Health Officer

Title: Health Officer
Job no: 596605
Contract type: Temporary Appointment (364 days)
Duty Station: Odesa
Location: Ukraine

This position is advertised as a batch recruitment of four positions in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa Field Offices of UNICEF

The Health Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the Health Programme within the Field Office, from development planning to delivery of results, by preparing, executing, managing, and implementing a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, and evaluating and reporting of results.

The Health Officer brings strong technical programmatic capacity and leadership to the Field Office. 

Within this team, the Health Officer: 

• Works closely with oblast and hromada governments; providing technical assistance (TA) on decentralized system strengthening including identifying local barriers to access and service gaps, supporting implementation of national policies and care pathways, monitoring how services function in practice, analytics, prioritization, development of sustainable and scalable local service / system models, evidence generation and sharing, advocacy, and identifying targeted areas for local co-financing where this can improve access to care.
• Contributes to the design and adaptation of integrated approaches to ECD through the health system, including preventive child health care, developmental monitoring and early identification, parenting and caregiver support, and continuity of care for children with developmental delays, disabilities and other vulnerabilities in coordination with relevant social sectors and services
• Manages Health sector emergency response programming within the zone, in close collaboration with Emergency Specialists and the Health Section
• Engages in strong cross-sectoral collaboration with other UNICEF colleagues
• Informs programmatic prioritization within the Area of Responsibility, such as shifts in balance between hard and soft components, and from emergency response to recovery and sustainability;
• Collaborates closely with the Country Office (Kyiv-based) Health section for alignment and coherence of priorities, strategies, and programming approaches.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities: 

1. Support to programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
4. Networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Conduct and update the situation analysis of children’s health and nutrition within the Area of Responsibility (AoR) to inform  the development, design and management of health related programmes. Research and report on local and regional development trends (e.g. political social, economic, health) for higher management (Programme Specialist, Chief of Field Office, Chief of Health) use to enhance programme management, efficiency and delivery of results.
• Analyze subnational health-system performance within the Area of Responsibility to identify bottlenecks related to service delivery, referral pathways, workforce capacity, financing, data use, governance and coordination to inform programme priorities and health-system strengthening interventions.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through analysis of health needs and areas for intervention and submission of recommendations for priority and goal setting (AWP). Ensure health sector goals, objectives, strategies, and results are aligned with both broader Field Office and Health Section planning and reporting.
• Provide technical and operational management throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM), and monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Prepare required documentations and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results 

• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations, and/or to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and to capture and institutionalize lessons learned. 
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management. 
• Support government counterparts and service providers to use data and evidence to identify root causes and implementation bottlenecks, develop locally owned improvement plans, periodically review progress and adapt interventions and support based on results and changing needs.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), and verify compliance with approved allocation and goals, organizational rules, regulations, procedures, as well as donor commitments, standards of accountability, and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution. Contribute to FO and CO reports (ad-hoc, regular, donor, SitRep, and other reports). 
• Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation 

• Conduct regular programme field visits and surveys, and share information with partners and stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results. 
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners, and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes, and best practices on health-related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results. 
• Provide technical assistance to regional and local authorities, as well as health service providers to strengthen decentralized health system and primary health care, including local planning and coordination, service mapping, referral pathways, workforce capacity, use of data for decision-making, and development of sustainable and scalable local service models.

4. Networking and partnership building 

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health sector government (oblast and Hromada) counterparts and regional and local stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to enhance programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to deliver concrete and sustainable results.
• Support local authorities in strengthening multisectoral coordination at subnational level, including linkages across health, education, child protection, social protection, early intervention, rehabilitation and community-based services, to identify service gaps, strengthen referral pathways and address barriers affecting children and families, particularly the most vulnerable.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO and FO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances, and support fund raising for health programmes.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency coordination mechanisms on health programmes to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on AoR operational planning and preparation of health programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with the  local / regional planning process.  
• Research information on potential donors and contribute to resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders. Contribute insights from the AoR-specific experiences into broader Health section reflection, learning, and planning processes. Generate and document evidence and lessons learned from subnational implementation to inform adaptation, replication and scale-up of effective models, and contribute field-level insights to national policy dialogue and programme development. 
• Support the institutionalization and sustainability of effective programme approaches by contributing to their integration into local policies, budgets, workforce development, routine service delivery, monitoring and quality-improvement systems. 
• Support health workforce capacity, resilience and wellbeing through evidence-based capacity-building approaches, supportive learning, and other interventions that strengthen the ability of health workers and institutions to deliver quality services in emergency, recovery and routine settings. 
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results. Share experiences with innovations in the AoR with other AoRs and the country Health team for feedback and future planning. 
• Assist with oversight of research and ensure results are available for use in knowledge products.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of partners and stakeholders.

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in one of the following fields is required: public health/nutrition, pediatric health, family health, health policy and/or management, health systems, socio-medical, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public health/nutrition planning and management, maternal and neonatal health care, health system strengthening, early childhood development and/or intervention, or health emergency preparedness.
• Skills: Public Health, Programme Management, Health System, Health Care, Early Childhood Development, Nutrition Planning.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required.

Desirables:

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or another international or national non-governmental organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience working in the region where the post is located is considered as an asset.
• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language.
• 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

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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct.

UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.

Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these checks.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.

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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 people with disability 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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. 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.

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.

Application Deadline: 06 November 2026 FLE Standard Time