Temporary Appointment: Polio Partnerships Manager (P-4), In UAE- Gulf Area Office for 12 Months

Temporary Appointment: Polio Partnerships Manager (P-4), In UAE- Gulf Area Office for 12 Months UNICEF MK

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Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Duty Station: Abu Dhabi
Level: P-4
Location: Gulf Area Office (GAO), Saudi Arabia, Utd.Arab.Emir.
Categories: Partnerships
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.
UNICEF's core values, commitment to the rights of every child, and inclusive culture are reflected in every part of the organization.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
The right to educate children is a fundamental human right and a key focus of UNICEF's global commitments.
Global Momentum Around Polio Eradication, Child Survival, And Health System Strengthening Has Intensified, Highlighted By Key Events Such As World Polio Day 2025 In New York And Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi 2025, Where Global Leaders Reaffirmed The Urgency Of Finishing The Job Of Polio Eradication And Reversing Rising Child Mortality. At These Events

• Survivors, scientists, health workers, and youth leaders shared powerful testimonies underscoring the human impact of polio and preventable diseases.
• The UAE reaffirmed strong leadership and partnership, including a pledging event in December 2025 in Abu Dhabi.
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) announced US$1.2 billion, as part of a collective commitment by partners of US$1.9 billion in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
• Leaders emphasized innovation, AI-driven health tools, maternal and newborn survival, and the moral imperative to eliminate polio-now 99.9% eradicated.

Under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan , and through the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, the UAE has committed US$525 million since 2011 , enabling the vaccination of more than 400 million children annually.
UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and the UAE Government continue to partner under a strategic agreement to accelerate polio eradication, strengthen routine immunization, and advance child survival. To ensure coherence, accountability, and strategic coordination, UNICEF seeks an experienced candidate to manage and monitor implementation of the partnership agreement.
How can you make a difference? Polio Programme's vision is to gradually transition donor stewardship and grant management of Gulf donors to GAO as part of a broader GPEI sunsetting strategy. This aligns with GAO's plans to establish a strong Resource Mobilization function in Abu Dhabi given the recent $500M KSA and $140M UAE pledges to polio; and opportunities to tap into new funding from the MBZ Foundation around MNCH and innovations in public health delivery, including in supply.
Against this backdrop, the purpose of this temporary assignment is to manage current donor relationships to ensure effective allocation of resources and fulfilment of donor requirements; and explore additional funding opportunities in Gulf countries, relating to:

• Support to GPEI's Strategy
• Child survival and maternal health
• Innovation in public health delivery
• Resource mobilization, donor reporting, and visibility commitments

Under the supervision of the GGC Director, the staff will serve as the central coordination point across partners, ensuring that commitments-alignment, technical, financial, and visibility-related-are met in a timely, accurate, and strategic manner.
Objectives

• Strengthen the relationship between UNICEF, BMGF, the UAE and Saudi Governments.
• Ensure timely reporting on progress, risks, and performance indicators related to polio eradication, child survival and immunization.
• Support high-level engagement and stewardship with current and potential donors.
• Enhance visibility of the partnership across media, events, and global advocacy platformsli>
• Ensure alignment between GPEI's coordination mechanisms, i.e. Resource Mobilization Group (RMG) and Global Communications Group (GCG) and donor expectations.

Scope of Work and Key Tasks

• Relationship Management
• Serve as the focal point coordinating PGPolio, Supply Division, PPD, PFP, UNICEF Regional and Country offices to align with donor's requirements.
• Coordinate partner meetings, briefings, and follow-up discussions.
• Track and ensure the implementation of partnership commitments with PG-Polio, COs and ROs (financial, operational, communications, and advocacy-related). Liaise with Gates Foundation and WHO focal points sitting in the KSrelief Offices in Riyadh on partnerships related matters as needed.
• Grant Management and Reporting
• Consolidate data from UNICEF country offices (e.g., Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria).
• Identify risks, bottlenecks, and mitigation strategies.
• Monitor and consolidate periodic reporting from COs and ROs and prepare quarterly and annual reports for UAE and GPEI partners.
• Monitor fund utilization, maintain accurate Vision records, including processing and requesting grant extensions from donors, in coordination with PG-Polio, PFP, PPD, DFAM, etc.
• Stewardship activities
• Support planning for field visits, photo documentation, and media events.
• Prepare talking points, background notes, and presentations for high-level engagements by senior leadership (ED, Regional Directors, Polio Directors, GAO Director).
• Liaise with UNICEF and partner communications teams to ensure donor visibility requirements are met across campaigns and events; and to amplify messaging.
• Maintain a centralized repository of partnership documents in UNISON, documenting lessons learned, best practices, and strategic recommendations.
• Prepare synthesis briefs for global advocacy opportunities.

Explore new funding opportunities in the Gulf, including from high-net-worth individuals, foundations, the private sector, Qatar, and Kuwait, both for polio and beyond. Considering The Above-mentioned Scope Of Work

• 75% of this partnership manager's time would be allocated to the following key GPEI functions for the KSA and UAE partnerships (with the majority of the time dedicated to KSA):
• Relationship management
• Grant management and reporting
• Stewardship activities (donor visits, visibility, recognition, etc.)
• 25% of the partnership manager's time would be allocated to exploring new funding opportunities with the MBZ Foundation.

Location

• Primary duty station: UAE with mobility among other gulf countries.
• Travel expected to:
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai)
• Geneva / GPEI coordination hubs
• Polio-endemic or high-risk countries (as relevant)

Reporting Line The Candidate t Will Report To The GCC Director, And It Will Have a Dotted Reporting Line To The Resource Mobilization Manager (PG-Polio) And Work Closely With

• UNICEF Polio Programme teams (HQ, regional, and country offices), PFP and PPD
• Gates Foundation and WHO Focal Points for KSrelief in Riyadh
• UAE Government partners (MoFAIC, UAE Mission to UN, MBZ Foundation for Humanity)
• GPEI Resource Mobilization Group (RMG) and Global Communications Group (GCG)
• GAO Communications team

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have Minimum Requirements

• Education: Advanced degree in International Development, Public Health, Global Health Policy, or related field.
• Work Experience:
• Minimum 8-10 years of experience in Programme and partnership management, global health partnerships, donor relations, or complex multistakeholder coordination. Understanding of immunization, polio eradication, or child survival programs.
• Must demonstrate strong knowledge of and proven professional experience working across, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, with an in-depth understanding of the regional institutional landscape, private sector and philanthropic ecosystems, cultural and political contests.
• Demonstrated experience with high-level political advocacy and global health financing.
• Understanding of immunization, polio eradication, or child survival programs.
• Skills:
• Excellent analytical, communication, and report-writing skills.
• Proven track record in managing donor-funded programs.

Language Requirement

• Fluency in Arabic ( Spoken and written) is required.
• Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

• Experience working with or within GPEI, UNICEF, BMGF, or UAE government institutions.
• Knowledge of Middle East, Asia and Africa public health landscapes.
• Experience supporting high-profile international events.

Competencies

• Strategic thinking and political acumen
• Strong cross-cultural communication
• Partnership-building and diplomacy
• Results orientation and project management
• Ability to synthesize complex information
• High degree of discretion and judgement

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 . click apply for full job details