Emergency Preparedness and Coordination Associate

Host entity: UNICEF Vietnam

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Communication, advocacy, public information, Project management, programme development, strategy, Emergency preparedness, crisis response

Application deadline: 18/08/2026

Mission and objectives

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated.

Assignment context

UNICEF Viet Nam is part of the United Nations Children’s Fund, which works in more than 190 countries and territories, and is a member of the United Nations system in Viet Nam. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF has a universal mandate to promote and protect the rights of every child, with particular attention to children who are hardest to reach and most at risk. UNICEF has worked in Viet Nam since 1975 as a trusted partner of the Government and other national and international partners.

Today, UNICEF supports national efforts to ensure that all children in Viet Nam are safe from climate, disaster and environmental risks, healthy, educated, protected, heard, and able to reach their full potential. Under the UNICEF–Government of Viet Nam Country Programme 2027–2031, UNICEF places stronger emphasis on protecting children from climate, disaster and environmental risks, including through child-centred disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, anticipatory action, response and recovery, and climate-resilient essential services.

This focus responds to growing evidence that climate, disaster and environmental risks are no longer episodic events, but structural threats to children’s rights in Viet Nam. The country is increasingly exposed to typhoons, floods, landslides, drought, heatwaves, saltwater intrusion, disease outbreaks and environmental health risks. Recent emergencies, including Typhoon Yagi in 2024 and the severe storm and flood events in 2025, have demonstrated the scale of risks to children, families and essential services, including water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition, education, child protection and social protection. Children from ethnic minority communities, children with disabilities, children in remote and disaster-prone areas, and children from poor households are often disproportionately affected.

In this context, the Emergency Preparedness and Coordination Associate will support UNICEF Viet Nam’s emergency preparedness and response work during 2026–2027. Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist for Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency, the UN Volunteer will contribute to strengthening UNICEF’s operational readiness, risk analysis, early warning, emergency coordination, rapid assessments, preparedness tracking, documentation and response support. The assignment will help ensure timely, principled and child-centred humanitarian action in line with UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, while also strengthening linkages between emergency response, early recovery, disaster risk reduction and climate resilience programming.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist for Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency, and working through this function to support UNICEF Viet Nam’s office-wide emergency preparedness and response work, the Emergency Preparedness and Coordination Associate will provide operational, coordination, information management, documentation and capacity-building support to the Deputy Representative, Programmes, the Emergency Management Team and relevant UNICEF sections, as appropriate.

Emergency Preparedness

• Provide direct support to the Programme Specialist for Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency, the Deputy Representative, Programmes, and the Emergency Management Team, as appropriate, in gathering data and information, monitoring and analysing disaster, climate and emergency risks, and identifying emergency-prone conditions that may affect children, families, essential services and UNICEF operations.
• Gather information and data for monitoring climate, weather and hazards, including early warnings, seasonal outlooks, typhoon tracks, rainfall, flood, landslide, drought, heatwave and disease outbreak alerts, and support analysis of their potential implications for children, families, essential services and UNICEF operations.
• Support the translation of early warning information into preparedness, anticipatory actions, including follow-up on readiness measures, agreed triggers, priority actions and coordination with relevant UNICEF sections and partners.
• Support preparedness and readiness planning, including the Emergency Preparedness Platform, updating of emergency preparedness actions, contingency plans, readiness checklists, emergency contact lists, partner mapping, and other tools required for timely emergency response.
• Assist in the preparation of emergency preparedness and response plans of action. Gather and compile relevant information, lessons learned and good practices to inform contingency planning and preparedness measures.
• Support tracking of preparedness actions across UNICEF sections and relevant sectors, including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Health, Nutrition, Education, Child Protection, Social Protection, Social and Behaviour Change, Supply and Logistics.
• Support Emergency Management Team meetings and readiness activities, including preparation of meeting materials, updating action trackers, following up on agreed actions, and maintaining organised emergency documentation.
• Identify and monitor formal and informal sources of emergency-related information. Support the collection, interpretation and analysis of data on evolving hazards, emergencies and their implications for UNICEF’s operations and programme priorities.
• Facilitate timely information flow within UNICEF and with relevant partners, as required, to support emergency planning, coordination, anticipatory action and decision-making.
• Support the organisation and delivery of staff and partner capacity-building activities on emergency preparedness and response, in line with UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action.


Emergency Response

In the event of an emergency, support the timely implementation of initial operational tasks related to UNICEF’s emergency response.
• Assist in gathering, verifying and analysing information on the nature, scale and impact of the emergency from Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority, Government counterparts, the Viet Nam Red Cross, local organisations, partners, media and other relevant sources.
• Support child-centred impact assessments, including the collection and analysis of data on disaster-related losses, damages and effects on children, families, communities and essential social services. This may include supporting estimates of affected populations, service disruption, household needs, recovery requirements and the socio-economic implications of emergencies, in coordination with relevant UNICEF sections, Government counterparts and partners.
• Support emergency assessments, including field missions where required, to help identify priority needs, affected populations, operational constraints, response gaps and implications for children, women and vulnerable groups.
• Assist in assessing the adequacy of UNICEF’s preparedness arrangements and response capacity, and support the identification of immediate operational and programmatic needs.
• Support rapid assessments and coordination with partners in line with UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, helping ensure that UNICEF’s response is timely, coherent and well coordinated.
• Provide operational support to the implementation of emergency preparedness and response plans, including follow-up on delivery of assistance, supply requirements, partner coordination and field monitoring.
• Support monitoring of the appropriate and efficient use of UNICEF-supported emergency resources, identify delivery constraints, and propose practical solutions for timely follow-up.
• Maintain updated emergency contact lists, 4W matrices (what, where, when, who) which track support from partners, field monitoring tools, assessment records and response trackers for rapid deployment and response coordination.
• Support the provision of up-to-date information and data for situation reports, briefing notes, meeting records, Emergency Management Team action trackers, field mission notes and other documentation related to emergency preparedness and response.
• Support the collection and analysis of information on early recovery needs, including restoration of essential services for affected families.
• Support the delivery of Emergency Preparedness and Response capacity-building activities for local authorities and partners at commune level, with attention to child-centred preparedness, coordination, rapid assessment and protection of vulnerable groups.
• Contribute to strengthening linkages between emergency response, early recovery, disaster risk reduction, anticipatory action and climate resilience programming.

Learning, Documentation and After-Action Review
• Support documentation of emergency preparedness and response actions, including key decisions, timelines, achievements, bottlenecks, lessons learned, good practices and follow-up actions.
• Support the documentation of key response activities, lessons learned, good practices and preparedness gaps to strengthen UNICEF Viet Nam’s future emergency readiness.
• Assist in preparing inputs for After-Action Reviews, preparedness assessments, lessons learned exercises and internal reflection sessions to strengthen UNICEF Viet Nam’s future emergency readiness and response capacity.
• Support tracking of recommendations from After-Action Reviews and preparedness assessments, including follow-up with relevant sections on agreed actions, progress, gaps and evidence of implementation.

Skills and experience

• At least 1 year of relevant professional, volunteer, internship or project experience in emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction, climate change, public policy, social development, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, or a related field.
• Some exposure to emergency preparedness, humanitarian response, disaster risk reduction, climate-related risk analysis, field assessment, or coordination of work is desirable. Candidates with limited emergency experience but strong motivation and ability to learn quickly will be considered.
• Good analytical skills, including the ability to collect, organise and summarise quantitative and qualitative information for risk analysis, needs assessment, impact assessment, reporting, and decision-making.
• Basic understanding of disaster impacts on children, families, communities, and essential social services is desirable. Experience or coursework in socio-economic analysis, loss and damage assessment, needs assessment, or household/community impact analysis is an asset.
• Good coordination and communication skills, including the ability to work with UNICEF colleagues, Government counterparts, United Nations agencies, local partners and communities in a respectful and professional manner.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to follow up on agreed actions, maintain trackers, prepare meeting notes and support documentation.
• Ability to work in a team, take initiative, learn quickly, manage competing tasks, and deliver quality work under time pressure.
• Good computer skills, AI skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience with data visualisation, online collaboration platforms, or information management tools is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required including ability to draft comprehensive notes, updates and reports, is required.
• Willingness to travel to provinces and affected areas when required, subject to UNICEF safety and security procedures.
• Availability for rapid deployment on short notice.

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Creativity
• Judgement and decision-making
• Planning and organising
• Professionalism
• Self-management

Living conditions

General Information:
The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam is a vibrant and diverse country with a rich cultural heritage and a rapidly advancing economy. Over the past four decades, Viet Nam has undergone a profound transformation, emerging from a challenging past to become a dynamic, middle-income nation. Through the visionary Đổi Mới (Renovation) reforms initiated in 1986, Viet Nam has achieved remarkable economic progress and social development, positioning itself as a key player in the global market.

Today, Viet Nam enjoys strong diplomatic ties with 189 nations and upholds a foreign policy of friendship and partnership, committed to fostering global peace, mutual respect, and sustainable development. The country is well-recognized for its commitment to growth, innovation, and international cooperation, making it a trusted and reliable partner on the global stage.

Security:
Viet Nam is a stable and safe country with a minimum of security threats. The Government (GoV) maintains tight control over the security environment. Armed conflict has not been present in 50 years. There are no terrorist groups, domestic or international currently known to be organized or operating in Viet Nam. Road Traffic Accidents and climate-induced disasters are the most important threats that the UN personnel should be aware of.

Housing:
There are plenty of choices in Ha Noi at different prices depending on the demand and budget. The UN Volunteer can choose to locate near the office to walk to work or choose to settle down far away from the office, in a more popular neighborhood.

Schools & Childcare:
Most of the international staff’s children attend international schools with an academic system that is widely recognised abroad. International schools often include kindergarten and pre-school classes (sometimes even a nursery) for younger kids.

The school year in Viet Nam starts in August/ September every year and ends in May the next year, so kids can be admitted at the beginning of the Autumn (August) or Spring (January) semester. There are various schooling options available in major cities of Viet Nam.

Work for spouses & partners:
Work opportunities are available for spouses and partners. However, if hired by any organization, a work permit must be applied through the same hiring organisation.

Entitlements of National UN Volunteer include Entry Lump Sum Allowance (USD350), Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) for National UN Volunteer Associate in Hanoi, Viet Nam at VND 18,745,356*, Insurance Coverage (Comprehensive health, life, and malicious acts insurance); Annual Leave of 2.5 days per month; Access to UNV’s learning and career development resources; and Exit Lump Sum Allowance (USD120/1 month) payable upon successful completion of the assignment. For further information on the full entitlements, please refer to the following:
• You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator.
• The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.