Overview of the UNICEF Regional Youth Engagement Specialist Opportunity

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, is recruiting an international volunteer for the position of Regional Youth Engagement Specialist in Panama City, Panama. This full-time, onsite assignment offers an opportunity for an experienced professional to support adolescent participation, youth advocacy, strategic communication and programme coordination across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The assignment is advertised as a 12-month placement, with the possibility of extension. The expected start date is 16 November 2026, and the role is based at UNICEF’s regional office in Panama City. The recruitment is competitive, with one assignment available. Candidates should review the eligibility criteria carefully, especially the substantial professional experience requirements and the requirement for fluent Spanish.

Key Opportunity Details

• Position: Regional Youth Engagement Specialist
• Host organisation: UNICEF
• Volunteer programme: United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
• Duty station: Panama City, Panama
• Assignment modality: Onsite, on UN premises
• Volunteer category: International Specialist UCoS from April 2026
• Duration: 12 months, with possible extension
• Expected start date: 16 November 2026
• Work schedule: Full-time
• Number of vacancies: One
• Recruitment method: Competitive recruitment
• Sustainable Development Goal: SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals
• Advertisement deadline: 30 October 2026 at 00:00, as displayed on the UNV listing

Applicants should confirm the deadline and all application instructions directly on the official UN Volunteers platform before submitting an application, as displayed dates and times may depend on the platform’s time zone.

About UNICEF and the Assignment Context

UNICEF works to protect children’s rights, support their survival and development, and help children reach their full potential. Its work spans countries and territories around the world, with particular attention to children and young people who face disadvantage, exclusion or heightened vulnerability.

The assignment supports UNICEF’s commitment to adolescent wellbeing, development and participation as reflected in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties and decisions of UN intergovernmental bodies. UNICEF seeks to involve adolescents and young people meaningfully and safely in advocacy, policy, programming and humanitarian action, helping accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF operates through its Regional Office (LACRO), based in Panama, and country offices serving 36 countries and territories. The volunteer will support the Advocacy and Communication team, with a particular focus on the positive development and wellbeing of adolescents and young people, including girls’ empowerment, participation and leadership.

The role centres on three broad priorities: establishing and supporting a new cohort of the Regional UNICEF Adolescent Action Board; enabling adolescents and young people to participate in advocacy and communication; and planning, monitoring and supporting youth engagement initiatives across the regional and country offices.

Main Responsibilities and Duties

1. Coordinate the Regional UNICEF Adolescent Action Board

The volunteer will help establish and support a new cohort of the Regional UNICEF Adolescent Action Board (AAB). The aim is to create a functioning, collaborative structure in which adolescents can contribute to UNICEF priorities and shape the work that affects them.

• Coordinate the board’s selection and orientation process using established criteria.
• Work with board members to develop a shared workplan and support its implementation, ensuring members’ voices influence the board’s composition and priorities.
• Design and apply methods that build a sense of community, peer support, collaboration and mentorship among members.
• Manage a real-time virtual community using tools such as WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other suitable digital platforms.
• Apply UNICEF safeguarding protocols to support meaningful and safe participation.
• Coordinate regular meetings with board members and liaise with UNICEF teams to advance the action plan.
• Document the board’s establishment and development, and produce members’ interest stories and other communication materials.

2. Support Youth Participation in Advocacy and Communication

The volunteer will help adolescents and young people participate in advocacy and communication activities, including content production, capacity building and engagement in regional events. This includes making participation accessible, organised and safe.

• Support the production of youth-focused content in different multimedia formats.
• Facilitate young people’s participation in key regional events, including through training and capacity-building sessions.
• Coordinate logistics and administrative arrangements for in-person participation, including travel, safeguarding measures, adolescent-friendly materials and orientation sessions.
• Support adolescent programming and collaboration on regional priorities, including initiatives focused on adolescent girls where relevant.
• Help co-create initiatives with young people and support innovation aligned with UNICEF programmes and key events.
• Contribute to funding proposals connected with regional events, UNICEF’s global priority on adolescent girls, and the priorities of adolescents and young people.

3. Plan, Monitor and Support Youth Engagement Across Offices

The assignment includes strategic planning and implementation support for youth engagement at both regional-office and country-office levels. The volunteer will help ensure that engagement activities have clear objectives, credible approaches and measurable results.

• Contribute to a youth engagement strategy with SMART outcomes, compelling calls to action and a clear theory of change.
• Analyse relevant political, economic and cultural trends; conduct audience analysis when appropriate; and identify opportunities and challenges.
• Propose innovative approaches to strengthen the strategy and its implementation.
• Develop and implement regional communication plans that support youth engagement strategies and mobilise young people around children’s rights and wellbeing.
• Support country offices in developing youth engagement plans for advocacy and communication.
• Support a local Youth Advocates programme, including identifying potential advocates, developing their workplans and communication plans, and liaising with UNICEF headquarters in New York.
• Help youth advocates prepare for events and media opportunities, and document lessons learned and successes.

4. Annual Reporting, Analysis and Quality Assurance

The volunteer will also contribute to results monitoring, reporting and quality assurance. This work helps the regional team understand progress, assess campaign performance and prepare accurate reports.

• Support regional quality assurance and technical review of country-office annual reports (COARs), results reports in the RAM platform and indicator reporting.
• Extract and consolidate relevant information for analysis by the regional team.
• Support preparation of the Regional Office Annual Report (ROAR).
• Establish baselines against which results can be monitored regularly.
• Coordinate with monitoring specialists to identify campaign key performance indicators (KPIs) and establish tracking systems.
• Prepare campaign reports, including milestone, progress and final reports, in collaboration with relevant teams, divisions and partners.

Eligibility Criteria

This is an international assignment and applicants must satisfy the nationality, education, language and experience conditions stated in the vacancy.

• Age: 18–80 years.
• Nationality: Candidates must be nationals of a country other than Panama, the country of assignment.
• Required experience field on the listing: 3 years; the detailed assignment requirements specify at least 5 years of experience in international development and at least 3 years working with adolescents and young people.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree in international development, social sciences, psychology, communication, education or a related field. A master’s degree is highly preferred.
• Spanish: Fluent — required.
• English: Fluent — listed as desirable.
• French: Working knowledge — desirable.
• Portuguese: Working knowledge — desirable.

Because Spanish fluency is explicitly required, candidates should not assume that English alone will meet the language requirements. The vacancy also contains both a general experience field and more detailed experience requirements; applicants should use the more specific requirements when assessing their suitability.

Required Skills, Experience and Professional Competencies

Professional experience and technical skills

• At least five years of experience in international development, including demonstrated project management experience.
• At least three years of experience working with adolescents and young people in both virtual and in-person settings.
• Strong understanding of child safeguarding and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) principles, supported by high standards of ethics and integrity.
• Excellent oral and written communication, drafting, formulation and organisational skills, including experience creating guides and documents for young audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity, with the ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with diverse partners and multicultural teams.
• Self-motivation, sound organisation, the ability to work with limited supervision and the ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Digital literacy and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Teams, as well as the ability to learn new tools quickly.
• Experience with social media, virtual collaboration platforms and emerging technologies for youth engagement and improved work processes.
• Demonstrated experience in project design and management, monitoring and evaluation, and results tracking.
• Experience leading youth engagement strategies, advocacy and communication initiatives, stakeholder networks or coalitions is an asset.

Values and Competencies

• Care, respect, integrity, trust and accountability.
• Ability to build and maintain partnerships.
• Self-awareness and ethical awareness.
• Commitment to achieving results and impact.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and complexity.
• Collaborative working style and respect for different perspectives.

What Makes This Assignment Important?

The position is designed to strengthen the participation of adolescents and young people in the decisions, programmes and public communication that affect their lives. By supporting the Adolescent Action Board, youth advocates, regional campaigns and country-office strategies, the volunteer can help create channels through which young people contribute ideas, share experiences and take part in advocacy.

The role combines communication, programme coordination, youth participation, partnership development, strategy and monitoring. It may be particularly relevant to professionals who have already worked in international development or youth programming and who can demonstrate that they have helped plan projects, coordinate partners, communicate with young audiences and track results.

Duty Station and Living Conditions in Panama City

Panama is located in Central America and has a population of approximately 4.3 million, according to the assignment information. Spanish is the official language. The listing notes that some Panamanians are bilingual and describes Panama City as generally safe, while advising residents to take care in certain areas and protect their personal belongings.

The following practical details are included in the assignment description:

• Housing: Both houses and apartments are available. The listing notes that some staff choose apartments for the additional security and facilities they may offer.
• Currency: The US dollar is used as legal currency. Panama also issues Balboa coins of similar value to US dollars; the listing advises leaving the country with US dollars because Balboa currency may be difficult to exchange internationally.
• Climate: The climate is tropical, with an average temperature of about 27°C year-round and high humidity of approximately 78%. The listed rainy season runs from March through November, so an umbrella may be useful.
• Office and indoor temperatures: Air conditioning in offices and shops may feel cool, so a light jacket or sweater may be helpful.
• Electricity: The standard supply is listed as 110 volts, 60 cycles, with two- and three-prong plugs. Some properties may have 220-volt outlets for air conditioning or similar equipment. Power fluctuations and outages can occur.
• Healthcare: The listing names Hospital Paitilla, Pacífica Salud, Hospital San Fernando and Hospital Nacional as private hospital options in Panama City.
• Emergency services: The government emergency number listed is 911.
• Banking: To open a local bank account, banks may request a bank reference letter, the original passport and a copy, and an employment letter.

These details are provided as practical guidance in the vacancy announcement. Applicants should independently confirm current local requirements and arrangements before travelling.

Volunteer Benefits, Support and Inclusion

The listing identifies this as a long-term international UN Volunteer assignment and refers to long-term benefits and allowances. The precise entitlement details should be checked using the official UNV vacancy and entitlement calculator; applicants should not assume a particular allowance amount without reviewing the official information for this assignment.

UNICEF states that reasonable accommodation is available for UN Volunteers with disabilities. Examples may include accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. Applicants who need accommodation are encouraged to disclose this during the application process so that appropriate arrangements can be considered.

The UN Volunteers programme describes itself as an equal-opportunity programme that welcomes qualified professionals and promotes diversity, human rights and individual dignity. UN Volunteers are expected to oppose discrimination and respect people regardless of characteristics or personal circumstances.

COVID-19 Vaccination Note

The vacancy information states that appointments are subject to confirmation of full vaccination against COVID-19 with a World Health Organization-endorsed vaccine before taking up the assignment, in addition to any duty-station-specific vaccine requirements. The listing describes an exception for volunteers working remotely who are not expected to visit UNICEF premises or programme delivery locations, interact directly with communities, or travel for UNICEF duties. Since this assignment is onsite, applicants should verify the current applicable requirement with UNV and UNICEF.

How to Apply

1. Visit the official United Nations Volunteers platform: https://app.unv.org/ .
2. Sign in to your UNV account or follow the platform’s instructions to create or update your profile.
3. Find the vacancy titled “Regional Youth Engagement Specialist” in Panama, hosted by UNICEF.
4. Read the full description, eligibility criteria, language requirements and assignment terms carefully.
5. Ensure that your profile and application clearly demonstrate your relevant international development experience, youth engagement work, project management, advocacy, communication, digital skills, monitoring and reporting experience.
6. Submit the application through the official platform before the deadline shown in the vacancy.

Click to apply Here

The provided listing indicates an advertisement end date of 30 October 2026 at 00:00. Apply as early as possible and confirm the exact deadline shown after signing in to UNV. Only applications submitted through the official process should be considered.

Important Recruitment Scam Warning

The vacancy announcement warns that the United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interview, testing or recruitment fee. If anyone requests payment in connection with this opportunity, disregard the request. Logos, names and addresses can be copied or reproduced, so applicants should be cautious when sharing personal information and should verify that they are using official UNV and UNICEF channels.

Conclusion

The UNICEF Regional Youth Engagement Specialist assignment in Panama is an international, full-time volunteer opportunity for an experienced professional who can help strengthen adolescent participation, youth advocacy and strategic communication across Latin America and the Caribbean. The work spans coordination of the Regional UNICEF Adolescent Action Board, multimedia content, regional events, youth advocate initiatives, strategy development and results reporting.

The opportunity is best suited to candidates who meet the demanding experience requirements, hold a relevant degree, can work fluently in Spanish and demonstrate a strong commitment to child safeguarding and inclusive youth participation. With one position available and the stated deadline of 30 October 2026 at 00:00, eligible applicants should review the official vacancy promptly and submit a carefully prepared application through the UN Volunteers platform.

Before applying, verify all requirements, deadline details, entitlement information and any health or travel conditions directly with UNV and UNICEF. The official platform is the safest source for the latest vacancy information.

 

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