Social Policy Support Officer

Finance & Economy

Overview

Support UNICEF’s MEANRO Social Policy team in public finance and socio-economic analysis.

You have:

• Demonstrated interest in Public Finance Management, including government sectoral financing and management procedures, processes, and standards.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, particularly in macroeconomics, public finance management and financing of social sectors.
• Strong drafting skills to support the production of UNICEF’s products (including budget briefs, fiscal space analysis, etc.).
• Ability to multi-task, address competing priorities and produce quality deliverables in a timely manner.
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.

The UN Volunteer will support the UNICEF MEANRO Social Policy team, specifically the Social Policy Specialist (Public Finance), in the following areas: • Monitoring socio-economic and policy trends and evidence generation related to MENA's public finance and social spending trends. • Technical support to UNICEF Country Offices (COs) in social policy analysis and ad-vocacy focused on technical support and guidance for Public Finance for Children (PF4C). • Facilitating knowledge-sharing among COs in the region on PF4C, including reviewing and disseminating key emerging research in policy measures and promising practices. • Developing and conducting training sessions in selected PF4C areas.

The UN Volunteer may join Social Policy Specialist (Public Finance) in his country/field missions to provide technical assistance and/or training upon request.

Under the direct supervision of UNICEF’s MENARO Social Policy Specialist (Public Finance), the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Support and contribute to technical support in modelling and monitoring socio-economic and policy trends and evidence generation related to public finance and social spending trends in MENA. • Contribute to creating a regional database by collecting and compiling public finance and socio-economic data from countries in the MENA region to inform the RO’s evidence-based advocacy and technical assistance. • Support and contribute to creating a regional human and institutional resources data-base of critical institutions, thinkers, and potentially valuable consultants in MENA's social and economic policy areas. • Contribute to the RO’s work on building capacity of COs (social policy and other pro-gramme teams) by supporting planning and facilitation of training workshops in PF4C and multi-stakeholder dialogues on child-responsive planning and budgeting. • Support and contribute to reviewing the RO’s research and policy products (including regional background papers/reports on policy measures and promising practices in MENA) and CO's policy and knowledge products (including budget briefs, fiscal space analyses, etc.).

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Communication ☒ Ethics and Values ☒ Integrity ☒ Knowledge Sharing ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Self-Management ☒ Working in Teams

(or demonstrated interest) Public Finance Management, including government sectoral financing and management procedures, processes, and standards. • Analytical and critical thinking skills, particularly in macroeconomics, public finance management and financing of social sectors. • Strong drafting skills to support the production of UNICEF’s products (including budget briefs, fiscal space analysis, etc.) and quality assurance and improvements to reports produced for UNICEF or with UNICEF’s financial support. • Ability to multi-task, address competing priorities and produce quality deliverables in a timely manner. • Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. • Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Location: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is located in the Middle East. Bound by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, Red Sea to the south and the Palestinian National Authority to the west.

Weather: Jordan’s climate can be classified as semi-arid (Bsh) on the Koeppen-Geiger classification. It features a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. The climate is influenced by Jordan's location between the subtropical aridity of the Arabian desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. January is the coldest month, with temperatures from 5°C to 10°C, and August is the hottest month at 20°C to 35°C. Daily temperatures can be quite hot, especially in the summer; on some days it can be 40°C or more, especially when a hot, dry southerly wind blows. Such winds can sometimes be very strong and can cause sandstorms. About 70 percent of the average rainfall in the country falls between November and March; June through August are often rainless. Rainfall varies from season to season and from year to year. Precipitation is often concentrated in violent storms, causing erosion and local flooding, especially in the winter months.

Safety and Security: Jordan is a relatively stable country. The potentials for internal or external armed conflict are considered very unlikely in the current political environment. Peaceful demonstrations, and sometimes road blockages, do occur in Jordan, motivated by domestic factors such as unemployment, deprivation of resources and development or for regional issues such as solidarity with the Palestinian cause or with the Syrian crises. Most of these events are driven by civil society unions and Islamic parties. Domestic tribal civil unrest sometimes turns violent, especially outside main cities, due to tribal disputes or socio-economic reasons. In all occasions law enforcement agencies usually manage to contain the situation rapidly. Road traffic accidents are the primary threat against UN personnel in Jordan. Poor road conditions and bad driving behaviours are the main reasons for the high rate of traffic accidents. Amman is a category A duty station with security level 1.

Transportation and housing: Taxis as well as ride-hailing services (Uber and Careem) are abundant and affordable in Amman. Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Public minibuses are the most common form of public transport. They normally only leave when full, so waiting times of an hour or more are inevitable, especially in rural areas. The larger air-con buses offer a speedy and reliable service, departing according to a fixed schedule. Housing is readily available with rents for one- to two-bedroom apartments ranging between 500 and 800 JD (1 JD = 0.708 USD) depending on the location.

Health Services: Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Almost all doctors (and most pharmacists) speak English; many have studied abroad.

Language: The official language of Jordan is Arabic, but English is widely spoken – especially in the cities. Many Jordanians have travelled or have been educated abroad so French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken, but to a lesser extent.

Learn more about Jordan from the Ministry of Tourism’s website: https://www.mota.gov.jo/Default/En

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org