Social Policy Specialist (Social Protection), P3, Niamey, Niger #125995 (Temporary: 364 days)
Job no: 565375
Position type: Temporary Appointment
Location: Niger Division/Equivalent: Dakar (WCAR), Senegal
School/Unit: Niger
Department/Office: Niamey, Niger
Categories: Social Policy
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
The position of the P3 Social Policy Specialist (Social Protection) is part of the Social Policy section of UNICEF Country Office in Niger based in Niamey. The position reports to the Chief of the Social Policy section and works with the national Social Policy specialist (Social Protection). S/he will also work closely with the specialists in Decentralisation and Local Governance, and in Public Finances for Children as well as Social Policy officers based in UNICEF’s zonal offices in Maradi, Tahoua, Diffa and Agadez who are part of the Social Policy team.
How can you make a difference?
Under the general guidance of the Chief Social Policy, the incumbent is responsible for providing advice, technical support, and strategic guidance to the social protection programming component of UNICEF’s country programme in Niger. Together with the national Social Policy specialist (Social Protection) based in Niamey, the P3- Social Policy Specialist (Social Protection) will provide oversight, quality assurance, and technical support on the strengthening of social protection systems, the expansion of social protection coverage among children, the development of child-focused social protection programmes, and the strengthening of shock-responsive and child-sensitive capacity of social protection systems as well as their linkages with other sectors relevant to optimizing impacts on children and women. This includes support to social protection in humanitarian situations and developing innovative models of social protection programme that contribute to the resilience of households and communities, and the inclusion of excluded groups such as disabled persons / children and other marginalised groups. This encompasses both advocacy and programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to partners and UNICEF teams working on education, health, nutrition, child protection, water and sanitation, and social and behaviour change.
Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks:
1. Strengthening national social protection coverage and impact for children:
- Supports the development of national social protection policies, legislation and programmes (including funding from national budgets) with attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, particularly the most marginalized (including disabled persons and other categories). Identifies, generates, and presents evidence to support this goal in collaboration with partners.
- Promotes strengthening of national integrated social protection systems, providing technical support to improve the design of social safety nets and child grants and improve linkages with other social protection interventions such as health insurance, public works and social care services as well as complementary services and interventions related to nutrition, health, education, water and sanitation, child protection and HIV.
2. Providing effective technical support, quality assurance, and guidance on social protection programmes:
- Provide evidence-based technical support on funding frameworks, legislation, coordination mechanisms, information system (RSU and others), and other dimensions of the social protection system aimed at increasing the coverage, impact, equity and shock-responsiveness of the social protection system for children, especially the most marginalized (including people with disabilities and other groups).
- Provide technical support to ensure adequate integration to social protection as accelerator strategy for multisectoral results for children.
- Ensure adequate inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration with program sections to systematically ensure linkages between Humanitarian Cash and Social Protection.
- Manage the planning, budgeting, and monitoring of the social protection component of the Social Policy work plan for the Country Office.
- Contribute to activities to mobilize financial resources for social protection and support the development of funding proposals for the UNICEF country office.
- Ensure relevant and strong work relationships with social protection colleagues at the regional and global HQ levels.
- Develop capacity within the COs teams and with national partners on social protection.
3. Providing effective technical support to social protection evidence generation and system assessments:
- Support research around social protection impacts on child outcomes and promote uptake of data and research findings for strengthening programme design and delivery. Support assessments of social protection systems, including financing and spending, with a focus on the extent to which they are child- and gender-sensitive and shock-responsive.
- Ensure adequate dissemination of research findings and keep abreast of latest developments in the field of social protection for sharing with national partners and UNICEF CO staff in view of strengthening social protection advocacy and programming.
- Support the collaboration with research institutes in the country and promotes north-south, south-south research collaboration and knowledge exchange.
- Support the collection, analysis, and user-friendly presentation of data on child deprivation and wellbeing, including strengthening national capacity to collect routinely, report and use data to inform social protection policies and programmes.
4. Providing effective support for establishing and developing social protection partnerships at country level:
- Ensure adequate relationships between the Multisectoral Cash Working Group and the national social protection system.
- Establish strong collaborative relations with UN partners, notably ILO and WFP, bilateral development partners, notably Germany and the EU, multilateral partners such as the World Bank, and civil society organizations. This includes collaboration to strengthen exchange of evidence and relevant social protection programming information, advocacy, and support to implementing programmes.
5. Providing effective support to the integration of social protection into strategies and support aimed at achieving UNICEF Niger’s results for children.
- Provide technical support to ensure adequate integration to social protection as accelerator strategy for multisectoral results for children.
- Ensure adequate inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration with program sections to systematically ensure linkages between Humanitarian Cash and Social Protection.
- Manage the planning, budgeting, and monitoring of the social protection component of the Social Policy work plan for the Country Office.
- Contribute to activities to mobilize financial resources for social protection and support the development of proposals for the country office.
- Ensure relevant and strong work relationships with social protection colleagues at the regional and global HQ levels.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- 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.
- A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience is required, in managing (technical support to) the design and delivery of social protection programmes, including cash transfers, social protection policy development, and the strengthening of social protection systems.
- Experience working in the West and Central Africa region is considered as a strong asset.
- Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.
- Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is considered as an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
- Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
- Works Collaboratively with others (1)
- Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
- Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
- Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
- Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
- Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)
During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.
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 include 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, 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 promote 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.
Remarks:
UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.
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 are also 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.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Please be advised that Niamey is currently a family duty station but due to current events, the duty station could be classified as non-family in the near future.
Advertised: Aug 30 2023 W. Central Africa Standard Time
Application close: Sep 06 2023 W. Central Africa Standard Time
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- Closes Sep 06 2023Social Policy Specialist (Social Protection), P3, Niamey, Niger #125995 (Temporary: 364 days) in Niger
Under the general guidance of the Chief Social Policy, the incumbent is responsible for providing advice, technical support, and strategic guidance to the social protection programming component of UNICEF’s country programme in Niger. Together with the national Social Policy specialist (Social Protection) based in Niamey, the P3- Social Policy Specialist (Social Protection) will provide oversight, quality assurance, and technical support on the strengthening of social protection systems, the expansion of social protection coverage among children, the development of child-focused social protection programmes, and the strengthening of shock-responsive and child-sensitive capacity of social protection systems as well as their linkages with other sectors relevant to optimizing impacts on children and women. This includes support to social protection in humanitarian situations and developing innovative models of social protection programme that contribute to the resilience of households and communities, and the inclusion of excluded groups such as disabled persons / children and other marginalised groups. This encompasses both advocacy and programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to partners and UNICEF teams working on education, health, nutrition, child protection, water and sanitation, and social and behaviour change.
