Internal Vacancy: Programme Budget Officer (HACT), NOB, FT, #138489, Kingston, Jamaica, Multi-Country Office for the Caribbean

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 opportunity

As part of UNICEF’s Future Focus Initiative (FFI), a corporate-wide transformation launched in 2025 to ensure UNICEF remains fit for purpose in an era of declining Official Development Assistance and increasing complexity, the offices in Belize, Jamaica, Guyana & Suriname, and the Eastern Caribbean Area (ECA) are consolidating into a new Caribbean Multi-Country Office a regional platform combining policy influence, technical depth, and strategic partnerships across 12 countries, designed for systems level impact and results at scale. The Caribbean MCO operates as one integrated office across all 12 countries: one Multi-Country Programme Document, one shared basket of resources, and one management structure. This means every post in the MCO regardless of duty station holds a 12-country mandate and contributes to shared regional results rather than to a single-country portfolio. The Multi-Country Programme of Cooperation (2027–2031), aligned with the UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (UNMSDCF) 2027–2031, establishes three shared programmatic outcomes for the twelve English- and Dutch speaking Caribbean countries: equitable access to primary health care, learning and skills; protection of children from all forms of violence; and child poverty reduction and resilience strengthening. The Caribbean MCO’s management strategy is governed by four principles that together translate the new business model into concrete ways of working: 

• Impact-driven: technical expertise is organized in shared multi-country working groups rather than replicated in each country, with enabling functions aligned around UNICEF’s strongest comparative advantages.
• Effective and agile: parallel country ecosystems are replaced by harmonized systems and flexible cross-country staffing, keeping management lean and decisions close to implementation.
• Grounded: regional scale is balanced with national depth through country-specific workplans, Heads of Office in each duty station, and matrix management that anchors authority and accountability at country level.
• People-centered: structural and managerial choices are guided by staff wellbeing, transparency and inclusion, with clear role definitions, meaningful consultation, and continuous investment in learning and development. 

The operational expression of this model is the working group model. Rather than replicating similar roles across four separate country offices, technical and operational expertise is organized into 16 thematic and functional working groups, each distributed across different duty stations and each serving the full 12-country MCO — not just its host location. Roles are designed around three organizing principles: shared regional service, meaning every specialist contributes to the wider MCO; complementary expertise, meaning team capabilities reinforce each other rather than repeating the same profile in multiple places; and agile presence, meaning the workforce can be rapidly deployed across countries through travel, surge support or remote modalities in line with evolving needs and priorities. This working group model is the foundation of a fundamentally new way of working for UNICEF in the Caribbean: depth replaces duplication, and shared capacity replaces fragmented country-by country coverage. 

How can you make a difference? 

The Programme Budget Officer (HACT) reports to the Deputy Representative (Programme coordinator), under the Programme Coordination working group. This working group acts as the strategic backbone for managing all phases of the multi-country programme cycle — from design to delivery of results — ensuring that the Caribbean MCO operates as “one programme” across 12 countries. It provides integrated leadership on planning, budgeting, implementation, HACT assurance, monitoring and reporting, so that programme resources are aligned with funding realities and managed with strong value-for-money and compliance with UNICEF standards. 

Under the strategic direction and overall management accountability of the Deputy Representative (Programme coordinator), the Programme Budget Office (HACT) provides delegated day-to-day coordination of the six Programme Associates, who collectively constitute the MCO’s integrated Programme Support Network. The Officer translates the Deputy Representative’s programme management direction into coordinated workflows, priorities, workload allocation, performance follow-up and consistent programme support practices across duty stations, ensuring effective linkages between programme planning, budgeting, implementing partner management, HACT, resource utilization and implementation follow-up. While the Officer is responsible for the daily functioning and supervision of the network, the arrangement is intentionally anchored in the senior programme leadership of the Deputy Representative, reflecting the scale and complexity of managing programme support across 12 countries and ensuring that issues requiring strategic direction, prioritization or management intervention are systematically escalated. Together, the two positions provide a tiered management structure through which the Programme Associate network operates as one coherent MCO-wide programme delivery mechanism.  

1.Monitor and control country programme and sectoral funding levels against ceilings according to MCPD and country programme fund utilization, recommending ceiling adjustments where necessary, and identify areas of over or under-expenditure respectively to ensure maximum fund utilization.

2. Ensure quality information management through regular maintenance of planning and contribution related information in VISION.

3. Closely monitor the allocation of funds and generate quarterly updates to senior management.

4. Update Programme Chiefs on the reporting requirements for each donor to ensure financial adherence to the increasing complexity of donor conditions, and volume of funding being received by the country office.

This position belongs to the Programme Coordination working group. If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  NOB Programme Budget Officer (HACT) Jamaica.pdf

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

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

Candidates applying for NO positions must hold the nationality of the duty station country where the position is located, except for UNICEF internal candidates, holding a fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointment and are legally authorized to work in that country, independently of UNICEF appointment, and as per the Staff Selection Procedure. Candidates must hold and upload a valid CARICOM Skills Certificate when applying to positions located in a CARICOM Member State outside of their country of nationality, and are accountable for taking the respective steps for the verification of the certificate in the Duty Station, immediately upon arrival to the new Duty Station if selected for the position, in accordance with applicable immigration and employment requirements of the respective Country.

(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.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel.Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service

University degree in Business Administration or Project Management; or a first university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience. 

• A minimum of two years of progressive experience in financial management with a strong background in Budgetary / Financial Control preferably in an international organization. Proficiency in the use of SAP-based platforms will be an asset.
• Experience providing technical support to teams.
• Experience coordinating assurance activities is highly desirable.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

• Ability to coordinate with diverse stakeholders across countries.
• Strong coordination and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple reporting relationships and geographic contexts.

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 that meet all the requirements and are legally allowed to work in the respective DS, 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.

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.

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.

Advertised: 18 Sep 2026 SA Pacific Standard Time
Applications close: 04 Oct 2026 SA Pacific Standard Time

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