Health Specialist at UNICEF

Under the guidance of the Polio Team Lead, you support the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the polio component of the health programme at national level. The position focuses on strengthening national strategies, operational readiness, microplanning, cold chain and logistics, community engagement and data use for polio eradication, while ensuring alignment with the UNICEF Country Programme and broader national priorities. The primary goal of this position is to support the National Emergency Operations Centre in planning, execution, and monitoring of polio eradication efforts. This includes ensuring high-quality microplans, providing on-site supervision, maintaining cold chain integrity, managing community engagement, and delivering data-driven reports across all levels of the operation. The role involves extensive fieldwork at the state and local levels to translate national strategies into actionable local activities.

Main responsibilities/ key functions and accountabilities:

• Microplanning Support
• OperationalReadiness.
• On site campaign supervision.
• Vaccine supply and Wastage Management.
• Community engagement and Refusal Management.
• Post-Campaign Data and Reporting.
• Partnership and Liaison.
• Strategic and Evidence-based planning.
• Accountability.

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Public Health, Medicine, Epidemiology, Public Administration, Pediatric Health, Social Policy, Community Development, Child Health and any other related fields.
• Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant work experience at the national and/or sub-national levels in Health, polio eradication, immunization, public health, epidemiology, vaccine logistics, cold chain management, community engagement, health program management, monitoring and evaluation, primary health care. 
• Skills: Community Development, Corrective Actions, Documenting Progress, Planning, Programming, .
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language (Hausa, Yoruba)
• UN system experience, maternal health, neonatal health, humanitarian preparedness
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.