Social Policy Officer, NOB, TA (10 months), Ankara, Turkey

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Tuesday 12 Jul 2022 at 20:55 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.

For every child, [insert tagline]

In recent decades, Turkey has seen significant social and economic development, achieving important results in reducing poverty and improved access to basic services for the most vulnerable. Nevertheless, the achievements are still unevenly distributed, with high levels of poverty and socio-economic inequalities that exacerbate the vulnerability of disadvantaged groups. Turkey has a well-developed social assistance system supporting Turkish nationals and further extended it to Syrian and other refugees residing in Turkey. The social assistance in Turkey includes diverse types of social assistance programmes such as Conditional Cash Transfers for Education (CCTE) and Conditional Cash Transfers for Health (CCTH) and several thematic and targeted cash transfer programmes. The social protection system overall is built on a strong IT infrastructure and have dynamic single registry referred as “Integrated Social Assistance Information System (ISAIS).

Nevertheless, the overall social protection system continues to be fragmented and lacks a harmonized and child-focused strategic vision, impeding its ability to deliver high level and sustained impact for children and families. Therefore, there are several areas of improvement and opportunities in order increase accessibility, inclusivity, and adequacy of social protection in Turkey.

UNICEF’s multi-sectoral and multi-year workplan with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, includes partnership with the Directorate General of Social Assistance (DGSA), among many other Directorate Generals. The main objective of this partnership is to support that social protection system has increased capacity to design, implement and monitor policies and programmes that better respond in an integrated and shock-responsive manner to the multidimensional vulnerabilities of children and families.

UNICEF supports the DGSA (i) to increase awareness of concerned government agencies to embed shock-responsiveness and child sensitivity in Turkey’s social protection system; (ii) support in adopting and scaling up emerging technology platforms to promote beneficiary outreach and inclusion in social assistance programmes i.e. introduction of Business Intelligence and Dataware house capacity on the existing Integrated Social Assistance Information System (ISAIS); (iii) support intersectoral mechanisms to develop and pilot Cash Plus modeling; (iv) refine administrative processes like targeting approaches for the existing social assistance programmes. Since 2017, in partnership with the Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS), the Ministry of National Education (MoNE), and the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) UNICEF also manages the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) Programme for Refugees, which has benefitted more than 800,000 so far.

Purpose for the job:

In line with the strategic context, UNICEF Turkey CO seeks a Social Policy Officer (NOB level) with strong experience in social protection programme design and delivery as well as quantitative monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. This position will be office-based in Ankara Turkey and will be working under the supervision of the Social Policy Specialist (P3) and in close coordination with Social Policy team and other relevant UNICEF sections.

How can you make a difference?

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

  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 poverty, including strengthening the 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 effect of social welfare policies on the rights of children
  1. Strengthening 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 to 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 complimentary services and intervention related to nutrition, health, education, water and sanitation, child protection and HIV.
  • Supports improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
  • Supports social policy section in designing and rolling-out new cash transfers and other social protection programmes.
  1. 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.
  1. Coordination Support on Social Protection Activities under Country Programme Output 3.1
  • Analyzes the developments at the partners level, local level in different geographies, including legal and operational practices, and its impact on social protection including protection concerns, as well as implications for children, and promotes appropriate responses.
  • Contributes to the development and execution of an effective and integrated social protection programming in line with RWP activities, in liaison with Child Protection, Education, PME and other sections of UNICEF.
  • Participates and contributes in national/regional/provincial level forums related to social protection, humanitarian cash transfers such as ESSN Tasks forces etc. in order to ensure synergies between such mechanisms and UNICEF’s ongoing technical work supporting social protection systems in Turkey.
  1. Support Monitoring of the Social Protection activities, programmes and support in digitalization agenda
  • Conducts analysis and contribute to necessary reviews, updates, and adjustments to the operational procedures and all associated guidelines/forms for effective programme implementation of the social assistance programme. Also, develop/implement a harmonized approach to strengthen the link between Social protection and other interventions.
  • Supports analyses of programme implementation and impact based on data from surveys, particularly third-party monitoring and MIS/ISAIS of social protection programmes.
  • Supports DGSA in adopting and scaling up emerging technologies such as Business Intelligences and data warehousing, Power BI tools among others.
  • Develops periodic reports on lessons learned and good practices from the implementation of the social protection interventions.
  • Manages a comprehensive and up-to-date repository of all tools utilized in the implementation of the social assistance programmes such as the operational procedures, M&E framework and tools and training packages.
  1. Programme Management
  • Helps manage and coordinate technical and capacity support to CCTE implementing partners (DGSA and TRC particularly), ensuring it is well implemented and monitored. Ensures risk analysis and risk mitigation are embedded into overall management of the support, in close consultation with Child Protection, Education and other relevant UNICEF programme sections, CCTE Implementation Partners and Social Policy section team.
  • Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme activities related to Social Protection/Cash Transfers. Provide support so that the social protection output 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 Integrated Social Assistance Information System (ISAIS).

Performs other duties as required

Impact of Results:

The efficient and effective technical support provided to the development and implementation of strategic advocacy and planning & formulation of social policy programs/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 programs and projects in turn contribute to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide program 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, or another relevant technical field.
  • A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience in humanitarian and development sectors is required with particular focus on the following skill sets:
    1. Experience in statistical computing such as SPSS, Stata, R-Studio
    2. Experience in designing and/or delivering social assistance/cash transfer programmes in Turkey
    3. Experience in data visualization, such as PowerBI, Infogram
    4. Experience in data collection, such KobotoolBox, ActivityInfo, ODK
    5. Experience in social protection programme monitoring, data collection, data analysis, data classification
    6. Experience in donor reporting
    7. Experience in supporting Management Information Systems for the social sector programmes
    8. Experience in coordinating and collaborating with potential social protection implementing partners such as (1) the Ministry of Family and Social Services and other social sector ministries (2) cash platform and/or financial service providers; 3) technical teams of donors

    Familiarity with UNICEF’s Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) procedures and rules is an asset

  • Fluency in English and Turkish 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 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.

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org