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 hope
Lebanon is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis, affecting an estimated 1.3 million people, with over 1 million internally displaced as of 17 March 2026. UNICEF is launching a large-scale national response that covers collective shelters, host communities, and hard-to-reach areas. The effort includes coordinated programming across different sectors and aims to connect immediate emergency assistance in the first two weeks to longer-term interventions aligned with the Country Office’s Workplan. The Programme Specialist will report directly to the Deputy Representative and work closely with the Chief of Planning, Monitoring and Information Management (PMI), the Partnerships Manager, Budget Unit and relevant sections. This role provides support to UNICEF Lebanon’s programme sections overall and the humanitarian sectors.
How can you make a difference?
Summary key functions/accountabilities:
1. Support to Programme Coordination and Management
2. Technical support to programme planning, monitoring and information
3. Technical support to partnerships and resource mobilization
Key Functions and Accountabilities: The Programme Officer supports effective coordination and management of UNICEF programmes, ensuring both immediate emergency and sustained initiatives are aligned with office objectives and the mission’s long-term goals.
- Programme Oversight: Assists the Deputy Representative in managing and coordinating cross-sectoral programmes, linking emergency responses with ongoing interventions to meet office targets – this in close collaboration with the Chief PMI, Partnerships Manager, Budget Unit and their teams.
- Strategic Participation: Engages in strategic discussions and planning, contributing to both emergency response strategies and broader programme implementation.
- Design and Evidence Generation: Supports the design of programmes, evidence gathering, and partnership coordination to advance UNICEF’s multisectoral and integrated programme approach.
- Section Coordination and Collaboration: Works closely with various office sections and promotes joint implementation to ensure effective delivery, coherence, and innovation across projects.
- Operational and Annual Planning: Contributes to the development and review of operational response and annual work plans for equity-focused, multi-sectoral programmes, maintaining high standards.
- Partner and Financial Management: Collaborates with UN agencies, external partners, government counterparts as relevant to inform quality programme planning and implementation.
- Content Development and Reporting: Contributes to the preparation of strategic programmatic documents, and supports planning, monitoring, and reporting activities, aligning all content with UNICEF’s corporate and programme strategies.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: An advanced university degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Project Management, Business Administration, Economics, public financial management, or closely related field is required.
- Work Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme planning, coordination and management, preferably within the UN system, is required.
- Excellent report writing skills is essential.
- Knowledge of UNICEF programmes, tools and resources is an asset.
- Experience working with UNICEF/UN in an emergency context/field and International experience is considered an asset.
- Knowledge of budget and financial management is an asset.
- Skills: 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 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 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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. 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 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. 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. Eligible staff members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to IP TA positions in a duty station designated as L2/L3, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements, subject to approval by their Head of Office. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies. Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
- Ability to resolve difficult, complex, and sensitive situations often under pressure.
- Ability to initiate and manage change in a diverse environment.
- Ability to clearly and concisely express ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
- Ability to allocate appropriate time and resources for successful achievement of goals, and foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning.
- Ability to implement clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies, identify priority activities and assignments, adjust priorities as required.
- Ability to work strategically to realize organizational goals, develop strategies, set clear visions.
- Advanced communication and negotiation skills to establish and maintain trusted partnerships for achievement of objectives and to develop close and effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
- Skill in the identification of new opportunities or requirements to meet challenges in the field and propose changes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of other UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
