Emergency Specialist, P-4, FT, #00136989, Office of the Regional Director, Jordan, Amman - ECAMENA

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.

Regional Context:

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.

Functional Context:

Within the ECAMENA humanitarian function, this post forms part of the Humanitarian Response and Emergency Coordination pillar. The humanitarian workstream is structured across five pillars: Preparedness and Resilient Systems, Humanitarian Response and Emergency Coordination, Humanitarian Access, Humanitarian Diplomacy, and Strategic Partnerships and Regional Collaboration. Within that architecture, the response pillar provides direct technical and operational support to Country Offices, particularly in very high-risk and high-risk emergency contexts, to strengthen preparedness and response coordination, surge support, needs assessment, response planning, humanitarian reporting, and implementation of the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action. This post sits within the response arm under the Emergency Manager - Response (P-4) and provides senior technical support across a priority country portfolio, contributing to coordinated regional support for ongoing emergencies, cross-border operations, and other multi-country humanitarian situations as required. The role draws on the merged ECAMENA humanitarian model, combining the region’s large-scale emergency operational experience with stronger preparedness, systems, and subregional approaches.

Purpose of the Post:

In the humanitarian context, the ECAMENA Regional Office supports Country Offices across a region exposed to a wide range of humanitarian risks, including conflict, displacement, mixed migration, climate-related shocks, natural hazards, disease outbreaks, and protracted fragility. The region also faces increasingly interconnected and cross-border humanitarian pressures which require strong regional analysis, harmonized preparedness approaches, and timely operational support. These risks require strong regional leadership to strengthen internal and national preparedness, support timely and high-quality emergency response, reinforce risk-informed programming, and advance resilience through systems strengthening, partnerships, and coordinated humanitarian action.

Under the supervision of the Emergency Manager - Response (P-4), the Emergency Specialist (P-4) provides senior technical support to Country Offices on preparedness and response coordination across the ECAMENA region, with particular focus on very high-risk and high-risk emergency contexts. The post supports Country Offices in strengthening emergency preparedness and response measures, including contingency planning, emergency response planning, needs assessment, surge support, humanitarian reporting, and technical follow-up on emergency implementation in line with UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and relevant emergency procedures. The role contributes to coordinated regional support for ongoing emergencies and crisis escalation, including cross-border and multi-country contexts where required, and helps ensure that Country Offices receive timely, practical, and technically sound support to manage emergency response challenges. By providing hands-on technical support, analytical inputs, and field-oriented support to Country Offices and the wider response team, the post contributes to more effective, coherent, and timely humanitarian action across the ECAMENA region.

1. Technical support to Country Offices on emergency preparedness and response coordination
2. Surge support, field presence, and operational follow-up
3. Needs assessment, analysis, and emergency planning support
4. Humanitarian reporting, appeals, and inter-agency coordination support
5. Technical support to emergency implementation, localization, and systems strengthening
6. Knowledge management, learning, and support to the regional emergency team

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD - Emergency Specialist, P-4, ECAMENA.pdf

• Education: An advanced university degree (Master's Degree or equivalent) in one of the following fields is required: social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration, development studies, emergency management, or other related disciplines. A combination of management, administration, and relevant technical fields is highly desirable.
• Work Experience: A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional work  experience at the national and international levels in one or more of the following areas is required: programme or project development, emergency preparedness and response, emergency coordination, humanitarian action, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, administration, or other closely related fields. 
  Experience providing technical support on emergency preparedness and response coordination in humanitarian contexts is required.
  Field work experience in complex emergencies or high-risk emergency settings is required.
  Specialized training and experience in emergency response management is required.
  Experience supporting emergency planning, contingency planning, or emergency response plans is required.
  Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency contexts is required.
• Skills: Candidates should demonstrate experience in programme and project development, emergency preparedness and response, emergency coordination, humanitarian action, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and administration.
• 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
• Experience managing complex emergency support assignments with a high degree of independent judgement is desirable.
• Experience contributing to needs assessment, humanitarian reporting, appeals, or related emergency analytical products is desirable.
• Experience in inter-agency coordination, cluster-related processes, or related humanitarian coordination mechanisms is desirable.
• Experience providing surge support, field-based technical assistance, or operational follow-up during emergency response is highly desirable.
• Experience working across the ECAMENA region or in comparable large and diverse humanitarian portfolios is highly desirable.
• Experience related to accountability to affected populations, localization, or engagement with national and local humanitarian partners is desirable.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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

(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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of 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 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.

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.

Advertised: 20 Oct 2026 Central Europe Daylight Time
Applications close: 27 Oct 2026 Central Europe Standard Time

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