Temporary: Programme Associate, General Service Level 6, Warsaw, Poland, #128350

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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, DEDICATION.

Since February 2022, Poland has become home to estimated 2 million refugees (registered and unregistered), whereas 1.6 million refugees so far have sought the temporary protection and around one million of these refugees still have active registration for temporary protection in Poland. In the early weeks of the war, more than 100,000 people were fleeing Ukraine each day and Poland was taking the major brunt of the migration. At the peak of this displacement there were an estimated 3.5 million refugees from Ukraine in Poland. Around 90 percent of the refugees are women and children. This was, and remains, a mothers-and-children crisis. UNICEF declared an L3 emergency in March 2022 and provided successful and well-regarded humanitarian response, targeting more than 75 percent of the refugee population. In March 2023, the response was scaled down to L2, but the humanitarian needs remain. UNICEF reached out to around 1 million refugees during one year of its operations in Poland and these activities, by their nature, also have a positive spill-over effect on host communities and children from other nationalities.

As the office exits from humanitarian action/response, the recovery/resilience/development programmes remains in the country and continue to support the Poland Government on specific thematic areas.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision and guidance of the Deputy Country Coordinator, the programme associate supports the respective sections by carrying out a range of programme support functions to help develop, implement and monitor their RRO programmes, ensuring effective and timely delivery that is consistent with UNICEF rules and regulations.   

The Programme Associate works in close collaboration with a range of staff in the RRO, external partners and agency counterparts in support of programme design and delivery. S/He provides regular feedback on the status of projects through monitoring milestones and advises on improvements to keep activities on track.

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

The following minimum requirements:

• Education:  Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the work of the organization.
• Work Experience: At least 6 years of relevant work experience in administrative or clerical work. Prior experience in programme support functions is an asset.

Note: A bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a field relevant to the position may replace 3 years of related work experience. A master’s degree may replace an additional two years.

• Skills:  Strong organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities. Strong office management skills. Experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

The following desirables:

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or international non-profit organization.
• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language esp. Polish.

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

The 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 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. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  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. For this position, eligible and suitable male 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 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.

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 during the recruitment.

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.