian response, and to accompany the Government in building the long-term capacity needed to prevent, prepare for and respond to future crises. 

How can you make a difference?

Under the guidance and supervision of the Deputy Representative Programme (P-5), the Emergency Specialist establishes and implements country office emergency preparedness and response. He/She is responsible for the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of emergency interventions to ensure the survival and well-being of children and mothers, and the affected communities in an emergency.

The Emergency Specialist acts as the Country Office's focal point on emergency preparedness and response, working horizontally across sections, and represents UNICEF, as delegated, in inter-agency humanitarian coordination mechanisms including the UNETE that is co-coordinated by UNICEF and UNDP, and relevant sectoral coordination groups as well as in support of the Government of Mexico's national emergency preparedness and response systems and institutions.

The Emergency Specialist is central to system strengthening approach, working directly with national and subnational counterparts to strengthen their preparedness and response systems, protocols and institutional capacities, so that gains are sustained and owned by the Government beyond the life of any single response.

Key functions, accountabilities and duties:

1. Emergency Preparedness
2. Emergency Response
3. Emergency Project
4. System Strengthening

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD_Emergency Specialist (System Strengthening) NO-3.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education: A completed advanced university degree (master’s degree), preferably in one of the following fields, is required: social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines. Preferably a combination of management, administration, and relevant technical fields.
  A completed first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant area combined with two (2) additional years of relevant work experience that was gained after obtaining a bachelor’s degree may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work Experience: Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk management, humanitarian action, resilience, or a closely related field.
  Experience in strengthening institutional or government capacities for emergency preparedness and response, including technical assistance, planning, coordination, or capacity development, is required. 
• Skills: Proven ability to coordinate emergency preparedness and response efforts and disaster risk management.
  Demonstrated capacity to build and maintain strategic partnerships with government and other relevant counterparts
  Ability to contribute to contingency planning, risk analysis, and the development of preparedness measures for emergency situations.
  Capacity to plan, implement, monitor, and report on programmes and interventions in emergency contexts.
  Excellent communication skills are essential.
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in English and Spanish is required.

Desirables:

• Relevant experience working with government institutions, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, or other humanitarian and development partners is an asset.
• Field experience in emergency preparedness or response is desirable.
• Specialized training/experience in UNICEF's emergency response management is highly desirable. 
• 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)
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (2)
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact (2)
(4) Innovates and embraces change (2)
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)
(6) Thinks and acts strategically (2)
(7) Works collaboratively with others (2)
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people (1)

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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct.

UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.

Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these checks. 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 are conditional on the selected candidates' willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

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 indigenous 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.

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.

Advertised: 06 Nov 2026 Central Standard Time (Mexico)
Applications close: 15 Nov 2026 Central Standard Time (Mexico)

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