Social Policy Officer, NO-2, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

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Application deadline 3 years ago: Wednesday 2 Sep 2020 at 03:55 UTC

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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.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the job:

Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the Social Policy Officer is accountable for providing technical support and assistance in all stages of social policy programming 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 and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services. This encompasses both direct programme work with governments and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, child protection, communications (for development), and water and sanitation.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

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

  • Under the guidance of the Social Policy Manager, supports the collection, measurement, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child poverty, as well as the continuous enhancement of measurement instruments in collaboration with stakeholders.
  • Supports strengthening national capacity to collect monetary and multidimensional child poverty data routinely, analyse them, and use them to inform policies and programmes for children.
  • Provides timely, regular, and 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 effect of social welfare policies on the rights of children.

2. Strengthening social protection coverage and impact for children

  • Supports the development of social protection policies, legislation and programmes to increase coverage of and impact on children, with special attention to the most marginalized. Identifies, generates and presents evidence to support this goal in collaboration with partners.
  • Supports strengthening of integrated and shock-responsive 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 interventions relevant to children’s development.
  • Supports improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
  • Supports capacity building of national partners on strengthening social protection systems and programme implementation and management.

3. Improving use of public financial resources for children

  • Supports building convincing cases for investment in policies and services that are critical for children through evidence-generation on public finance management in relation to child outcomes, which promote an equitable, efficient, sustainable and predictable use of public resources.
  • Under the guidance of the Social Policy Manager, identifies entry points and builds rapport with institutional partners to advance UNICEF’s contribution to the policy making process and public finance management to advance outcomes for children in sectors relevant to their development.
  • Under the guidance of the Social Policy Manager, advocates for more equitable allocations for essential services for children and provides technical assistance to Ministries of Finance, planning commissions and social sector ministries to achieve this goal. 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 interventions relevant for children.
  • Support capacity building of UNICEF colleagues, staff and partners, particularly government counterparts, 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 governments to plan, budget, consult on and monitor child-focused social services.

  • Supports collaboration with central and local authorities to strengthen capacity and improve policies, planning, budgeting, implementation, consultation and accountability processes so that decisions and child-focused service delivery more closely respond to the prevailing needs.

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

  • 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, 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.

6. UNICEF Programme Management

  • Helps manage and coordinate 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.
  • Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation of the country programme. Ensures that the social planning project enhances policy dialogue, planning, supervision, technical advice, management, training, research and support; and that the monitoring and evaluation component strengthens monitoring and evaluation of the social sectors and provides support to sectoral and decentralized information systems, including knowledge management.
  • Supports building and strengthening strategic partnerships and collaborates with internal and external counterparts, including sub-national government and local stakeholders, in order to exchange information on programmes, participate in technical and coordination working groups, and collect and support the dissemination of development data and information and support advocate UNICEF goals to advance children’s rights to survival, development and well-being.

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, or another relevant technical field.
  • A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience is required.
  • Experience with budget analysis and application of public financial management instruments is considered as a strong asset.
  • Knowledge of the Caribbean sub-regional economic and political environment is considered as a strong asset.
  • Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.
  • Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.
  • Experience in working with Governments and development partners is considered as a strong asset.Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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

Core Competencies

  • Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
  • 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)
  • Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
  • Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Functional Competencies

  • Analyzing (2)
  • Applying Technical Expertise (2)
  • Learning & Researching (2)
  • Planning & Organizing (2)

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:

This is a National Officer position and is therefore only available to Nationals of Trinidad & Tobago.

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

Added 3 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org

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