Representative, D-2, Dhaka, Bangladesh (Re-advertisement)

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 fulfil 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, dedication

The Representative serves as the accredited representative of UNICEF in the country and reports to the Regional Director for general direction and oversight. The Representative is responsible for establishing dialogue with the Government to develop the framework of cooperation in the country and for working closely and collaboratively with the Government and national institutions, stakeholders and partners, to develop the Government-UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation in active support of efforts to advance children’s rights as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, other international treaties/frameworks, the SDGs, and UN intergovernmental bodies.

As head of the Country Office, the Representative is responsible for providing leadership and vision to the UNICEF Country Office team in managing and leveraging resources for the achievement of results and realization of the rights of children. The Representative leads and oversees the various programme sectors and operations teams ensuring delivery of quality results in accordance with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework, ethics and integrity. The Representative is accountable for upholding UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability, and ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a non-discriminatory, inclusive and nurturing working environment for all staff and personnel, to enable them to effectively and efficiently deliver high-quality results for children.

How can you make a difference?

The Representative’s key functions and accountabilities include:

▪ Developing and planning the Country Programme
▪ Leading and managing the Country Office
▪ Monitoring and quality control of the Country Programme
▪ Representation and external relations at global/regional and national level
▪ Delivering high quality results for children, including in a complex operating environment
▪ Support to the Resident Coordinator and UN Country Team to advance the UN Cooperation Framework
▪ Leading resource mobilization efforts and nurturing and strengthening partnerships
▪ Leading innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
▪ Safety, security and well-being of staff, programmes and organizational assets

Qualifications:

• An Advanced University Degree in social sciences, international relations, government and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development or other related fields, is required.
• A minimum of fifteen (15) years professional development experience that combines intellectual and managerial leadership in development cooperation at the international level, some of which served in developing countries is required.
• Prior experience as a Representative/Head of Office is a requirement. Relevant professional experience in any UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

Person Profile:

• A high visibility UN Development System which requires excellent understanding of policies and procedures, rules and regulations and ability to apply these innovatively.
• Ability to manage complex emergency and staff health, safety and security situations.
• Politically savvy with the right political and cultural acumen and experience to influence, advocate and collaborate with senior level partners and counterparts.
• Ability and experience to work with fast changing political situations and other challenges that require capacity and experience to make socio-political assessment and its implications on UNICEF programming.
• Experience of working in a protracted politically complex humanitarian environment that is transitioning to a development context
• Excellent leadership, managerial and people skills, with particular strengths in supporting, nurturing, motivating and engaging teams and individual personnel.
• Strong negotiation skills, maturity and sensitivity to handle difficult stakeholders in a highly complex environment combining regular programming with large scale emergency operations in one country.

Country Typology:

• Country Income Level: Dhaka is a lower middle-income country.
• Duty Station: Dhaka is a “C”, family, and non- emergency duty station.
• Office Size: 350 staff not including other personnel and partners, with 9 field/sub offices
• Annual Budget: $160,000,000
• Schooling: There are a number of international schools in Dhaka. Details can be found here:
http://www.expat-quotes.com/guides/bangladesh/education/international-schools-in-bangladesh.htm
• The duty station suffers from periodic severe particle and other pollution that may be difficult to handle for person with certain medical conditions such as prevailing asthma or lung disease. Air purifiers are provided in the office and for staff homes.

Brief country context:

Bangladesh is a lower Middle-Income Country with a total population of 169.8 million. Child population is 58,7 million (of which 16.4 million are under five – 9.5% of the population). The annual population growth is approximately 1.1 %. There are 53.8 million people living in urban areas, 1.7 million of which live in underserviced slums and face multiple overlapping deprivations. The country is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including from rising sea levels. This has led to an increase in the intensity
and frequency of natural disasters. Small-scale, religiously motivated violence has changed the security landscape and operating environment in Bangladesh over the past few years.
• Bangladesh country programme focus on supporting Bangladesh to prioritize investments in children for the realization of child rights and sustainable development in Bangladesh with programmes across Health, Education, Nutrition, Child Protection, WASH and Social Policy.
• The programme includes the emergency programme for the support the Rohingya refugee crisis with some 1.1 million refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

Core Values

• Commitment
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Competencies

• Builds and maintains partnerships (level III)
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (level III)

• Drive to achieve results for impact (level III)
• Innovates and embraces change (level III)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (level III)
• Thinks and acts strategically (level III)
• Works collaboratively with others (level III)
• Nurtures, leads and manages people (level III)

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.

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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

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.