UNICEF is recruiting a Health Officer (Polio), NO-2 in Kano. Applicants need a relevant health degree, at least 2 years of experience and immunization expertise.

Health Officer (Polio), NO-2 at UNICEF – Kano

Support Polio Eradication and Immunization Work in Kano

UNICEF is recruiting a Health Officer (Polio), NO-2 to support its health programme in Kano. The position is suited to public health professionals with practical experience in immunization, disease prevention, health programme management or humanitarian health work.

Working under the supervision of the Health Manager, the officer will provide technical, operational and administrative support across different stages of programme delivery. This includes planning, implementation, monitoring, partnership coordination and reporting.

The role is particularly relevant to professionals who have worked on polio eradication, immunization strengthening, maternal and child health, disease surveillance or health emergency preparedness.

Job Details

Job Information	Details
Position	Health Officer (Polio), NO-2
Organization	UNICEF
Location	Kano, Nigeria
Job Type	Full-Time
Experience	Minimum 2 years
Job Field	Medical / Healthcare; NGO / Non-Profit
Posted	August 7, 2026
Deadline	Not specified
Salary	Not specified

What the Role Involves

The Health Officer will contribute to the development and delivery of health programme activities, with particular relevance to immunization and polio eradication.

The work covers several stages of the programme cycle, from planning and implementation through monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

Supporting Health Programme Planning

The officer will assist with programme development and planning activities.

This can include contributing technical information, helping identify programme priorities and supporting plans designed to improve health outcomes.

A good understanding of public health programming and the challenges involved in delivering services at community level will be useful.

Managing and Monitoring Programme Activities

Another important part of the position is helping ensure that health programme activities are implemented effectively.

Responsibilities include supporting:

• Programme implementation.
• Monitoring of activities and results.
• Progress tracking.
• Evaluation and reporting.
• Identification of implementation challenges.
• Follow-up on actions needed to improve programme delivery.

Candidates should be comfortable working with programme data and using evidence to assess progress.

Polio Eradication and Immunization Work

The position has a specific focus on polio, so experience in immunization programmes is particularly relevant.

The vacancy highlights skills in:

• Health and immunization programme management.
• Immunization-strengthening initiatives.
• Reducing the number of zero-dose children.
• Planning and operationalizing polio eradication programmes.
• Maternal and child health programmes.
• Monitoring disease outbreaks.
• Planning and implementing outbreak responses.

Applicants who have directly supported vaccination campaigns, immunization planning, disease surveillance or polio-related activities should make that experience clear in their CV.

Supporting Disease Outbreak Response

The role also involves monitoring disease outbreaks and supporting appropriate responses.

This requires the ability to work with health information, identify emerging programme concerns and coordinate with relevant stakeholders when action is needed.

Experience in emergency preparedness or humanitarian health settings can therefore be particularly valuable.

Working With Partners

Health programmes often involve government institutions, development partners, health workers, communities and other organizations.

The Health Officer will support networking and partnership building, making communication and coordination important parts of the role.

Applicants should highlight experience working with multiple stakeholders, particularly where they have had to coordinate activities, communicate technical information or support joint programme implementation.

Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building

The position also includes innovation, knowledge management and capacity-building responsibilities.

The successful candidate may contribute to improving how programme knowledge is documented and shared, as well as supporting activities that strengthen the capacity of health teams and partners.

Experience preparing training materials, supporting workshops, mentoring colleagues or documenting programme lessons can therefore be useful.

Education Requirements

Applicants must have a university degree in a relevant health or technical field.

The vacancy identifies fields including:

• Public health or nutrition.
• Pediatric health.
• Family health.
• Health research.
• Global or international health.
• Health policy or management.
• Environmental health sciences.
• Biostatistics.
• Socio-medical sciences.
• Health education.
• Epidemiology.
• Another relevant technical field.

Candidates should make their specific degree and specialization easy to identify on their CV.

Professional Experience Required

A minimum of two years of professional experience is required in one or more relevant areas.

These include:

• Public health or nutrition planning and management.
• Maternal and neonatal healthcare.
• Health emergency preparedness.
• Humanitarian health programming.

The experience requirement means this is not primarily an entry-level graduate vacancy. Applicants should be able to demonstrate practical professional experience rather than relying only on academic qualifications.

Skills That Can Strengthen Your Application

The most relevant skills for this position include:

• Immunization programme management.
• Polio eradication programme planning.
• Public health programme implementation.
• Disease surveillance.
• Outbreak response planning.
• Maternal and child health programming.
• Partnership management.
• Programme monitoring and reporting.
• Health data interpretation.
• Coordination with government and development partners.

Strong communication and the ability to work across different teams are also important for the role.

Language Requirements

Fluency in English is required.

Knowledge of another official UN language—Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish—or a relevant local language is considered desirable.

Candidates who have additional language skills should include them clearly in their application.

Experience That May Give Applicants an Advantage

The vacancy identifies several desirable areas of experience.

Experience with a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset. Previous work at country level, especially in development, fragile settings or humanitarian contexts, is also desirable.

Applicants do not need to have worked for UNICEF specifically unless the vacancy says so, but relevant experience in comparable public health or humanitarian programmes can strengthen an application.

How to Tailor Your CV

For this position, a generic healthcare CV may not show enough evidence of suitability.

Focus on practical experience related to immunization and public health. Where applicable, mention:

• Polio vaccination activities.
• Routine immunization programmes.
• Zero-dose reduction initiatives.
• Disease surveillance.
• Outbreak response.
• Maternal and child health programmes.
• Community health interventions.
• Health programme monitoring.
• Government or NGO coordination.
• Humanitarian health activities.
• Programme reporting and evaluation.

Try to describe what you actually did and the scale of your work rather than simply listing broad responsibilities.

For example, if you supported an immunization programme covering several communities or health facilities, state that clearly where the information is accurate and can be verified.

Who Is This Position Suitable For?

The role is best suited to a public health or related professional who already has practical experience in programme implementation and understands how immunization or health interventions operate in real settings.

It may particularly appeal to professionals who want to continue working in polio eradication, immunization, child health, disease prevention or humanitarian health programmes.

Because the position requires at least two years of relevant professional experience, candidates should assess their work history carefully before applying.

Application Information

The supplied vacancy does not specify a salary or application deadline.

Applications should be submitted through UNICEF’s official recruitment platform. UNICEF directs candidates to its global careers system for employment opportunities.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply through UNICEF on jobs.unicef.org 

Search for Health Officer (Polio), NO-2 and follow the application instructions provided for the vacancy.

Final Advice for Applicants

This position is a good match for health professionals who can demonstrate both technical public health knowledge and practical programme experience.

Before submitting your application, check that your CV clearly shows your relevant university qualification, at least two years of professional experience and any work involving immunization, polio eradication, disease surveillance, maternal and child health or humanitarian health.

If you have worked with government health authorities, NGOs, UN agencies or other development partners, make that experience visible. For a specialized position such as this one, specific evidence of relevant programme work is likely to be much more useful than a long list of general skills.