Re-advertisement - Social and Economic Analysis Specialist, NOC, Dhaka, Bangladesh #534194 (For Bangladeshi nationals only)

Contract

This is a NO-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-3 contracts.

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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, opportunity

UNICEF has worked continuously for Bangladesh’s children. The Country Programme guides UNICEF’s partnership with the Government of Bangladesh, identifying key issues, activities, and outcomes to realize the rights of Bangladeshi girls, boys and women. Through the Country Programme of Cooperation, UNICEF Bangladesh supports national frameworks and the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in order to fulfil the rights of all girls and boys to survival, development, protection and participation in alignment with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Specialist works within the Social Policy, Evaluation, Analytics and Research (SPEAR) section. UNICEF Bangladesh’s SPEAR programme is cross-sectoral in scope in support of children’s well-being with focus on inclusive policies and programmes. It aims to ensure that policy development and resource allocations are influenced through the use of reliable, disaggregated data and evidence and child friendly budgetary tools to reduce child vulnerability. It is also set to strengthen the institutional capacities and advocate for laws, policies, budgets and social protection programmes at various levels to progressively address disparities faced by children in Bangladesh.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose for the job:

The Specialist reports to the Chief of SPEAR and is responsible for strengthening the capacity of government to generate, analyze and disseminate quality data on children, with particular attention to equity, and enhanced availability of data on attainment of SDGs. This includes strengthened evidence and analysis related to (a) child poverty; (b) the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, nutrition, child protection, and WASH.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Improve analysis of data on public finance for children for increased use for policy and programme action

• Undertake budget analysis to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to Ministries of Finance, planning commission and social sector ministries to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children.
• Work with sector colleagues to build capacity to undertake costing and cost effectiveness analysis on priority interventions to help inform policy decisions on child-focused investments.
• Undertake, and build capacity of partners for, improved monitoring and tracking of public expenditure to support transparency, accountability and effective financial flows for essential service delivery, including through support to district level planning, budgeting and public financial management as well as facilitating community participation. Support to BNNC, Ministry of Health and Finance Division to conduct public expenditure tracking
• In collaboration with relevant partners, develops systems for monitoring the effect of public expenditure on key child outcomes
• Support the identification of policy options for improved domestic financing of child-sensitive social protection interventions
• Prepare policy briefs analyzing budget allocation trend of 15 child-focused ministries/divisions and produce policy papers/ technical note on public finance for children (PF4C) to enhance knowledge and bring emerging issues and lessons learned to light
• Review the current level of investment for children and develop strategy notes to support the Social Sector Ministries to enhance their capacity to increase investment for children;
• Support to the Planning Commission to initiate a process to influence policies, strategies and budgets to contribute towards an enabling environment for children that adheres to child and human rights principles.
• Working closely with government and other stakeholders to provide support the implementation of planned activities under PF4C stream, coordinate with external partners (government, CSO, researchers), provide inputs to the periodical reports to share with donors and government
• Provide any other analysis or note depending on the evolution of the programme, linking COVID-19 and PF4C.

2. Strengthen social protection financing systems

• Support the conduct fiscal space analysis (ToR, Technical inputs, dialogue with government) for a universal child benefit programme (0-5 years) to explore domestic financing of increased investment for children, taking into consideration COVID-19 context and increased needs in social sectors
• Support the development of social protection financing strategies with particular attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, with special attention on the most marginalized.
• Promote strengthening of integrated social protection financing and expenditure systems, providing technical support to partners to improve the design of cost-efficient payment systems for cash transfers and child grants and improve linkages with other social protection interventions such as health insurance, public works and social care services as well as complementary services and intervention related to nutrition, health, education, WASH, and child protection.

3. Improve evidence on child poverty & vulnerability and ensure increased use for policy and programme action

• Provide timely, regular data-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development; facilitates results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling-up specific social policy initiatives to reduce child poverty.
• Analyze the macroeconomic context and its impact on social development, emerging issues and social policy concerns, as well as implications for children, and proposes and promotes appropriate responses in respect of such issues and concerns, including government resource allocation policies and the effect of social welfare policies on the rights of children
• Undertake improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
• Oversee the correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services – in support of the social policy programme and the country programme overall.
• Oversee the development of knowledge products which effectively convey data and evidence on the situation of children with specific attention to equity concerns and attainment of SDG targets
• Conceptualize and leads strategic research related to social inclusion and new and emerging areas
• Develop a tool kit on MPI to guide resource allocation decisions including how to use MPI index, which data to use, and how each institution can target resources using this index
• Design a MPI and CMPI profile to develop a dashboard
• Develop systems for monitoring child right indicators, with special emphasis on child, adolescent and community participation.
• Support the assessment of whether local or national plans and budgets target inequalities and are able to increase social inclusion of the most deprived children

4. Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy

• Develop technical notes for thematic dialogues on PF4C and provide technical support to Journalists Forum to facilitate dialogues.
• Technical support to the Generation Parliament initiatives and Members of Parliamentary Caucus to have better oversight of national plans and budgets in order to create demand for better budgets for children
• Supports correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services – in support of the social policy programme and the country programme overall.
• Ensure that the UNICEF office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF developments and approaches to situation monitoring, data analysis and statistical developments.
• Establish effective partnerships with the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society and local leaders, the private sector, and other UN agencies to support sustained and proactive commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and to achieve global UN agenda such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Identify other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family.

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

• Advanced university degree in Economics, Public Finance, Public Policy or Development Studies
• Minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience is required in social policy, socio-economic analysis and research. Work experience for/with Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission, Bangladesh Bank is considered a strong asset.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The functional competencies required for this post are...

Functional Competencies:

• Leading and supervising (II)
• Formulating strategies and concepts (II)
• Analyzing (III)
• Relating and networking (II)
• Persuading & Influencing (II)
• Planning & Organizing (III)

View our competency framework at: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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. 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:

Internal candidates may be given preference over external candidates. The term "Internal" refers to all personnel with an ongoing employment relationship with UNICEF, including staff members on a continuing, fixed term and temporary appointment, individual contractors and full-time time-based consultants, and UNV.

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

This is a re-advertisement in order to expand the candidate pool. Previous applicants need not reapply as their original application will be duly considered.