Chief, Field Operations, P-5, Mogadishu, Somalia, Post # 127594

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Innovation

ORG CONTEXT:

The UNICEF office in Somalia operates in a complex and highly insecure humanitarian and developmental context, where affected people are impacted by conflict, natural disasters, and significant health crises. UNICEF Somalia focuses on enhancing child protection, improving health and nutrition, ensuring education access, promoting social protection and providing essential humanitarian aid. These goals align with UNICEF’s global mission to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs, and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. In this setting, the Chief of Field Operations plays a critical role in coordinating UNICEF’s led clusters (Education, Nutrition, WASH & CPAoR) and in managing and directing field operations, ensuring that programmatic interventions are effectively implemented and that emergency responses are promptly and adequately executed.

The incumbent’s responsibilities are crucial for integrating and coordinating various programmatic efforts, thereby enhancing UNICEF’s overall impact in the country and ensuring effectiveness and efficiency. By leading the field offices and emergency team, the Chief of Field Operations ensures that UNICEF’s strategies are effectively implemented on the ground. This position is vital in ensuring that UNICEF’s presence in the field is robust and the office is well-prepared to respond to emergencies. Through strategic leadership and coordination, the incumbent significantly aids UNICEF in achieving its mission of promoting the rights and well-being of every child in Somalia, ensuring that no child is left behind in the pursuit of development and humanitarian goals.

How can you make a difference?

PURPOSE:

Under the supervision of the Representative, the incumbent is responsible for the oversight of the SCO’s field offices, each headed by a Chief of Field Office as well as emergency response to ensure the effective implementation of the operations and project/programme activities in the field as well as emergency response, to safeguard the survival, well-being of children and mothers and affected community in the country.

 

KEY FUNCTIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Summary of the key functions, accountabilities, and related duties or tasks include: Strategic Representation: *Represent strategic perspectives from Field Offices and Emergencies within UNICEF’s management structures. *Contribute to key UNICEF external humanitarian response documents such as Sitreps, Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) and Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP). *Collaborate with partners to facilitate the production and review of donor proposals. Field Office Leadership: *Lead, guide, and coordinate SCO’s Field Offices to ensure effective programme delivery. *Ensure high-quality engagement with officials, UN, NGOs, donors, and communities at the field office level. *Collaborate with senior management, Deputy Representative Programmes, Deputy Representative Operations, and Programme *Chiefs to channel guidance for enhanced operational effectiveness. *Ensure that UNICEF’s advocacy for child rights reflects field-level realities and priorities. Emergency Preparedness and Response: *Lead the SCO Emergency team. *Advise on humanitarian analysis, response strategies, and requirements to SCO’s Representative and Deputy Representatives. *Ensure the quality of UNICEF’s emergency engagement in humanitarian action in Somalia with the Government, UN, Sectors, *NGOs, donors, and international and national media. *Provide strategic leadership to the Emergency team, ensuring effective emergency planning, response, risk management, and compliance with standards particularly aligned with the EPP. *Contribute to reporting of UNICEF’s Emergency Programme, including donor reports and annual reports. Sector Coordination: *Lead and guide UNICEF sectors activities, including HRP planning, contingency planning, and emergency response and ensure quality engagement with stakeholders.

 

Impact of Results

Enhances UNICEF’s strategic and operational effectiveness in Somalia by ensuring coordinated and integrated programme delivery, leading to more comprehensive and impactful child-focused interventions. Strengthens field presence and operational responsiveness, enabling UNICEF to quickly and effectively address the needs of children and communities in emergency contexts. Enables effective delivery on UNICEF’s accountability as cluster lead for Education, Nutrition, WASH & CPAoR. Improves emergency preparedness and response, ensuring that UNICEF can act swiftly and efficiently in crises, minimising the impact on vulnerable and marginalised communities and maintaining the continuity of essential services. Facilitates better resource utilisation and donor alignment by ensuring that programme implementation is in line with donor expectations and global best practices, thereby securing and potentially increasing funding for UNICEF’s initiatives. Supports the achievement of UNICEF’s broader mission and goals in Somalia by providing leadership that enhances collaboration, efficiency, and effectiveness in programme implementation and emergency response.

 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education:	An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: international law, human/child rights, social sciences, international relations, public administration, government, and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development, or another relevant technical field.
Experience:	A minimum of ten years of professional work experience in programme management, planning, monitoring and evaluation, project administration or another relevant area is required. Experience working in a developing country with exposure to humanitarian crisis is required. Experience in leading and managing complex programs and professional teams within a challenging context is required. Familiarity/background with emergencies and managing humanitarian response, as well as children in armed conflicts is essential. Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
Language Requirements:	Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

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…

Core Values Care Respect Integrity Trust Accountability Sustainability Core Competencies Nurtures, Leads and Manages People Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness. Works collaboratively with others. Builds and maintains partnership. Innovates and embraces change. Thinks and acts strategically. Drive to achieve results for impact. Manages ambiguity and complexity.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children.

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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

All selected candidates will 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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

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.