Internal & External: Economic Analysis Specialist, P-3, TA, Social Policy Section, PG, NYHQ

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 140,639 USD and 184,155 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 fulfill 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.

For every child, hope. How can you make a difference? Global, equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines is essential to end the health crisis, and the social and economic impacts that risk progress on children’s rights from the last century.

The new role of Economic Analysis Specialist, Costing and financing of COVID-19 vaccine delivery, will align with two areas of complimentary expertise from UNICEF Programme Group – Health, and Social Policy and Social Protection in UNICEF Headquarters in New York. The two sections are collaborating closely to bring together UNICEF expertise in immunization financing, public financial and economic analysis to support UNICEF’s key role in the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT-A) Accelerator.

Since September 2020, UNICEF has led an interagency Working Group on Costing and Financing of COVID-19 vaccines as part of the COVAX Country Readiness and Delivery workstream. The working group has developed global delivery cost estimates, tracked multi-source data on country-level COVID-19 vaccine delivery costs and financing, and provided advice on country-level costing and budgeting technical challenges, and financial sustainability risks. These analyses have been used to inform COVAX planning and decision-making and to advocate for resource mobilisation to support country financing of COVID-19 vaccine delivery. Additional technical support is required to expand this critical area as countries prepare for the scale up of COVID-19 vaccine delivery in 2021 and 2022.

As the new role contributes to global collaboration products as well as UNICEF’s technical analysis and programming, reporting will be based within Social Policy, but linked to, and overseen by the Health team. The role will be under the direct supervision of the Public Finance Specialist (P4, Social Policy), with overarching management and direction by the Senior Immunization Specialist (P5, Heath) as chair of the CRD Costing and Financing Working Group.

The position will be based in New York, USA. Opportunities for temporary remote work can be discussed with the selected candidate, subject to the ability to maintain complimentary office hours with the team. The expectation is that the selected candidate will report to NYHQ at some point.

Summary of key functions and accountabilities:

The purpose of this position is to support UNICEF’s technical leadership and input to global and country level engagement on COVID-19 vaccine delivery costing and financing issues. The new position of Economic Analysis Specialist, Costing and financing of COVID-19 vaccine delivery, will undertake the following activities:

1. Track and monitor information on costs and resources for country-level operational costs for COVID vaccine delivery.

2. Provide technical input to global analysis, reporting and advocacy on COVID vaccine delivery cost, including costing and budgeting challenges, available resources, resource gaps and the implications for country immunization programmes and social sector investments (drawing from country-level experiences and available monitoring data).

3. Provide technical support to UNICEF country offices working with governments on strengthening financing of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine delivery, and monitoring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine financing on immunization and social spending.

4. Undertake grant management and coordination.

Key Accountabilities, Duties & Tasks

1. Track and monitor information on costs and resources for country-level operational costs for COVID-19 vaccine delivery

• Maintain a database on external support to country operational costs for COVID vaccine delivery by source, in coordination with global partners
• Monitor country budget allocations to immunization and COVID-19 vaccine procurement and delivery, in collaboration with Supply Division
• Identify and track information on country-level operational costs for COVID-19 vaccine procurement and delivery
• Establish a database of country immunization budgets in all Gavi countries
• Collaborate with bilateral and global partners to confirm data sources and inputs for global monitoring, including through regular coordination meetings
• Provide updates from global tracking and country-level insights to technical discussions and coordination meetings, including multi-team discussions within UNICEF, the COVAX Costing and Financing Working Group, COVAX ACT-A, and other bilateral and multi-lateral partner forums.

2. Provide technical input to global analysis, reporting and advocacy on COVID vaccine delivery cost, including costing and budgeting challenges, available resources, resource gaps and the implications for country immunization programmes and social sector investments (drawing from country-level experiences and available monitoring data).

• Provide technical input into the design and development of knowledge products, advocacy material, and resource mobilization on country financing challenges, resource gaps and support needs
• Provide technical input and data to update and expand the global cost model for COVID-19 vaccine delivery
• Provide technical input into the design and delivery of new global mechanisms to support country COVID-19 vaccine delivery, including strengthening country costing and budgeting
• Provide technical input into UNICEF immunization and social spending financing research products in relation to the impact or implications of COVID-19 vaccine delivery financing

3. Provide technical support to UNICEF country offices working with governments on strengthening financing of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine delivery, and monitoring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine financing on immunization and social spending.

• Provide technical support to at least 3 UNICEF country offices undertaking research on the impact of COVID vaccine expenditure on health, immunization and social sector budgets
• Provide technical support to at least four UNICEF country offices investigating budget credibility of immunization spending and the impact of country COVID-19 responses on social sector budgets and budget execution, in collaboration with the International Budget Partnership.
• Provide technical support to at least four UNICEF country offices working with governments on costing and budgeting COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine delivery
• Assist in identification of UNICEF country offices to participate in new support mechanisms, using global and country monitoring data
• Support UNICEF country offices develop concept notes and funding proposals to access global resources and support, including developing research methodologies and identifying cross-cutting research themes across countries
• Support UNICEF country offices to identify and access global data, particularly UNICEF held immunization data in coordination with Supply Division
• Provide technical review and quality assurance of draft country research and analysis products, and consolidate country level findings into global data monitoring and reporting

4. Undertake grant management and coordination

• Ensure effective management of grants and grant funds, including monitoring progress against grant requirements to ensure timely and quality responses to agreed workplans, budgets and key deliverables, monitoring budgets and payment schedules, and undertaking follow up and coordination of invoices and payment processing
• Prepare regular updates and required reports for donors and partners, including coordinating inputs from UNICEF country offices and preparing global level reports
• Maintain ongoing coordination with implementing UNICEF country offices and grant providers, including organizing regular coordination calls with country offices, ensuring clear and accurate information exchange on requirements and progress, and assisting with updates or adjustment to workplans and timelines as required
• Maintain complete and up to date records and document management of both technical products and administrative processes
• Draft inputs to global reporting, knowledge and advocacy products based on country-level research, products and insights.

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

• Advanced degree in public administration, public policy, health economics, business, or closely related field.
• A minimum of 5 years work experience in global health, public finance or a related field
• Knowledge and experience in government finance, including the government budget process
• Experience in research design and data analysis for health and immunization, particularly of government financial data. Experience in undertaking immunization expenditure reviews or budget analysis of national health accounts preferred.
• Knowledge and practical application of public finance tools and approaches for health and immunization, particularly the use of costing tools
• Strong drafting and communications skills (written and oral), including technical reports, advocacy products and communication materials
• Experience coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives
• Experience with grant management and grant reporting
• Fluency in English required; fluency in French or another UN language preferred

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respective, Integrity, Trust and Accountability.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page*. If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online* Salary Estimate Calculator

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.