Social Policy Specialist, NOC, Lilongwe, Malawi #64961 (Open to Nationals of Malawi only)

Contract

This is a NO-3 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-3 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, social protection…

UNICEF Malawi Country Programme (2019-2023) is aligned with the Government of Malawi’s Growth and Development Strategy (MDGS III) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The programme supports the Government of Malawi to meet its commitment to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in line with international conventions and standards. The country programme is guided by the principles of children’s rights, equity, gender equality, inclusion and resilience, and supports evidence-based, integrative and innovative programming. The vision is that ‘all girls and boys in Malawi, especially the most disadvantaged and deprived, realize their rights’. The programme focuses on: early childhood (parenting, high-impact social services, early stimulation and learning), middle childhood and adolescence (learning, multi-sectoral services, active citizenship), communities (decentralized services and systems, community ownership, social norms), programme effectiveness (monitoring, evaluation, HACT, Innovation, Social Protection and Social Policy and External Communication. The programme is based on ‘leaving no child behind’, realizing ‘rights for all children in Malawi’.

As the Social Policy Specialist, you will be at the forefront of our innovative social protection agenda, managing a rich and ambitious portfolio that will have a direct impact on the well-being of Malawi’s poorest children and their families.

How can you make a difference?

The Malawi Country Office offers an exciting and rewarding career opportunity for you to join our dynamic team where you will be accountable for effective engagement in social protection dialogue with the Government for programme development, advocating for increased public resource allocation and budgeting towards the social protection sector and local capacity building in support of the goal of achieving equity and reaching the poorest and most vulnerable children and their families. This includes supporting preparedness activities, the implementation and monitoring of linkages between social protection and humanitarian work jointly with other UN agencies and iNGOs, and resilience activities. In your role as Social Policy Specialist, you will report directly to the Chief Social Policy.

This job presents a unique and significant opportunity for a qualified, vibrant, motivated and committed person to contribute to the overall achievement of transformative results for children by delivering on the following key responsibility areas, but not limited to - you are however encouraged to read the attached and detailed job description (please click here Generic JD - NOC Social Policy Specialist.pdf) in order to view the full role and its requirements:

1. Strengthen social protection coverage and impact for children by supporting the development of social protection policies, legislation and programmes with attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, especially those most marginalized.
2. Provide technical support to partners to improve the design of cash transfers and child grants, fostering linkages with other social protection interventions under the Cash Plus approach.
3. Broker constructive dialogue and partnerships between international and local social protection stakeholders to strengthen the social protection system.
4. Generate strategic evidence to inform social protection advocacy, policy and programming.

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.

Experience

• A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience is required in the social protection sector in Malawi.
• Experience working with the Social Cash Transfers Programme is considered as a strong asset.
• Experience working in an African country is considered as a strong asset.
• Experience working with the UN, a Development Partner or Donor organization or an NGO is considered as an asset.

• Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as an asset.

  Language:

• Fluency in English – both verbal and written.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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 (3)
• Persuading & Influencing (2)
• Planning & Organizing (3)

View our competency framework at:

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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 therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

The position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/.

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

The VA is open to all candidates – both internal and external candidates.