Regional Youth Engagement Specialist

Host entity: UNICEF

Volunteer type: International

Areas of expertise: Communication, advocacy, public information, Youth, Project management, programme development, strategy

Application deadline: 29/10/2026

Mission and objectives

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

Assignment context

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

UNICEF works to ensure that adolescent wellbeing, development and participation established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties, and UN intergovernmental bodies, are integrated in UNICEF’s advocacy, policies, programmes, and humanitarian work. UNICEF focuses our efforts in working together meaningfully and safely with adolescent and young people to accelerate the realization of the SDGs.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF has a Regional Office (LACRO) based in Panama, and 24 country offices (CO) operating in 36 countries and territories. The UNV will support the Advocacy and Communication team to accelerate results for the positive development and wellbeing of adolescents and young people with a special focus on girls their empowerment, participation and leadership. The UNV will focus in 3 main areas: 1) facilitate the creation and functioning of a new cohort of Regional UNICEF Adolescent Action Board, 2) Support adolescents’ and young people’s engagement in advocacy and communication 3) Plan, monitor and support young people’s engagement at Regional Office and Country Office through different initiatives

Task description

Under the direct supervision of Regional Chief of Advocacy and Communication, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Coordinate of Regional UNICEF Adolescent Action Board:
• Coordinate the selection and orientation process of the Adolescent Action Board based on established criteria.
• Together with board members, develop and support implementation of a joint workplan, ensuring their voices shape the Adolescent Action Board conformation and plan.
• Design and implement a methodology to build community and peer support among board members, fostering collaboration and mentorship.
• Manage a real-time virtual community using WhatsApp, Teams, Zoom and any other virtual tools to support the AAB advance their workplan and receive mutual support.
• Apply all UNICEF safeguarding protocols to guarantee the meaningful and safe participation of the members.
• Coordinate regular meetings with the members and lease with UNICEF teams to implement action plan.
• Document the process of the creation of the board, as well as interest stories of its members and other communication content.

Support adolescents’ and young people’s engagement in advocacy and communication:
• Support the production of content with young people in different multimedia formats
• Support and facilitate the participation of adolescents and young people, including through capacity building, training sessions in key regional events.
• Coordinate logistics and administrative process for participation of adolescent and young people in presential events including travel, safeguarding measures, preparation of adolescent friendly materials, orientations sessions.
• Support adolescent programming, including, where relevant, with a focus on adolescent girls, to foster strong collaboration on adolescent and young people engagement and participation aligned to key regional priorities and events.
• Support co-creation with young people and innovations aligned to UNICEF programming and key events.
• Support in the development of funding proposals linked to the key regional events, the UNICEF global adolescent girl priority and adolescents and young people’s priorities.

Planning, monitoring and supporting young people’s engagement at RO and CO’s through different initiatives
• Participate in the development and implementation of robust youth engagement strategy, with SMART outcomes, compelling calls to action, and a clear theory of change. Analyze political, economic and cultural trends, conduct audience analysis as relevant and identify potential opportunities and challenges. Propose new approaches and innovative ideas as part of the strategy development process.
• Design and implement effective communication plans in the LAC Region that will deliver the aims of key youth engagement strategies that will mobilize young people for the cause of children.
• Support CO’s in their youth engagement plans for advocacy and communication
• Support the implementation of a local Youth Advocates programme, including: identifying potential youth advocates; designing and implementing their workplans; developing communication plans; liaising with NYHQ; supporting youth advocates in preparation for events/media; documenting learnings and successes.

Annual reporting analysis and quality assurance:
• Support the regional quality assurance and technical review annual reports, including narrative reports (COARs), results reports (in the RAM platform) and indicator reporting, extracting and collating relevant information for the regional team’s analysis.
• Support the drafting of the regional office annual report (ROAR).
• Establish baselines against which results are regularly monitored. Liaise with monitoring specialists to identify campaign KPIs and set up tracking systems. Prepare campaign reports, including milestone reports, progress reports and final reports, and liaise with the relevant teams, divisions and partners for report content.

Skills and experience

• At least 5 years of experience working in international development, with proven project management experience.

• At least 3 years of experience in working with adolescents and young people, in virtual and physical environments.

• High degree of work and personal ethics and integrity, including understanding of child safeguarding and PSEA (protection from sexual abuse and exploitation) principles.

• Excellent oral and written skills, excellent drafting, formulation and organization skills. Experience in writing guides and documents aimed at a young audience.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, culturally and socially sensitive, ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners across the region, in a multicultural team.

• Self-motivated, well organized and with the ability to work with minimum supervision, ability to work with tight deadlines.

• Strong digital literacy, including proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams) and the ability to quickly learn and adapt to new software, applications, and digital tools.

• Experience using social media platforms, virtual collaboration tools, and emerging technologies to engage adolescents and optimize work processes.

• Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, and monitoring and evaluation of results.

• Experience leading youth engagement strategies, advocacy and communication initiatives, stakeholder networks and coalitions is an asset.

Competencies and values

• Care, respect, integrity, trust and accountability
• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Works collaboratively with others

Living conditions

Panama is in Central America with a population of 4,300,000 million, the official language is Spanish, but most Panamanians are bilingual. Panama has a lower crime rate than many other countries in the region. Panama City is largely a safe city – but care does need to be taken in some areas and with personal property. It is your choice whether you opt for a house or an apartment. Beautiful spacious houses, with gardens are available. Those staff that have opted for an apartment have done so on the basis that they offer more security and more facilities.

The US Dollar is used as a legal currency in Panama. There are also coins of the Balboa, which is the national currency, similar in shape and value to the US Dollar. Please make sure to leave Panama only with US Dollar currency, as there are some international difficulties changing the Balboa abroad.

Panama has a tropical climate with practically the same average temperature of 27°C year-round with 78% humidity. The rainy season in Panama is from March until November each year, we recommend you bring an umbrella. The air conditioning may be cool at times in the office and in local shops, so we suggest you bring a jacket or sweater.

The voltage in Panama is 110v, 60 cycle with two and three prong plugs. Wall plugs are mostly for 110v. In some properties there may by 220v for air conditioning or similar. Current fluctuations are common and electricity cuts are still possible.

There are many clinics and medical centers in Panama:
For your information, below the largest private hospitals in Panama City. Hospital Paitilla +507 265 8888 +507 265 8800 Hospital Pacífica Salud [former Punta Pacífica] +507 204 8184 +507 204 8000 Hospital San Fernando +507 305 6305 +507 305 6300 Hospital Nacional +507 306 3300 +507 207 8100 There is also an Emergency Ambulance service, government-owned 911.

If you open a local bank account, banks in Panama request the following documents. - Reference letter from your bank. - Present original and bring copy of your national Passport, - Employment letter.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.

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