Programme Officer; Early Years), NO-, Belgrade, Serbia,

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfil 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, hope.

The goal of the new Country Programme ) of UNICEF in Serbia will be to support national efforts to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals, advance child rights in Serbia, implement key reforms in line with the European Union accession requirements. UNICEF Serbia will support national efforts through policy and expert advice, targeted capacity-building, advocacy for child-focused policies, budgets and plans, and leveraging of public and private partnerships for greater scalability and impact, with a focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls.

UNICEF new Country Programme Document ) describes how UNICEF will support Early Childhood Development (ECD) to ensure that every child enjoys nurturing care during their early years, including health, adequate nutrition, safety, responsive caregiving and stimulation, and learning, through targeted support to health, pre‑school education, and social protection sectors. UNICEF Serbia will provide targeted support to the health, preschool education and social protection sectors, so that ECD, family‑centred early childhood interventions and parenting services are well integrated, of good quality, inclusive and responsive to the needs of children and families.

How can you make a difference?

The Programme Officer (Early Years) provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the ECD programmes/projects through the application of theoretical and technical skills in researching, collecting, analysing and presenting technical programme information while learning organizational rules, regulations and procedures to support the development and formulation of the ECD Programme within the Country Programme. The Programme Officer (Early Years) will support cross‑sectoral coordination of the ECD portfolio across all sections, in close collaboration with Chiefs of Section and under the global guidance of the Deputy Representative.

• Support to programme development and planning
• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
• Technical and operational support to programme implementation
• Networking and partnership building
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD

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

• Education: A university degree in education, public administration, public health, nutrition, economics, psychology, sociology, human development, child development, family studies or another relevant technical field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of one year of professional experience in social development planning and management in early childhood development related areas.
• Language Requirements: Advanced knowledge of English and fluency in Serbian.

• Proven professional experience in project management, multi‑stakeholder coordination, partnership management, capacity building, evidence‑based advocacy and communication on ECD policies (which can include either health, ECE, CP, and/or parenting).
• Ability to coordinate and facilitate cross‑functional efforts, advocacy and networking to advance children rights agenda.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and coordination skills.
• Strong analytical and…