UNICEF Job Vacancy 2026 | Operations Officer, NO-1 (Fixed Term) – Semera, Ethiopia
UNICEF Ethiopia
Semera, Āfar, Ethiopia
Role description
UNICEF Ethiopia invites qualified and competent applicants for the position of Operations Officer, NO-1 at its Semera duty station. This is a Fixed Term Appointment offering an opportunity to contribute to improving the lives of children and women in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia job market
Job Details
Organization: UNICEF Ethiopia Position: Operations Officer Job Level: NO-1 Job Number: 595360 Contract Type: Fixed Term Appointment Duty Station: Semera, Ethiopia Location: Ethiopia Categories: Operations Posted Date: August 26, 2026 Application Deadline: September 16, 2026 Application Method: Online
About UNICEF
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. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
Job board subscription
UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.
Purpose of the Job
To lead and be accountable for operations functions, facilitate change, provide risk-informed and solution-focused analysis, advice, and services, and contribute to programme and management decision-making to deliver results for children in complex operational contexts.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
Valuing People: Implement people resources strategies to promote technical competence and foster career progression and retention of a "fit for purpose"/agile workforce.
Career planning tools
Facilitate an environment of management excellence, staff well-being, and accessibility and inclusion through implementation of strategies, policies, and procedures. Implement solutions related to people management and office culture. Support training strategy. Keep abreast of industry standards in management and finance and share best practices and knowledge learned within the office. Support Excellence in Operations derived from the five strategic pillars.
Valuing Money: Champion strategic resources to achieve organizational goals and ensure Value for Money (VfM).
Ensure effective identification and use of resources in various concrete Value for Money areas, including eco-efficiency, common premises, costing, results-based budgeting, and financial monitoring. Support the financial oversight management, monitoring, and reporting of all country programme budgets; make analysis as needed. Implement Supply plan for the office and stay abreast of regional strategies.
Valuing Risk Management: Enhance Risk Management to increase organizational performance and strengthen internal control.
Support the office with up-to-date information for risk-informed decisions using the enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (eGRC) platform. Participate in testing business continuity plans for organizational resilience and Emergency Preparedness and Response. Support implementation of appropriate policies and procedures and provide feedback on internal controls. Support implementation of mandatory anti-fraud systems, processes, and actions. Support mitigation of risks of engagement with external partners via risk-informed due diligence.
Valuing Systems and Structures: Ensure further operational centralization and optimization for maximized efficiency gains.
Participate in the review of Operations processes and recommend measures to minimize cost, reduce duplication, and maximize efficiencies. Contribute to improving IT-enabled business processes for increased productivity and collaboration. Contribute to CPMP.
Valuing Partners: Strengthen internal and external-facing partnerships and leverage UNICEF's oversight of financial management.
Provide technical support on HACT implementation, including follow-up on financial assurance activities. Support resource mobilization through written financial reporting and donor accountability. Contribute to developing private sector partnerships. Engage in UN Reform, facilitating Business Operating Services (BOS) and paving the way for a potential "one back office" in country offices.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:
Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in Business Management, Financial Management, Accounting, Public Finance, or related operations function (Supply Chain, Human Resources, Information Technology, International Business, Project Management, etc.). Work Experience: A minimum of 1 year of professional experience at national and/or international level in one or more operations management areas including budget; financial management and reporting; facilities management; administration; supply and logistics management; information and communication technology; human resources. Skills: Understanding of Results Based Management is required. Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications is required. Language: Proficiency in English is required.
Desirable:
Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. Experience in a UN system agency, large private or public company, or experience working in a developing country and/or humanitarian/emergency context is an asset. Experience with corporate ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) and IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) is highly desirable. Experience in supporting successful client-oriented work units is an asset. Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings, and humanitarian contexts.
Required Competencies
Builds and maintains partnerships Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness Drive to achieve results for impact Innovates and embraces change Manages ambiguity and complexity Thinks and acts strategically Works collaboratively with others Nurtures, leads, and manages people
Ethiopia job market
Job Details
Organization: UNICEF Ethiopia Position: Operations Officer Job Level: NO-1 Job Number: 595360 Contract Type: Fixed Term Appointment Duty Station: Semera, Ethiopia Location: Ethiopia Categories: Operations Posted Date: August 26, 2026 Application Deadline: September 16, 2026 Application Method: Online
About UNICEF
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. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
Job board subscription
UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.
Purpose of the Job
To lead and be accountable for operations functions, facilitate change, provide risk-informed and solution-focused analysis, advice, and services, and contribute to programme and management decision-making to deliver results for children in complex operational contexts.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
Valuing People: Implement people resources strategies to promote technical competence and foster career progression and retention of a "fit for purpose"/agile workforce.
Career planning tools
Facilitate an environment of management excellence, staff well-being, and accessibility and inclusion through implementation of strategies, policies, and procedures. Implement solutions related to people management and office culture. Support training strategy. Keep abreast of industry standards in management and finance and share best practices and knowledge learned within the office. Support Excellence in Operations derived from the five strategic pillars.
Valuing Money: Champion strategic resources to achieve organizational goals and ensure Value for Money (VfM).
Ensure effective identification and use of resources in various concrete Value for Money areas, including eco-efficiency, common premises, costing, results-based budgeting, and financial monitoring. Support the financial oversight management, monitoring, and reporting of all country programme budgets; make analysis as needed. Implement Supply plan for the office and stay abreast of regional strategies.
Valuing Risk Management: Enhance Risk Management to increase organizational performance and strengthen internal control.
Support the office with up-to-date information for risk-informed decisions using the enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (eGRC) platform. Participate in testing business continuity plans for organizational resilience and Emergency Preparedness and Response. Support implementation of appropriate policies and procedures and provide feedback on internal controls. Support implementation of mandatory anti-fraud systems, processes, and actions. Support mitigation of risks of engagement with external partners via risk-informed due diligence.
Valuing Systems and Structures: Ensure further operational centralization and optimization for maximized efficiency gains.
Participate in the review of Operations processes and recommend measures to minimize cost, reduce duplication, and maximize efficiencies. Contribute to improving IT-enabled business processes for increased productivity and collaboration. Contribute to CPMP.
Valuing Partners: Strengthen internal and external-facing partnerships and leverage UNICEF's oversight of financial management.
Provide technical support on HACT implementation, including follow-up on financial assurance activities. Support resource mobilization through written financial reporting and donor accountability. Contribute to developing private sector partnerships. Engage in UN Reform, facilitating Business Operating Services (BOS) and paving the way for a potential "one back office" in country offices.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:
Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in Business Management, Financial Management, Accounting, Public Finance, or related operations function (Supply Chain, Human Resources, Information Technology, International Business, Project Management, etc.). Work Experience: A minimum of 1 year of professional experience at national and/or international level in one or more operations management areas including budget; financial management and reporting; facilities management; administration; supply and logistics management; information and communication technology; human resources. Skills: Understanding of Results Based Management is required. Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications is required. Language: Proficiency in English is required.
Desirable:
Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. Experience in a UN system agency, large private or public company, or experience working in a developing country and/or humanitarian/emergency context is an asset. Experience with corporate ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) and IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) is highly desirable. Experience in supporting successful client-oriented work units is an asset. Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings, and humanitarian contexts.
Required Competencies
Builds and maintains partnerships Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness Drive to achieve results for impact Innovates and embraces change Manages ambiguity and complexity Thinks and acts strategically Works collaboratively with others Nurtures, leads, and manages people