Social Policy Officer (NO-2), FT, Caracas - Venezuela, LACR

Contract

This is a NO-2 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-2 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, dedication

The humanitarian needs of children in Venezuela are immediate, immense and growing. An estimated 3.2 million children in Venezuela need urgent assistance due to the current socio-economic and political crisis. Since 2018, UNICEF has rapidly increased its presence and programs in Venezuela to respond to the growing humanitarian needs of children.

UNICEF has strengthened its work with a broad spectrum of partners and stakeholders to provide vulnerable children affected by the economic crisis with support in education, health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, and protection. In line with the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Venezuela launched by the United Nations and its partners, UNICEF launched the first appeal to provide humanitarian assistance to 1.3 million people, including 900,000 children. A second appeal will aim to meet the needs of children during 2020.

How can you make a difference?

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

• Supports the collection, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child vulnerability 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 inform the 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 effect of social welfare policies on the rights of children.

2. Support strengthening of social protection coverage and impact for children

• Supports the development of 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.
• Supports 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 health, nutrition, education, health, water and sanitation, child protection and social behavior change.
• Supports improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
• Provides technical support on UNICEF’s interventions on social protection, including the engagement, design and implementation in a way they leverage on (aspects of) social protection systems and contribute to inform their strengthening.
• Contributes to advising country office on UNICEF strategic positioning on Social Protection interventions related, based on best practices and country specificities and partners’ comparative advantages.

3. Improving use of public financial resources for children

• Undertakes budget analysis to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to social sector Ministries and planning commissions to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children. Works 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.
• Supports the identification of policy options for improved domestic financing of child-sensitive social protection interventions.
• 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

4. 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.

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

• Provides support to strengthening strategic partnerships to implement UNICEF supported initiatives.

• 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.
• Establishes effective partnerships with the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society and local leaders, academia, 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 agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Identifies other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family.
• Actively participates and represents UNICEF in nationwide coordination forums and any relevant interagency group which might be established.

6. Operational oversight and risk management

• In close collaboration with Operations section, ensure the collaboration with the financial Service Providers (FSP) and act as focal point for programmatic communications.
• In close collaboration with supply and logistics section, support the process to establish Long-term Agreements (LTAs) with FSP.
• Conduct regular operational analysis of the programmes, identify areas of poor performance, bottlenecks, provide quality assurance and identify solutions such as design improvements, additional trainings and technical support.
• Conduct risk assessments and propose risk mitigation measures for the use of cash in the specific country context of Venezuela.
• Ensure the establishment and implementation of a sound monitoring system for the programme, undertake field visits to monitor and assess programme implementation and decide on required corrective action.
• Any other duties as required.

The efficient and effective technical support provided to the development and implementation of strategic advocacy and planning & formulation of social policy programmes/projects and the achievement of sustainable results, contributes to achievement of goals and objectives to create a protective environment for children and thus ensure their survival, development and well-being in society. Achievements in social policy programmes and projects in turn contribute to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide programme services for mothers and children that promotes greater social equality in the country.

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

• A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, Public Administration, or another relevant technical field. A master’s degree in related field is an advantage but is not a requirement.
• A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience is required. Experience working in social policy and public financial resources for children, or another relevant field associated is consider as strong asset. Experience in research, data analysis and social and economic studies and analysis are considered a plus, especially in the fields of poverty, development, gender and inclusion. Experience in the work with public sector, academy and civil society.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in Spanish is required. Knowledge of English is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others.

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people - for supervisory role

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework 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:

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.