Regional Social Policy Consultant, LACRO, Panama City - 6 Months (Home-Based)

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, hope

The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac)..)

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Regional Social Policy Adviser, the Regional Social Policy Consultant is accountable for providing technical support and assistance to regional and country office teams in various Social Policy areas of work in LAC, with a focus on social protection, including care systems and support/disability inclusive agendas; child poverty analysis, public finance for children, and local governance.

The consultant will work primarily on the delivery of technical assistance, both remotely and in-person, to regional and country offices; the production and publication of high-quality knowledge products; and the contribution to nurturing key partnerships at regional level in what pertains to social protection and care.

Scope of Work:

1. Support the development of high-quality knowledge products: Provide technical coordination and quality control, produce and/or complement analysis and writing of final pieces; contributing to editing, design and publication of final product. The specific products are:

a. Finalization and publication of the regional social protection strategy.

b. Finalization of two papers on investment in social sectors related to children and best practices

c. Publication of a study on family-based care services.

d. Review and finalization of a study on Social Protection for Children and Adolescents in LAC, to be produced jointly with ILO.

e. Finalization of Care and Support Guideline for COs, jointly with ECD and Gender

f. Finalization of Care and Private Sector, jointly with B4R

g. Develop TORs for the study ‘Costing of minimum packages of disability inclusive policies’

h. Update, finalize and publish the mapping of UNICEF local governance work in LAC

2. Provide expert technical assistance, both remotely and in-person, to regional teams and to COs, by means of reviewing TORs and knowledge products, as well as supporting policy dialogue with national/local counterparts for development of legislation and programmes, on what pertains to:

a. Social protection system strengthening, including care systems and disability inclusive social protection, expansion of coverage and adaptation to specifically vulnerable groups.

b. Child poverty analysis and advocacy efforts for child poverty reduction strategies

c. Public finance for children

d. Capacity building of local governments for improved child-sensitive policies at subnational levels, including integrated social services.

3. Support coordination and nurturing of external regional partnerships for regional work on social protection, public finance for children and local governance, as well as coordinate internally with other teams (in particular: Gender, Early Childhood Development, Inclusion) and global initiatives (HQ technical teams and focal points for social protection, disability-inclusive social protection, gender, and care, data/DPAM).

4. Support Social Policy Unit’s planning and monitoring, as well as knowledge management functions as needed.

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

• An advanced university degree (master’s) in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of five years of relevant professional work within social policy analysis and/or programming, including in social protection specifically, is required.
• Previous professional experience in Latin America and the Caribbean is required.
• Proficiency in Spanish and English is required.

• Professional technical knowledge in social policy, including social protection, is required.

  For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS)

UNICEF competencies: building and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically and works collaboratively with others.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

Administrative details

Supervision: The consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the UNICEF LACRO Regional Adviser Social Policy.

Workplace: The consultancy is home-based. Travel may be involved. International/national travel may be required, discussed and agreed with the consultant (a separate travel line will be included in the contract).

Duration: Estimated start date is January 8 until July 7, 2024 (6 months)

How to Apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: TMS application form duly completed, Cover Letter, Study certificates and financial proposal (Daily fee or deliverable fee).

Qualified candidates are requested to indicate an all-inclusive (lump sum) fee for the services to be including all associated administrative and travel costs.

Consultants must have their own equipment, tools and materials needed to perform their services. They will use their own laptops/computers, any application or system needed to complete the assignment. They need to provide the full service without using UNICEF resources.

Remarks:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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.

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.