Planning Specialist, P-3, Fixed Term Position, Florence, Italy, Office of Strategy & Evidence (OSE) - Innocenti

Overview

Lead planning and analytics initiatives to enhance UNICEF's program effectiveness.

You have:

• Master or equivalent in Statistics, Development Studies, Economics, Data science or related field.
• 5 years of relevant work experience in advanced statistics, data analysis or applied statistics.
• Proven experience in working with data visualization tools.
• Strong analytical and statistical skills.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language or local language is desirable.
• Proficiency coding in R, Python, SPSS, or STATA is desirable.
• Experience working with collaborative coding platforms.

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 74,649 USD and 97,747 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 Results

Within OSE, the division of Programme Effectiveness leads, regulates and coordinates the development and issuance of organization-wide procedures, policies, standards, guidance, and tools to strengthen programme effectiveness across all contexts, including programme planning, implementation, monitoring, organizational performance management, knowledge and organizational learning, at all levels. It liaises with UN agencies, other technical organizations and the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) in the development and application of programme planning, monitoring, and reporting policies and procedures; and coordinates with the Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS), Global Programme Division (GPD), Centres of Excellence (COE), and Regional Offices on provision of direct planning, monitoring and programme implementation support to countries responding to humanitarian contexts.

The Strategic Planning and Analytics (SPA) unit within the division of Programme Effectiveness serves as UNICEF’s central hub for developing and aligning corporate strategic direction with effective country-level action that is responsive to the needs of children in each country. SPA integrates corporate strategic planning, programmatic analysis, and procedural and operational guidance to Country Programmes to ensure coherence between the global Strategic Plan and Country Programmes.

The unit leads and coordinates UNICEF’s corporate strategic planning and analytics functions. It oversees the development, reporting and review of the UNICEF Strategic Plan, ensuring coherence between global priorities and country-level action. The unit guides the procedures and provides comprehensive guidance for Country Programme development, including managing the Executive Board submission and extension processes, quality assurance, and performance reporting. It conducts corporate effectiveness reviews and performance analyses to inform strategic decisions and strengthen organizational accountability. Additionally, the unit leads funding analysis and manages corporate resource allocations to align financial planning with strategic goals and results. The unit also actively engages in UN interagency coordination mechanisms, contributing UNICEF’s perspectives and expertise to strategic planning and country programming across the UN system. The unit coordinates the development and roll-out through Regional Offices of capacity building programmes, that runs in parallel with the development of new country programmes.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. Analysis and data
2. Strategic Plan and other corporate reporting
3. Support to systems
4. Additional tasks

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Planning Specialist P3 FTA Florence for VA.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Statistics, Development Studies, Economics, Data science, demography, data analysis, data harnessing, measurement, methodological development, data interpretation or related field that includes strong quantitative training.
• Work Experience: 5 years of relevant work experience at the national or international levels in advanced statistics, data analysis, data science, data harnessing, measurement, methodological development or other areas of applied statistics, data interpretation, reporting and use in sectors of concern to UNICEF.
  • Proven experience in working with data visualization tools (such as Tableau, Power BI, or Shiny) to support analysis and reporting.
  • Demonstrated experience in integrating and analysing data from multiple sources, including compiling, synthesizing, and presenting complex datasets.
  • Experience in indicator development, reporting, and data quality assurance, including applying analytical approaches to support performance monitoring.
• Skills:
  • Strong analytical and statistical skills, with the ability to work with complex datasets and derive actionable insights. Ability to translate technical data into clear and accessible narratives for non-technical audiences.
  • Proven ability to deliver high-quality outputs under tight timelines and in fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environments. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with experience presenting data and findings to diverse audiences.
  • Ability to collaborate effectively across teams, including headquarters, regional, and country-level stakeholders.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required.

Desirables

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• Proficiency coding in R, Python, SPSS, or STATA.
• Working experience with AI.
• Working experience with the use and limitations of data collection methods: surveys, government administrative systems, Geographical
• Information Systems (GIS).
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with humanitarian data.
• Experience working with collaborative coding platforms (e.g. GitHubDeveloping country experience, Humanitarian data experience

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, 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 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.

Potential interview questions