Emergency Specialist (P-3), Temporary Position, #00137929, Panama, Panama City, Regional Services Div (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

Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the world's regions most vulnerable to a diversity of hazards which have in parts been intensified by climate change: hurricanes in Central America and the Caribbean; torrential rains and flash flooding across the continent; prolonged droughts in Central and South America; large scale fires in South America; and volcanic activity and earthquakes along the Pacific coast and in the Caribbean. These disasters result in forced displacements and expose children to increased risk of exploitation and abuse.

UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO) works to reinforce country offices (COs), partners and national counterparts' capacities to respond to emergencies, in accordance with the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs) and within the principles of Humanitarian Reform and the inter-agency Transformative Agenda. At regional and country office level, UNICEF works with partners to ensure more focused cost effective and coherent humanitarian work in the region, while building up emergency preparedness through interagency cooperation.

LACRO supports COs, partners and national counterparts to build more resilient systems, communities and societies, so they can better resist, absorb and recover from disasters. This includes a multi-sectorial approach to address vulnerabilities and risks to children.

Within this context, UNICEF is seeking a motivated highly skilled Emergency Specialist to support the increase in the scope and depth of its collaboration with CDEMA, national authorities, private sector and other key stakeholders in countries and territories of the Caribbean covered by UNICEF, to enhance national and regional emergency preparedness (child-centered shock-responsive systems) and response.

How can you make a difference?

Under the general supervision of the Regional Adviser Emergency P5, the Emergency Specialist P3 provides technical assistance and capacity building to country offices (COs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to enhance their ability to prepare for and respond to emergencies. Specifically, he/she advises and supports the COs in areas such as shock responsive systems, disaster preparedness, early warning, anticipatory action, vulnerability analysis, rapid assessment, contingency planning, and emergency response.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties and tasks:

1. Humanitarian Preparedness and response
2. Build Knowledge
3. Advocacy, Partnership and Resource Mobilization
4. Humanitarian Coordination

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: ToR TA Emerg Spec P3_LACRO_June2026.docx.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Completed master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in one of the fields, Emergency Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, Humanitarian Affairs, International Development, International Relations, Public Administration, Social Sciences, Economics, Business Administration or other closely related fields is required. Academic qualifications should demonstrate relevance to humanitarian preparedness, emergency response, disaster risk management, or shock-responsive systems. Where Business Administration is considered, it should be accompanied by demonstrated experience in humanitarian preparedness and emergency response. A combination of management, administration, and relevant technical fields is desirable.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian action, with a strong focus on emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk reduction, shock-responsive systems, contingency planning, and humanitarian coordination, is required.
• Skills: Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Risk Reduction, Resource Mobilization, Risk Analysis, Contingency Planning
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and in Spanish are required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or knowledge of French or Portuguese is considered an asset.
• Experience providing technical support and capacity strengthening to Country Offices, government counterparts, or implementing partners in emergency preparedness and response is highly desirable. Proven experience supporting emergency readiness, response planning, risk analysis, early warning, or anticipatory action initiatives, as well as coordinating inter-agency and national disaster management mechanisms, is highly desirable. Experience working across multiple countries, particularly in disaster-prone settings, and field experience in developing countries are considered strong assets. Specialized training and experience in emergency response management, including familiarity with humanitarian preparedness frameworks and coordination mechanisms, are 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) 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
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

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 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 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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).
The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member's original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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.