Deputy Representative Programme Vacancy-Job Ref: GJIRUNICEF/0610/202655

Deputy Representative Programme Vacancy-Job Ref: GJIRUNICEF/0610/202655

Tehran (Iran)

Job Description
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 a Future

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism.

To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference

The Deputy Representative (Programmes) reports directly to the UNICEF Representative in Iran and operates within a rapidly evolving and highly complex hybrid context. The ongoing regional escalation has significantly heightened the complexity of the operating environment of the Iran Country Office. In this highly fluid environment, the Deputy Representative plays a critical leadership role in steering UNICEF’s preparedness and programme response.

The position is responsible for ensuring the continuity and quality of UNICEF’s programming in nexus spheres, with an emphasis on emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. This includes leading strategic decision-making under pressure, ensuring adherence to the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in humanitarian action, and embedding conflict sensitivity across all programme interventions. The Deputy Representative will also ensure that humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding (HDP) nexus approaches are cohesively integrated to address both immediate needs and longer-term structural challenges.

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

CO programme planning and development
Support to the Representative on managing the CO
Monitoring and quality control of programmes
Alliance building and UN System coordination
Private Sector Engagement and Partnerships
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in one of the following fields is required: social sciences, international relations, government and public relations, public or social policy, sociology, social or community development, or another relevant technical field. A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. This is applicable to internal (FT, Continuing and Permanent) staff only.

Work Experience: 8 years of professional development experience that combines technical and managerial leadership in development cooperation at the international level, some of which served in a developing country is required.
Skills: Knowledge management, capacity building, monitoring, technical and managerial leadership skills.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Experience in emergency programming, including in contexts affected by armed conflict, natural disasters or political crises, is highly desirable.
Demonstrated expertise in social policy, including social protection, social budgeting, poverty analysis, public finance for children or related fields is a significant asset.

Relevant professional experience in any UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
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

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 (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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