Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 107,719 USD and 141,049 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, a fair chance

COVID-19 has already had catastrophic consequences in the Sahel, particularly in terms of its economic and social impact. Developments in the global economy (trade, commodity prices, remittances, among others) interact with existing vulnerabilities in the region and national COVID-19 measures, to affect households through a loss of income and production, higher prices, and reduced access to services and assistance. While measures instigated by governments to contain the virus may be effective, they have also brought economies to a standstill, affecting livelihoods in urban and rural areas and inadvertently amplifying food insecurity in a region where many people already struggled to access food. Urban areas are suffering both from the direct health effects and from the social measures taken to mitigate the epidemic (market closures, social distancing and curfews). Rural areas are also increasingly affected through the interruption of informal trade, the suspension of remittances, disruptions of local supply chains and inflation of staple food prices and other essential commodities. As is often the case, the most vulnerable segments of society, especially those living in extreme poverty, are bearing the brunt of the human and social impact. Through a range of impact transmission channels, COVID-19 has exposed children and women to risks of food insecurity, malnutrition, discontinued schooling, violence and abuse, or child labour. For example, an analysis of the combined impact of food insecurity and COVID-19 on acute malnutrition in 19 countries of the West and Central Africa region indicates that 15 million cases of acute malnutrition in children under five years of age are expected in 2020. This represents a 20 percent increase from earlier estimates, in January 2020.

Adequate social protection systems are essential to protect people from these consequences. National governments in the Sahel, with support from WFP and UNICEF, have developed emergency COVID-19 social protection response plans with measures aiming to protect people both from the immediate shock and its longer-term impact. However, existing social protection systems are underdeveloped in many of the contexts that need them most, and the economic and social consequences of the pandemic will quickly overwhelm national capacities.

UNICEF and WFP, with support from the German government, will implement a joint project to support the Governments of Mali, Mauritania and Niger to provide critical social assistance support in the short-term, while contributing to strengthened national social protection systems in the medium- to longer-term. In these countries, social protection systems are embryonic and stretched. Through this project, both UN agencies will provide immediate support to the three countries to respond to the massive needs generated by the pandemic, as well as help strengthen overall national capacities to adapt and build more shock-responsive, nutrition- and child-sensitive social protection systems moving forward.

The project will deliver essential cash transfers to vulnerable people affected by the socio-economic fallout of COVID-19, taking a two-track approach in cash transfer delivery and implementing complementary services. As far as possible, the project will work through government social protection programmes to deliver essential support. Where national capacities are saturated, the project will deliver cash transfers directly, in alignment with national social protection response plans. In addition, the project will provide essential complementary services, targeted to prevent a deterioration in the nutritional status of the most vulnerable women and children, and to protect children and women in targeted households from violence, abuse, exploitation, discrimination and neglect. The delivery of complementary services and the strengthening of cross-sectoral linkages as part of national social protection systems will contribute to optimizing and sustaining the impact of cash transfers among the vulnerable groups reached.

At the same time, the joint project will support national systems to become more shock-responsive, nutrition- and child-sensitive. The systems’ support aims at establishing a conducive environment for sustained coverage expansion and enhanced ability to address recurrent shocks in the medium- to long-run, whether related to COVID-19 or of different nature.

To support the implementation of the 18-month “Responding to COVID-19 Pandemic through Social Protection Systems in the Sahel” project (the COVID-19 Sahel Social Protection project) in Mali, Mauritania and Niger, the UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa is recruiting a Social Policy Specialist (Shock-responsive Social Protection). The focus of the position is the provision of technical support to the three countries for the implementation of the UNICEF-managed cash transfer and social protection systems components of the project.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose for the job

The Social Policy Specialist (Shock-responsive Social Protection) will provide technical guidance and operational support to the design, implementation, and monitoring of the “Responding to COVID-19 Pandemic through Social Protection Systems in the Sahel” project, which is jointly implemented by UNICEF and WFP in Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The Specialist will support the three Country Office with their assistance to government, which entails a cash-based response to COVID-19 through existing government safety net programmes, complementary services in the areas of nutrition and child protection, and support to strengthening the child-sensitive, nutrition-sensitive, and shock-responsive capacity of national social protection systems. The Specialist will contribute to ensure that knowledge and evidence is generated from the Project to inform Social Protection engagement, capacity development, and learning in the three countries, and in fragile contexts more generally.

Summary of Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

1. Support the UNICEF Country Offices in Mali, Mauritania, and Niger with the implementation of the cash transfer and social protection systems strengthening components of the COVID–19 Sahel Social Protection Project

• Provide technical assistance to the design and implementation of cash transfers envisaged under the project, including the development of operational tools, training materials, and guidance for all aspects of the cash transfer delivery
• Provide technical assistance to the design and implementation of child-sensitive, nutrition-sensitive, and shock-responsive social protection systems strengthening support activities under the project
• Ensure adequate coordination and synergy – at regional and country levels – between the Sahel Social Protection project and the Sahel Resilience programme, implemented in the same countries
• Conduct regular operational analysis of the project to identify areas of poor performance, bottlenecks, and propose and roll out solutions and remedial action.

2. Support project management of the COVID-19 Sahel Social Protection Project

• Provide support to the UNICEF Regional Office and the three Country Offices with the development and consolidation of joint UNICEF-WFP work plans and budgets, donor reports, project mid-term review, budget reviews, and other project management activities, while liaising closely with the WFP regional team
• Support the three Country Offices with project monitoring against the project results matrix, and ensure consolidation at regional level to inform project support to countries, project reviews, and donor reporting
• Support the coordination of project implementation between UNICEF and WFP, as well as support the organization of dialogue and learning sessions with regional social protection platforms
• Identify and contribute to documenting evidence, best practices and lessons learned related to the implementation of the cash transfer, systems strengthening, and complementary services components of the project, with the aim to strengthen social protection systems and interventions in the project countries and replicate the approach in other fragile contexts
• Work with the Regional Office Communications team for the development of social protection communication and advocacy materials for the project
• Support the roll-out of the TRANSFORM social protection training package in each of the three countries[1].

The Social Policy Specialist (Shock-responsive Social Protection) will be part of the Social Policy team and work under the supervision of the Social Policy Specialist (Social Protection). The position requires strong coordination and collaboration with different units in the organization. First, the focus of the position is the provision of technical support to UNICEF Country Offices in Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. The Social Policy Specialist’s focal point will be the Chief Social Policy in Mali and Niger, and the Social Policy Programme Officer in Mauritania. In addition, the Social Policy Specialist will collaborate closely with relevant sector Specialists in the Regional Office, notably the Nutrition, Child Protection, and Resilience teams, and the Social Protection Specialist at UNICEF Headquarters, as far as the provision of technical support to shock-responsive social protection is concerned. Finally, the Social Policy Specialist will liaise on a regular basis with the WFP regional team, to coordinate technical support work and project management.

The position is based out of the UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa. Depending on the circumstances and restrictions, the Social Policy Specialist may be requested to travel to the project countries.

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

• Education : Advanced University degree in Social Sciences, Economics, Political Science, International Relations, or another relevant field. A Bachelor’s degree with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

• Experience: A minimum of five (05) years of demonstrated experience in the design, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of cash transfer programs, preferably in humanitarian contexts.

  Experience with supporting governments in developing and/or strengthening shock-responsive/ adaptive social protection systems.

  Demonstrated experience in managing donor-funded programmes and adhering to compliance and reporting requirements.

  A good understanding of social protection policy debates and evidence in the region and elsewhere is desirable.

  Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner.

• *Language Requirements***:** Fluency in French (written & verbal) and English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate :

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The technical competencies required for this post are:

• Leading and supervising (II)
• Formulating strategies and concepts (II)
• Analysing (III)
• Relating and networking (II)
• Persuading & Influencing (II)
• Planning & Organizing (III)

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 sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination.

All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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