Public Finance for Children Specialist

Volunteering Finance & Economy

Overview

Support the implementation of UNICEF's Public Finance for Children programme.

You have:

• Experience in public management and budget allocations or other relevant programmes; experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset.
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills.
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet.
• Self-motivated and proactive, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.
• Have affinity with or interest in public finance and public policy.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was established in 1946 by the United Nations General Assembly to provide humanitarian and development assistance to children worldwide. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect the rights and well-being of every child, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.

In Iraq, UNICEF works closely with federal and regional government institutions to strengthen policies, systems, and public investments that improve outcomes for children. Through its Social Policy Programme, UNICEF supports evidence generation, public finance reforms, social protection, and child-focused planning and budgeting to ensure that children are prioritized in public policies and resource allocation.

This United Nations Volunteer (UNV) assignment is part of UNICEF Iraq's Public Finance for Children (PF4C) portfolio. The programme supports the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government in strengthening the effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and transparency of public spending for children. Key interventions include conducting public expenditure analyses, strengthening evidence-based budgeting and planning, generating data on child poverty and child-focused spending, and supporting government institutions to integrate child-sensitive approaches into public finance management systems.

Key stakeholders include the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Kurdistan Regional Government institutions, sector ministries, development partners, academia, civil society organizations, and other national stakeholders engaged in public finance and social sector reforms.

The UN Volunteer will contribute to the implementation of UNICEF's Public Finance for Children agenda by providing technical, analytical, coordination, and operational support to strengthen child-focused public finance policies and investments in Iraq.

Under the supervision of the Social Policy Specialist, the UN Volunteer will support the implementation of UNICEF's Public Finance for Children programme through the following responsibilities:

Support Public Finance Analysis and Evidence Generation • Support the planning, implementation, and dissemination of Social Protection Public Expenditure Reviews (SPER), Fiscal Space Analyses (FSA), Child-focused Public Expenditure Measurement (C-PEM) and other PF4C analytical products. • Assist in data collection, data validation, literature reviews, stakeholder consultations, and preparation of technical inputs, presentations, and reports. • Support the dissemination and utilization of evidence to inform policy dialogue, planning, budgeting, and resource allocation for children.

Support the Implementation of UNICEF's PF4C Strategy • Contribute to the implementation and monitoring of UNICEF Iraq's Public Finance for Children Strategy and annual workplans. • Support engagement with government counterparts and development partners to promote child-sensitive planning, budgeting, and public finance reforms. • Assist in tracking progress against strategic priorities, milestones, and agreed actions.

Support Coordination, Partnerships, and Knowledge Management • Facilitate internal and external coordination related to PF4C activities, including technical working groups, task forces, consultations, workshops, and high-level meetings. • Prepare agendas, presentations, meeting minutes, and follow-up action trackers, ensuring timely implementation of agreed actions. • Maintain effective communication and coordination with government institutions, UN agencies, development partners, consultants, and other stakeholders.

Support Programme Management and Resource Monitoring • Support the management and monitoring of section grants, partnerships, and programme resources. • Track budget utilization, expenditures, workplan implementation, and grant performance, and provide regular updates to the section. • Assist in the preparation of programme reports, donor updates, and internal monitoring documents. • Coordinate with operations, supply, finance, and programme teams to facilitate timely implementation of activities and compliance with UNICEF procedures.

Support Capacity Development and Advocacy • Assist in organizing and facilitating trainings, workshops, and learning events aimed at strengthening government capacities in child-sensitive public finance and evidence-based policymaking. • Support advocacy and knowledge-sharing efforts to promote increased and more equitable public investments for children.

Other Duties • Perform any other programme, coordination, analytical, operational, or administrative tasks as required to support the effective implementation of UNICEF's Public Finance for Children programme.

1 Builds and maintains partnerships 2 Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness 3 Innovates and embraces change 4 Drive to achieve results for impact 5 Manages ambiguity and complexity 6 Thinks and acts strategically Nurtures, leads and manages people 7 Works collaboratively with others Care, respect, integrity, trust, accountability and sustainability

• Experience in public management and budget allocations or other relevant programmes; experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset; • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; cultural and social sensitivity; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated and proactive, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in public finance and public policy

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers receive a volunteer living allowance to sustain a basic, adequate, and safe lifestyle. This allowance varies from one location to another depending on local living costs, but all national UN Volunteers in the same location receive the same allowance. Below is a summary of the Conditions of Service. Allowances: The purpose of allowances for national UN Volunteers is to enable the national UN Volunteers to sustain a modest and secure standard of living at the duty station. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the volunteer work. The purpose of this allowance is to cover the basic living costs of the national UN Volunteer, and Her/his family when applicable. The allowance is to ensure that the volunteer can sustain a basic, adequate, and safe lifestyle.

• Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of USD 2413.83

• Danger and hardship differential: USD 724.14

• Entry lump sum(one time): USD 350

• Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment): $120 for each month served, paid on completion of contract

• Annual and learning leaves

• Medical and life Insurance

• Free access to different learning platforms. For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements and support, please visit: https://www.unv.org/volunteer-your-country-conditions-service

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Potential interview questions

Added 12 days ago - Updated 3 hours ago - Source: unv.org