International Consultant for Social Protection, Dili, Timor-Leste

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, Protection

UNICEF Timor-Leste Country Office (TLCO) is recruiting an International Consultant, Social Protection, to support the Government in the effective and efficient implementation of social protection programmes, particularly child-centric ones, with a focus on raising awareness and increasing knowledge of social protection programs through better communication to communities, particular groups such as youth and mothers support group, developing specific products that can support that community capacity. Also, providing recommendations to each relevant program targeting different vulnerable groups on how to improve it from that communication perspective, and suggesting ways and means to make the programmes gender sensitive and shock-responsive. Considering a new country, the fragile context, and the evolving social protection landscape, the support can suggest solutions to complex challenges around child poverty, explicitly focusing on deprivations around nutrition, education, health, and WASH services.

Reporting to the Chief of Social Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Timor-Leste CO, the Social Protection Consultant will work with the Ministry of MSSI and critical stakeholders in Timor-Leste to undertake these activities and analysis.

Find out how UNICEF programmes drives change for children in Timor-Leste by visiting https://www.unicef.org/timorleste.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF’s mandate is to advance the rights and opportunities of every child. UNICEF is uniquely positioned to bring an equity and child-centered lens into still-evolving social protection discussions in Timor-Leste. Under the Direct Supervision of the Chief of Social Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation, TL CO, and advisory support from the Chief of Nutrition, the Social Protection consultant will support the UNICEF TL country office in strengthening child-centric national social protection programmes by creating awareness, building evidence, and facilitating decentralized capacity development.

In addition, by bringing together an integrated approach with a specific focus on nutrition and social protection programmes, UNICEF can effectively reach children and women who struggle to access good nutrition.

Task:

1. Conduct an initial social protection mapping along with the messages (PLUS) to build awareness and improve service delivery.

2. Promote good practices through documentation.

Deliverables:

1.1. Provide a scope of work, including the methodology, timeline, and plan to complete the assignment.

1.2. Conduct a social protection and social security scheme mapping – developing resource materials for UNICEF and stakeholders.

Time frame: 20 days (month 1)

2. Connect cash transfers to information, knowledge, and services: Review and produce a report on the key messages delivered under the child-centric SP schemes, their modality of delivery, and suggestions/ recommendations for strengthening (Undertake desk review, interviews, etc.)

Time frame: 40 days (month 2-3)

3.1. Develop and consolidate resource materials for building the capacity of SWWs, mother support groups, youth, and adolescent groups on social protection schemes benefits, ‘PLUS’ elements, financial literacies, and demand generations.

3.2. Disseminate and share the materials amongst relevant stakeholders, monitor and evaluate the value of the document, and course-correct

Time frame: 40 days (month 4-5)

4. Build evidence on shock-responsive social protection systems, focusing on children and women. Undertake desk reviews of good practices from other countries (particularly the nutrition-SP linkages), analyze the current design of the social protection schemes.

Time frame: 40 days (month 6-7)

5.1. Develop an analytical report on children with disabilities and coverage of SP schemesm – current benefits, coverage, and exclusions, with a specific focus on nutritional deprivations.

5.2. Contribute to humanitarian cash transfer System preparedness meetings, particularly to food security and nutrition working group.

Time frame: 40 days (month 8-9)

6.1. Document case studies/ human interest stories and policy briefs on Social Protection and their impact on nutrition and Child Protection in line with UNICEF’s regional mandate

6.2. Final deliverable: 2 case studies/ human interest stories, 1 Policy Brief (the outline will be agreed with the Supervisor beforehand. A fund-raising proposal for UNICEF to engage around child-sensitive social protection initiatives)

Time frame: 50 days (month 10-11)

ToR - Social Protection.pdf

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

• Advanced university degree in social science, social protection, social and economic public policy, development
• At least three years of progressive work and experience in child-centric social protection, public finance for children, and related policy areas, including in-depth experience developing and drafting social development and economic policies.
• Demonstrable technical knowledge of social protection floor framework.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills demonstrated by a proven record of publications and reports relating to the analysis of the social protection sector, policy, strategy plan development, etc.
• Sound experience in developing Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks and implementation action plans
• Good knowledge of child protection, education and early childhood development, disability, and gender issues in the context of social protection programmes.
• Good knowledge of fiscal and macroeconomics in middle-income countries, particularly in Small Islands Developing States (SIDS).
• Excellent communication and advocacy skills to effectively consult at all levels and target audiences.
• Experience working with international development UN partners and agencies, and national governments in an international setting.
• Fluency in spoken and written English (Portuguese/ Tetum will be an added advantage).
• As a part of the technical evaluation, applicants must provide recent work and a two-page proposal.

For every Child, you demonstrate UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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 selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.