Senior Programme Associate

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.

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For every child, dedication

The Palestinian Programme in Lebanon (PPL) operates in an exceptionally complex and sensitive environment shaped by multidimensional poverty, limited access to basic services, and longstanding structural vulnerabilities affecting Palestinian refugees across camps and gatherings. In recent years, the situation has deteriorated further due to Lebanon's economic collapse, severe inflation, constrained public services, recent war and recurrent security incidents inside several camps. UNICEF's strategic objective under the PPL is to ensure that Palestinian children, adolescents, women, and vulnerable families have sustained access to essential Health, Nutrition, Education, CP, WASH, and Youth Development services in coordination with UNRWA, LPDC, local partners, and community structures.

Within this context, the Health & Nutrition portfolio has expanded significantly, including nutrition services in ECE centers, adolescent and maternal nutrition support, and large-scale in-kind distribution of medicines. The Programme works through a network of lead and sub-partners inside all 12 camps and over 40 gatherings, with strong emphasis on risk-informed planning, compliance, monitoring, and safe access arrangements.

The Senior Programme Associate (Health & Nutrition) plays a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation of the PPL's health and nutrition agenda by supporting programme planning, monitoring, partner coordination, data analysis, and integrated approaches across sectors. This  position contributes directly to UNICEF Lebanon's broader objectives of equity, resilience, and humanitarian action, while ensuring that interventions are conflict-sensitive, community-driven, and responsive to the evolving needs of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. 

How can you make a difference? 

The Senior Programme Associate (Health & Nutrition) provides technical and operational support to the Palestinian Programme in Lebanon (PPL), contributing to the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of health and nutrition interventions across Palestinian camps and gatherings. The role supports delivery of PPL workplan results—including expanded nutrition services, in-kind support, and health-facility assistance—through data analysis, partner coordination, progress reporting, and capacity development. The position ensures that programme activities are effectively implemented in line with UNICEF's Health & Nutrition strategies and in response to the specific needs, access constraints, and operational sensitivities of the Palestinian context in Lebanon. The Senior Programme Associate (Health & Nutrition) GS7 reports to the Programme Manager (PPL) NOD, will be supporting the Palestinian programme in Lebanon with the following duties:

1. Accurate information, data analysis, and documentation about Health and Nutrition situation in the Palestinian camps are timely made available to contribute to situation analysis, sectoral input and reporting.
2. Technical assistance is provided Health and Nutrition Palestinian partners in the implementation of integrated Health & Nutrition approaches through participation and collaboration with internal and external partners.
3. PPL's Health and Nutrition Work plan and objectives are effectively implemented and planned results are delivered timely through technical support and coordination.
4. Project efficiency and effectiveness are enhanced through effective implementation follow-up.
5. Project implementation progress in the Palestinian camps is monitored for adjustment and improvement of program delivery and sustainability. Gender disaggregated data and inputs provided relevant to the Health & Nutrition programme.
6. Transparency is ensured for supply and non-supply assistance and disbursement of programme funds for Health & Nutrition.
7. Effective partnership and working relationships are maintained for advocacy, technical coordination, information sharing and knowledge networking.
8. Up-to-date programme information is kept available and reports prepared to support the Health & Nutrition programme by the effective implementation of integrated monitoring system in the Palestinian camps.
9. Emergency preparedness in the Palestinian camps is maintained, and in emergencies, emergency responses are effectively provided.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  GS7,Senior Programme Associate (Health &Nutrition) PPL, TA,

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:  Completion of secondary education is required.
  • A bachelor's degree from a recognized academic institution in Public Health and Nutrition, Child Development, Social Development, Community Development, Nursing or other relevant disciplines may be considered as equivalent to three years of related professional experience.
  • A master's degree may be considered as equivalent to an additional two years of related professional experience.
• Work Experience: 
  • A minimum of seven years of professional work experience in the planning, programming, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of health programmes in the Palestinian camps Experience in programme management functions or serving in a technical expert capacity in child survival and health care is required.
  • Field work experience particularly focused on the Palestinian camps and gatherings in Lebanon is required.
  • Background/familiarity with Emergency.
• Language Requirements:  Fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
• Desirables: 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 

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. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates from targeted underrepresented groups 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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member's original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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.