18/04/2026
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT@ United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
POSITION: HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST
Location: Lilongwe
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United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Lilongwe (Malawi)
P-3 Mid-level Professional Full-time Internationallly Recruited
Human Resources
Closing soon: 21 Apr 2026
USD 95,137
JOB DESCRIPTION
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 for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to a Voice
How can you make a difference?
The Malawi Country Office offers an exciting and rewarding career opportunity for you to join our dynamic People and Culture team where you will be responsible for all employee lifecycle matters, providing timely, client-focused advice and ensuring fair and policy-compliant solutions. It supports strategic HR initiatives, promotes diversity and inclusion, and contributes to key functions such as recruitment, performance management, and staff development. The role also strengthens workforce capacity through coaching and learning initiatives, while using HR data to inform decisions and enhance organizational effectiveness
Working under the overall guidance and supervision of the Representative, manage people and culture activities including the supervision of the P&C team in the small-medium size country office in accordance with the People & Culture strategy and work plan, aligned with the Country Programme Management Plan as well as the goals and strategic needs of the organization. Provides guidance in people and culture matters that promote a gender-balanced multidisciplinary team of professionals
Join our team and play a pivotal role in shaping how people and culture enable results for children.
This role offers a unique opportunity to influence organizational effectiveness by partnering closely with business leaders and teams across the employment life cycle. As a trusted People & Culture (P&C) advisor, you will help translate strategy into practice—strengthening workforce capability, promoting equity and inclusion, and ensuring people‑centered solutions that support both staff well‑being and organizational performance.
By excelling in this role, you will contribute directly to operational efficiency and to the delivery of transformative results for children, while helping clients navigate change with clarity, confidence, and consistency.
Key Accountabilities:
Business Partnering
Act as the primary P&C partner for an assigned client portfolio, providing end‑to‑end advice across the employment life cycle. You will deliver timely, accurate, and practical guidance on P&C policies and processes, proactively support the resolution of people‑related issues, and champion equitable, transparent solutions that protect both staff and organizational interests—while advancing gender equity and cultural diversity goals.
Strategic People and Culture
Contribute to the development and implementation of corporate and regional P&C strategies by working closely with divisional, regional, and country office counterparts. You will help shape and continuously improve P&C systems, policies, and processes by sharing insights from the field, benchmarking best practices, and introducing innovative approaches that strengthen people management globally.
Implementation of Assigned People & Culture Services
Support the delivery of one or more P&C service areas—such as recruitment, job classification, performance management, learning and development, career development, or HR analytics—ensuring efficient, high‑quality services that help attract, retain, and motivate a diverse, high‑performing workforce.
Learning and Capacity Development
Partner with business owners to design and deliver learning solutions that build skills, strengthen competencies, and support career development. You will contribute to competency mapping and talent pipeline development, recommend cost‑effective learning products, and serve as a resource person in capacity‑building initiatives, including guidance to managers on performance and talent management conversations.
HR Data Analytics
Use HR data to generate insights that inform strategic decision‑making. You will analyze trends, strengthen data quality through improved systems and processes, and work with country offices and partners to enhance HR information management and evidence‑based people strategies.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD HR Specialist P3.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) from an accredited institution in one of the following fields is required: in human resource management, business management, international relations, psychology or another related field is required.
Work Experience: minimum 5 years of increasingly responsible professional work experience in human resource management in an international organization and/or large corporation is required.
Skills: Experience and ability to implement targeted and innovative human resources strategies to address clients’ people-related needs is required.
Ability to implement innovative HR programs within a fast paced, evolving, and wide organizational setting is required.
In-depth technical knowledge of the principles and concepts of human resources management is required.
Ability to identify and analyze systemic issues, formulate opinions and make conclusions and recommendations to resolve same is required.
Excellent knowledge of organizational and P&C information technology systems and tools is required.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a diverse organization tailoring language, tone, style and format to match audience is required.
Ability to empathize with client managers, supervisors and staff while advocating for consistent and equitable applications of promulgated P&C regulations and rules is required.
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.
International experience, Coaching, Training facilitation, Power Bi.
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
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
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people
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, s*xual 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 s*xual exploitation and abuse, s*xual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, s*xual 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 male candidates from WCAR, MENAR, SAR, ECAR and LACR 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.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
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.
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