Social Policy Manager, P-4, Bucharest, Romania (FT)

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 90,970 USD and 117,287 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, results.

The war in Ukraine has triggered the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II. By 23 April 2022, more than 774,000 refugees from Ukraine had arrived in Romania. The overwhelming majority of refugees are women and children, often separated from husbands and fathers who remained in Ukraine; older people; and significant numbers of unaccompanied children, including those from state care facilities.

Local and national authorities have established reception facilities at border crossing points to receive new arrivals and are providing life-saving assistance, including accommodation, food, and other basic needs, as well as onward transport for those moving to urban centers. In the reception centers, information is also provided on the asylum process and temporary protection, as well as on the risks of trafficking. Access to basic rights and services, such as health, has been facilitated. Steps have already been taken to foster protection and inclusion into national systems, such as for health and education. Referral services are being scaled up, focusing especially on case management and protection of unaccompanied children and those evacuated from boarding schools, institutions and other alternative care arrangements, survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), victims of trafficking, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups

UNICEF Romania Country Office is involved in the emergency response by supporting the national government and local partners in delivering assistance and protection services.

How can you make a difference?

Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the incumbent designs, manages, implements and monitors all stages of social policy programing in the current humanitarian crisis and related advocacy, especially in supporting the inclusion of refugees in the national social protection system and supporting analysis of the public finance considerations of this support. Coordinates internally (within ROM office, with other COs involved in the response, ECARO and NYHQ) and externally (with the Government, UNHCR and other UN agencies, RRP partners including relevant civil society as well as academia partners etc.) in the areas of social protection, child poverty, and public finance for children, including through active participation in the cash working/other relevant groups. The incumbent will contribute to increase refugee access to social protection through integration of refugee caseload into Romanian systems​ and strengthening of Romanian social protection capacities​. Therefore, the core focus of the job will subscribe, Romania being an EU member state, to the overall vision of UNICEF supporting the strengthening of the existing social protection system in the country – making the system work for all, whether refugees or otherwise a client of the system. The incumbent will also support improved access to other social services via engagement on public finance for children.

He/she is responsible for advising the Deputy Representative on the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of all stages of social policy programing and related advocacy from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable results. This includes programmes aimed at improving (a) public policies to reduce child poverty; (b) social protection coverage and impact on children; (c) the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management; and (d) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and partnerships with teams working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, and HIV.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability for increased use for policy and programme action

• Supports in managing the collection, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child poverty, including strengthening national capacity to collect routinely, report and use data for policy decision-making.
• Provides 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.
• Analyzes 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 effects of social welfare policies on the rights of children

Strengthening social protection coverage and impact for children, including refugee children

• Develops social protection policies, legislation and programmes with attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, with special attention the most marginalized. Identifies, generates and presents evidence to support this goal in collaboration with partners.
• Promotes strengthening of integrated social protection systems, providing technical support to partners to improve the design of 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, water and sanitation, child protection and HIV.
• Undertakes improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
• Provides specific support for the inclusion of Ukrainian refugee children into the national social protection system.

Improving use of public financial resources for children

• Identifies and applies the appropriate public finance tools and partnerships (in Romania but also beyond, particularly in the EU) to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children. Works with sector colleagues to build capacity to use public finance tools to help inform policy decisions on child-focused investments.
• Identifies policy options for improved domestic financing of child-sensitive social protection interventions, including for refugees.
• Undertakes and builds 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

Strengthening capacity of local governments to plan, budget, consult on and monitor child-focused social services.

• Where national decentralization processes are taking place, collaborates with central and local authorities to improve policies, planning, budgeting, consultation and accountability processes so that decisions and child-focused service delivery more closely respond to the needs of local communities.

• Collaborates with the central and local authorities to strengthen capacity on quality data collection, analysis for policy development, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring of essential social services, with emphasis on community participation and accountability.

  UNICEF Programme Management

• Manages and coordinates technical support around child poverty, social protection, public finance and governance ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion so as to adequately support scale-up and delivery. Ensures risk analysis and risk mitigation are embedded into overall management of the support, in close consultation with UNICEF programme sections, Cooperating Partners, and governments.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible, relevant professional work experience is required, including at least five years of experience in child poverty analysis, social protection, and/or public finance in national and international settings.
• Hands-on experience with social protection required, and specific engagement with social protection in emergencies is a strong advantage.
• Experience in budget analysis, costing and developing investment cases in key sectors for children such as health, education, and social protection are an asset.
• Previous experience engaging with governments in middle- and high-income contexts to expand social protection for children is a strong asset.
• Proven experience with capacity development of partners is a strong advantage.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills required.
• Background and/or familiarity with programming in emergency contexts is a strong 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.
• Knowledge of a language relevant to the ECA region is desirable.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

Core Competencies

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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:

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

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.