Duty Station: Yaounde
Level: NO-1
Location: Cameroon
Categories: Health and Nutrition

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.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Health, 

I – Context

In Cameroon, UNICEF plays a pivotal role as a strategic partner of the Ministry of Health and the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Through its Supply Division and Procurement Services (PS), UNICEF supports the government in sourcing quality-assured vaccines, immunization devices, cold chain equipment, and transport materials. As a core Gavi partner, UNICEF contributes to every stage of the immunization supply chain, from global procurement to last-mile delivery, ensuring that vaccines reach health facilities safely and efficiently. Beyond vaccines, partners such as WHO, CHAI, Africa CDC, the UPS Foundation complement, UNICEF’s work by strengthening distribution systems and logistics capacity.

By the 2025 last quarter, the country’s cold chain system includes 3,304 pieces of equipment, notably 42 cold rooms, 4 UCC freezers, 3,066 vaccine refrigerators, and 182 freezers for ice‑pack recycling. A total of 3,117 PQS‑approved refrigerators are deployed across regions, districts, and health facilities. Currently, 51% of FOSA have PQS refrigerators, a proportion expected to rise to 80% with the addition of the newly acquired 1,800 CCEOP units.

UNICEF support the management of procurement and delivery of vaccines to points of entry, after which distribution operates through a PUSH system to regions and districts, while health facilities obtain vaccines through PULL mechanisms. Waste management capacity includes 35 functional incinerators, with additional units under installation. Since 2024, all regions are equipped with refrigerated pickup trucks to strengthen vaccine distribution.

Despite significant investments, several challenges persist: inadequate temperature monitoring in cold rooms, weak stock management at intermediate and operational levels, discrepancies between SMT data and physical inventories, poor quantification practices, lack of a system for monitoring vaccine losses, and insufficient maintenance of cold chain equipment.

The 2025 EVM assessment reported a 75% composite score (under the objective of 80%), lower than the 2019 performance, with district and facility levels performing below expectations. A 2020–2025 improvement plan focuses on supply chain redesign, cold chain equipment, temperature monitoring, distribution systems, human resources, data management, and waste management. 

Immunization coverage is in progress with DPT3 coverage at 89% at the end of 2025. This remains fragile. In 2022, an estimated 166,118 children in Cameroon received no vaccine doses, and 253,220 were under-immunized, and increase compared to COVID-19 pre-pandemic levels. To support recovery, Gavi allocated over 4 million doses of key antigens (IPV, MR, PCV-13, Rota, Yellow Fever, Pentavalent, and bOPV) for 2024. UNICEF’s role includes not only procurement support but also ensuring these vaccines are properly managed, stored, and distributed through a functioning cold chain.

Accurately tracking vaccine doses during catch‑up efforts is difficult because multiple age groups (for routine and catch-up) use the same open vials. Despite updated reporting tools, clearer guidance is needed. Cameroon conducted PIRI rounds in 2024–2025, with UNICEF ensuring proper vaccine supply planning, cold chain readiness, and logistics for each planned vaccination round.

Within this context, the Immunization Supply Chain Officer plays a critical leadership role. The officer ensures timely mobilization of immunization commodities through UNICEF Procurement Services, strengthens cold chain systems, supports vaccine forecasting and stock management, and contributes to monitoring and evaluation of the supply chain. These functions are essential for achieving national immunization goals and ensuring that every child in Cameroon, especially the most vulnerable, receives lifesaving vaccines.

How can you make a difference? 

II – Purpose of Assignment & Justification:

The overall objective is to ensure the timely availability of vaccines and immunization supplies (of adequate quantity and quality), from regional stores to district health stores and ultimately to service delivery points, for both routine immunization and supplementary immunization activities. Ensure the reconciliation of vaccine stocks used during the Big Catch‑up.

Under the direct supervision of the Immunization Specialist, in close collaboration with the Cold Chain Specialist (CCL/VM – Polio) as well as the Supply and Cold Chain Specialist, the Immunization Officer will be responsible for the following:

1. Planning, Coordination and Monitoring of the Immunization Supply Chain

2. Cold Chain Management

3. Stock and Inventory Management

4. Responsibilities under the Big Catch-Up (BCU)

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  ToR Immunization officer NO-1.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education: University degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Social Sciences, Medicine,Health, Public Health, Family Health, Child Development, Nursing, or a field relevant to internationaldevelopment assistance in Immunization and Child Survival & Health Care. Strong understanding of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), especially vaccinemanagement and cold chain systems for routine and campaign operations
• Work Experience: Minimum One year of relevant professional work experience. Field work experience. Experience inknowledge management. Training and experience in social welfare, or Immunization/ health care.Strongly recommended: Experience in EPI logistics (cold chain, vaccine management, wastemanagement).
• Skills(optional):
• Language Requirements: Fluency in French and proficiency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset

Desirables:

Experience working in emergencies and developing country contexts. Experience working with UNICEF or other UN agencies is considered as an asset.

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Deadline: 09 Apr 2026 W. Central Africa Standard Time

HOW TO APPLY ? 

All applications must be submitted ONLINE at : https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/filter/?search-keyword=&location=cameroon