Senior HIV/AIDS Specialist (HIV/AIDS & Adolescents), P-5, NYHQ, #43386

The Senior Specialist position leads UNICEF’s work on HIV prevention, treatment and care in Adolescents. The position is highly technical and strategic and manages the HIV specialist responsible for PrEP implementation in adolescents and leads UNICEF's engagement in All In! initiative.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

The Senior Specialist position leads UNICEF's work on HIV prevention, treatment and care in Adolescents.  The position is highly technical and strategic and manages the HIV specialist responsible for PrEP implementation in adolescents and leads UNICEF's engagement in All In! initiative. The incumbent provides authoritative advice/interpretation new evidence and data, guidelines, and leads the development of new global guidance and policies in response to changing evidence, internal policies and global and regional epidemic contexts. The incumbent operates with a considerable degree of independence; needs to take initiatives and exercise leadership, professional and programmatic judgment. This position also requires frequent international travels to provide technical support to regional offices and Country offices as needed. In addition, international travel the incumbent is also required to participate and represent UNICEF in different fora to leverage support for adolescent HIV prevention and treatment.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

1. Provides leadership, guidance, policy direction:

• Manages a coordinated and technically competent and evidence-informed response to integrated HIV prevention and treatment programming across the PD Sections and other Divisions in support adolescent All In!, Fast Track and Three Frees targets.
• Manages the development and implementation and monitoring of the adolescent elements of the workplan.
• As Team Leader, reports periodically on the implementation of the annual workplan to Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP), C4D, Health, Gender and the HIV/AIDS Sections in the Programme Division.
• Liaises with other technical sections and Divisions to strengthen policy and technical guidance which promotes an integrated adolescent development approach to addressing adolescent's risk and vulnerabilities to HIV infection.

2. Provides Technical Leadership in implementation of "All In" and "Stay Free" (prevention in adolescent girls and young women) of the 3 Frees agenda:

• Represents UNICEF HQ on interagency fora and working groups which deal with technical issues related to adolescents HIV to ensure effective exchanges of information, experiences and to support harmonization of prevention, treatment and care strategies, coordination, collaboration and accelerated interagency/partners programme delivery.
• Leverages the work of key partners including Global Fund, PEPFAR, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNESCO, UNODC, WHO, bilaterals, foundations, private sector, faith based organisations and civil society and others for a more coordinated integrated and accelerated joint and expanded integrated responses by regional and Country offices to HIV programming with and for adolescents and young people.

3. Leads the implementation of programme policy, strategy and technical guidance:

• Mobilises UNICEF HQ, Regional Offices, and Country Offices for more effective integrated adolescent HIV programming with and for adolescents as a follow up to All In assessments and in line with the 3 Frees framework.
• Advocates internally and externally for and support the enhanced adolescent programming at global, regional and country levels.

4. Ensures UNICEF adolescents HIV programme guidance is cutting edge, evidence-informed, results and human-rights-based

• Monitors the Regional and Country offices programming and quality assurance processes.
• Identifies and facilitate the documentation and dissemination of good programming practice to influence, mobilize and leverage key development partners on the relevance, importance and effectiveness of UNICEF's HIV prevention programming.

5. Guides and supports capacity development for RO, CO and key partners.

• Increases UNICEF Regional Office, Country Office and key partners' acquisition, analysis of strategic information to improve programming effectiveness and support the scale-up of evidence-informed HIV programming with and for adolescents.
• Assesses and guides actions to address capacity gaps of UNICEF staff at regional and country levels around HIV prevention programming with and for adolescents and young people within the framework of the strategic plan.

6. Provides the technical, management, planning reporting inputs related to global resource mobilization for adolescents.

• Manages, plans and reports input related to global resource mobilization for HIV programming with and for adolescents in support of the Strategic Plan
• Oversees the management of adolescent HIV components in the UNAIDS UBRAF resources and the development of proposals, reports, reviews, analysis and documentation to support resource mobilization.

7. Monitors Developments at the international, regional and country levels.

• Guide and coordinate the development of adolescent HIV related papers, strategies and publication, including inputs to joint global documents and reports.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• Advanced degree in social science, public Health, epidemiology and medicine or related technical field.
• Ten years progressively responsible professional work experience at the Experience: national and international levels in programme planning and management in a related field, with emphasis on strategic planning, programme development and partnerships in work on HIV and young people. Knowledge of international HIV prevention organizations and partners.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of an additional UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is an asset.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values 

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies

• Communication - Level III
• Working with People - Level III
• Drive for Results - Level III

Functional Competencies

• Formulating Strategies and Concepts
• Analyzing - Level III
• Relating and Networking - Level III
• Deciding and Initiating Action - Level III
• Persuading and influencing - Level III
• Leading and Supervising  - Level III

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Remarks: This is a re-advertisement to expand the pool of candidates.  All previous applications will be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.