Social Policy Specialist - Social Protection (P-4), PG - Social Policy, New York HQ

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 171,387 USD and 220,969 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.

This position is under the supervision of the Chief of Child Poverty and Social Protection within the Social Policy and Protection Programme team at UNICEF NYHQ. The Social Policy and Social Protection Programme team contributes to UNICEF’s strategic results on child poverty, social protection, public finance and local governance. It will routinely liaise with regional social policy advisors, staff in other PD sections, PPD, DAPM and selected country offices, as well as networking with external partners including the World Bank, other UN agencies and the Social Protection Inter-Agency Committee Board (SPIAC-B). This post will support specific Goal Area 5 Strategic Plan results to improve access to inclusive social protection systems through increasing coverage and financing of social protection systems for children.

For every child, fairness for all……

Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the incumbent provides technical leadership on social protection systems strengthening with a strong focus on areas of operational implementation and cross-sectoral integration, as well as advocacy and evidence leadership at the global level to enhance the enabling environment to improve social protection for children. This covers a range of areas, including cash transfers, linking to cash to other social services, social protection-related social welfare services and referrals; and the development, strengthening and financing of social protection systems. In collaboration with regional offices, the incumbent provides technical support and guidance through development of analytical tools and guidance, policy advocacy materials, and technical assistance and capacity building. Supports the management of external partnerships including with the World Bank, other UN agencies, and bilateral organizations to support collaborative country engagements on social protection and further international coherence.

How can you make a difference?

Advance knowledge on how social protection can promote realization of international commitments for children and women, in particular in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• Ensure that UNICEF is aware of social protection issues and how the organization could effectively capitalize on existing policy and partnership opportunities and/or make new initiatives in this field to leverage results for children in line with its strategic plan.
• Liaise with UNICEF social policy advisers in country and regional offices and monitor the international literature and policy debate to ensure that cutting edge knowledge is being generated, regularly updated and channeled to those offices and partners would could use it to achieve results for children and women.
• Convene, comment and advise on technical proposals that aim at strengthening social protection systems for the benefit of children and women.

Development of tools, guidance and methods to improve social protection programming for children

• Develop and enhance tools, methods and processes through which UN/UNICEF country, regional and headquarters offices can support national and international partners to sustain and expand social protection systems to address the poverty of children and their caregivers, and/or provide technical assistance to country offices and partners in using the above tools and methods.
• Liaise and collaborate with technical officers from UNICEF’s human rights and gender, health, child protection, nutrition, education, early childhood development, HIV/AIDS and emergency sections in order to ensure consistent and effective guidance.
• Respond to emerging requests for technical assistance in proactive manner and produce technical notes.

Generating, consolidating and sharing knowledge on UNICEF’s work on social protection

• Monitor UN/UNICEF support to and involvement in social protection planning and development collaboration process.
• Support the process of documentation of what has been achieved and why.
• Organise and/or support technical meetings and networking where existing practices are being presented, discussed and reviewed in order to distil lessons learnt and to improve UNICEF’s partnership strategies from the aspects of financing, leverage and efficiency.

Undertake and support policy analysis and advocacy on social protection

• Provide technical leadership to UNICEF global advocacy on social protection, including strategy development, ensuring policy positions are evidence-based, and development of policy advocacy materials. Provide support to regional and country level advocacy on social protection as needed.
• Provide analytical input to UNICEF’s global, regional and country reports, including the child poverty and disparities studies, situation analyses, policy briefs, working papers, and training programmes from social protection viewpoints.
• Support and carry out social protection analyses on the effectiveness and efficiency of social protection in addressing the poverty and deprivation to which children and their families are exposed, including at the global level;
• Investigate causality effects and identify the key factors that drive results.
• Comment on relevant draft studies and technical proposals from other agencies and the private sector.

Represent UNICEF in technical discussions on social protection and support resource mobilization.

• Represent UNICEF in technical discussion on social protection, and widen UNICEF’s networking with professionals in the area.
• Facilitate the exchange of experience, tools and methods.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration and leverage through UN agencies, International Financial Institutions, other multilateral and bilateral agencies, private and civil society organisations, funds, policy and academic institutions for the benefit of children and women.

• Assist with expanding up to date UNICEF roster of consultants, experts and institutions with a high profile and expertise on social protection.

• Strengthen relationships with development partners and development of proposals. Support arrangement and preparation of high-level strategic dialogue with partners.

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

• An advanced university degree in Economics, development studies, social sciences, or another relevant technical field is required.

• A minimum of eight years of progressive, professional work experience at the national and international level in public policy, technical assistance, carrying out economic and social policy analyses in the area of social protection in developing country environments is required.
• Experience in written analysis/documentation of public policy work required.
• Experience in implementation and operational dimensions of relevant dimensions of social protection programmes and systems is highly desirable.
• Excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills is highly desirable.
• Experience in managing and synthesizing research is desirable.
• Experience with UNICEF and/or other organisations in economic and social analysis of programmes in developing countries for the benefit of women and children is an asset.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

Please click Here to view UNICEF's core values and Here to view our competency framework.

UNICEF competencies required for this post are.

• 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)

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to including everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, 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 is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

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.

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.

“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/”

For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page. If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online Salary Estimate Calculator

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service