Get prepared

Get ready to be a champion for every child

 A man wearing UNICEF branded t-shirt sitting on the ground amid a group of children in a classroom in a school in Afghanistan.

UNICEF’s most important resources - our highly skilled and incredibly dedicated people - are driven to deliver results for children and young people everywhere. With a commitment to gender equality, geographical diversity and inclusion, UNICEF selects staff who exhibit the highest standard of technical expertise, competence and purpose.

Our Values | Our Competencies | Core Commitments for ChildrenHow We Hire

Our values

The value icons logo
UNICEF/UN0626081/

Care. Respect. Integrity. Trust. Accountability. Sustainability.

For UNICEF, these are more than words. They represent the values that infuse everything we do as an organization, each and every day — from our programmes for children and young people, to how we treat each other, to how we interact with partners and communities worldwide.

Care: We are mindful of each other’s well-being, professional growth, and development. We recognize that our staff are often working in stressful environments where insecurity and risk are a daily fact of life.. 

Respect: We treat each other with the same level of thoughtfulness we want for ourselves, and we promote diversity, inclusion and a sense of belonging for all.

Integrity: We act ethically, with honesty and transparency, setting the highest standards for ourselves as we work together and with partners, donors and the global community.

Trust: We depend on and believe in each other to act in line with the core values and mission of UNICEF and in the best interests of children.

Accountability: We hold ourselves and each other responsible for our behaviors; this means being answerable for our actions.

Sustainability - We apply environmental sustainability in our personal life and at work, including in the design and implementation of UNICEF activities, so that our work protects the planet and its resources for the children we serve, now and in the future.

> Link: Click here to learn more about our core values and what behaviors are expected by our colleagues and UNICEF

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Our competencies

UNICEF Competencies list
UNICEF

To effectively drive change for children and young people across the globe, we must hold ourselves, our colleagues and our organization to the highest standards. UNICEF’s Competency Framework establishes common standards of behaviour to guide the way we work and is based on our core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability.

> Link: Click here to download and learn more about UNICEF's competencies (PDF 858KB)

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Core Commitments for Children

CCCs in Humanitarian Action

 The Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action – the CCCs – are the core UNICEF policy and framework for humanitarian action. They are at the heart of our work on upholding the rights of children affected by humanitarian crises.

To learn more about UNICEF’s Core Commitments to Children, please visit this page where you can download the CCCs, find translations, the CCC toolkit, FAQs and related humanitarian knowledge and learning resources.

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nurse holding child
UNI231370/RoseDRC, 2019

How we hire

1. Search 

Visit the UNICEF Jobs page to search for position openings. If you do not currently see any relevant opportunities, set-up a job alert to receive an email when a relevant opportunity is advertised. Make sure you understand the different types of jobs, contracts and opportunities as you conduct your search. 

> Click here to learn more about searching jobs

2. Self-assess

 An honest and objective self-assessment is a great way to help identify what makes you an outstanding candidate for a position, and it will ultimately enable you to build an application that most clearly reflects your strengths, skills, experience and personal values.

> Click here to learn more about Self-assessment 

3. Apply

After you have searched for jobs and completed your self-assessment, you’re ready to apply! For most job applications at UNICEF, you should complete and submit an online recruitment profile, a CV/resume and cover letter. 

> Click here to learn more about applying 

4. Shortlisting

When the hiring team is narrowing down its list of candidates, they will review all profiles to identify eligible and suitable candidates for the position, in line with the minimum requirements included in the job description. 

> Click here to learn more about the shortlisting process

5. Assessment 

Candidates shortlisted for a position may undergo an assessment, followed by a reference check and other processes depending on the position level, area of work, and office context. Candidate assessment techniques will vary according to the contextual and business needs of the hiring office. 

> Click here to learn more about the assessment process 

6. Outcome Notification 

The length of the entire selection process varies, depending on the hiring office’s priorities and the vacancy announcement type. The entire process can take days, weeks or months. Candidates that are shortlisted and participate in assessments will be notified of the outcome by the respective office.

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UNICEF girls