Social Protection Consultant, Recife, Brazil

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy 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, hope

While important progress has been made in Brazil and throughout the world over the last years concerning the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), much remains to be done to guarantee an integral protection of children and to ensure that all children have their fundamental rights fulfilled and respected in an equal manner and without discrimination. The urgent need for authorities at all levels to further address the rights of children in their legislations, programmes, policy frameworks and budgets has become even more evident in the light of the pandemic, given the multiple impacts that COVID-19 had on children, including indirect impacts such as increased threats to their safety, wellbeing, and social inclusion.

In line with the Federal Constitution, Brazil has developed a robust inter-federative social protection system that seeks to overcome social exclusion, inequality and poverty and contribute to the guarantee of rights. As part of its mandate, UNICEF supports governments in strengthening their policies and actions so that public institutions at different levels may be able to achieve their goals, especially those referring to the rights of children and adolescents, including from traditional communities. In Brazil, this entails a series of strategies that address the issue of child rights at national and sub-national levels, in which Social Protection plays a crucial role due to its intersectoral and multidimensional poverty reduction approaches. In the past few years, UNICEF has been working alongside national and sub-national governments more specifically to strengthen the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) and to increase the public spending for children as a related cross-cutting strategy to advance the Social Policy agenda in Brazil.

One of the main implementation strategies at the subnational level is the UNICEF Seal, which is implemented in Brazilian municipalities across the Semiarid and Amazon regions, over the period of four years, focusing on issues such as social protection, early childhood development, education, water and sanitation in schools, youth employment, mental health (especially among adolescents) and prevention and response to violence. In addition, UNICEF Brazil works in large urban centers through the recently launched initiative Agenda Cidade UNICEF where the emphasis lies on addressing and responding to violence among children and adolescents through an intersectoral and multidimensional approach. Apart from these programme strategies, UNICEF Brazil works with the Brazilian Government and other partners to respond to emergencies and crises.

In the current edition, UNICEF Seal has a dedicated systemic outcome to basic Social Protection (RS7). This systemic outcome (RS7) aims to strengthen the social protection system at municipal level by fostering a guaranteed budget for social protection, reinforcing the intersectoral approach with education, health and special social protection and expanding the coverage of Family Care service (PAIF). The Semiarid territory concentrates most municipalities of UNICEF Seal initiative, and to support the implementation, UNICEF has three implementing partners in the territory. Moreover, the Semiarid territory is responsible for Agenda Cidade UNICEF in three urban centers and has been the main site for the implementation of initiatives aiming at strengthening preparedness and responsiveness to emergencies of the Social Protection system (Shock- responsive social protection – SRSP) and increasing public spending for children

Although the UNICEF Social Policy and Social protection initiatives have made important progress in the Semiarid Region, there are still challenges to guarantee sound implementation, which requires frequent liaison and coordination with local governments, implementing partners and internal UNICEF stakeholders.

Purpose

Considering the implementation of Social Policy and Social Protection main initiatives in the Semiarid Region, UNICEF Brazil is looking for a Social Protection consultant to provide technical support for monitoring and implementation of the RS-7 of the SELO UNICEF in the Semiarid region.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Chief of Social Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation and the guidance of the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Northeast Territory (Semi Árido Brasileiro - SAB), the selected consultant will contribute to UNICEF’s work by:

1. Providing technical assistance on social protection and its implementation at the subnational level, within the scope of existing UNICEF programmes and initiatives in the SAB region and its intersectoral nature with other services such as education, and health, among other areas;
2. Mapping out opportunities to strengthen the social protection system to advance the fulfilment of child rights in the SAB region.

Expected results:

The overall expected results are as follow:

1. Comprehensive contextualization on the implementation of the UNICEF social policy and social Protection initiatives in SAB Territory;
2. Advise on the strategic engagement of UNICEF with state and municipal social protection counterparts, as well as with Selo UNICEF technical and implementing partners to foster the social policy and social protection agenda in the territory;
3. Reporting on initiatives and opportunities regarding social policy and social protection in SAB territory;
4. Recommendations to advance the social policy and social protection agenda in SAB territory.

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Report with an accurate analysis on the status of the advances on the systemic outcome 7 (RS- 7) of Selo UNICEF in SAB, focusing on main challenges, bottlenecks for its sound implementation and further recommendations to progress.

Duration (in calendar days): 30 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 20% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 2: Report with opportunities to foster social policy and social protection in SAB territory, including within the Agenda Cidade UNICEF, SRSP and Public Finance for Children.

Duration (in calendar days): 60 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 20% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 3: Mapping of social protection public policies for traditional people with a focus on the SAB territory, including main bottlenecks and challenges in coverage and adequacy of the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) and recommendations for UNICEF in this area

Duration (in calendar days): 90 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 20% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 4: Proposal for a reporting mechanism to monitor the implementation of social policy and social protection initiatives in SAB territory.

Duration (in calendar days): 120 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 20% of the total amount of the contract

Deliverable 5: Final report with a set of guidelines and recommendations to foster the social policy and social protection agenda in SAB territory including recommendations to strengthen the social assistance/SUAS in the next SELO edition (2025-2028)

Duration (in calendar days): 150 days from the contract signature date

Payment: 20% of the total amount of the contract

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Quality of deliverables, in terms of accuracy of technical content, relevance to the given assignment and responsiveness to provided technical feedback.
• Respect for given deadlines (i.e. timely deliverables).

Technical background and experience required

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of five years of experience in the fields of child rights, social protection, and public policy analysis.
• Proven experience in working with social assistance or social programmes at municipal level.
• Knowledge of programmes of cash transfers and the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) will be an asset.
• Relevant professional experience in the Brazilian Semiarid territory (Northeast) will be an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Fluency in Portuguese. Knowledge of English would be considered as an asset.

Key competences

Builds and maintains partnerships; Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness; Drive to achieve results for impact; Innovates and embraces change; Manages ambiguity and complexity; Thinks and acts strategically; Works collaboratively with others.

Core Values

1. Care
2. Respect
3. Integrity
4. Trust
5. Accountability
6. Sustainability

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

• Consultant will work from home using own equipment and stationery. UNICEF will provide office space for consultative meetings when needed.
• For Consultant’s, travel costs should be included in the consultant’s fee.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant.
• No consultant may travel without a signed travel authorization prior to the commencement of the journey to the duty station for international consultant.
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.

Financial Proposal

• Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.
• A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.
• The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Insurance and health coverage

• The contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expenses, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the term of the contract as he or she considers appropriate.
• The contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.

Restrictions

• Consultants and individual contractors may not receive training at the expense of UNICEF. Notwithstanding, consultants and individual contracts must complete the applicable mandatory trainings.
• In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government​, or unless on leave without pay.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF's policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.