Social Policy Specialist

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Description

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The Social Policy Specialist (Child-Friendly Governance and Public Finance), reports to the Chief Social Policy, Governance & Evidence/P4 for guidance. The incumbent is responsible for providing technical support to the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of all stages of social policy programming and related advocacy, from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable results. This includes programmes aimed at improving (a) public policies to reduce child poverty; (b) the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management; and (c) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services. This encompasses both direct programme work with government at all levels, and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, nutrition, child protection and, WASH .

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Improving use of public financial resources for children:

•  Supports budget analysis to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to Ministries of Finance, planning commissions and social sector ministries to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children. Works with sector colleagues to build capacity to undertake costing and cost-effectiveness analysis on priority interventions to help inform policy decisions on child-focused investments
• Supports identifying policy options for improved domestic financing of child-sensitive social protection interventions.
• Undertakes and builds the capacity of partners for improved monitoring and tracking of public expenditure to support transparency, accountability and effective financial flows for essential service delivery, including through support to district level planning, budgeting and public financial management as well as facilitating community participation

Strengthening the capacity of local governments to plan, budget, consult on, and monitor child-friendly governance:

• Collaborates with federal, provincial, and local government authorities to improve policies, planning, budgeting, consultation, and accountability processes so that decisions and child-focused service delivery more closely respond to the needs of local communities.
•  Collaborates with the central and local authorities to strengthen capacity on child focused quality data collection, analysis for policy development, planning, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of essential social services, with emphasis on community participation and accountability.
•  Provides technical inputs in strengthening child sensitive policies, legislation and programmes with attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, with special attention the most marginalized. Identifies, generates and presents evidence to support this goal in collaboration with partners.
• Undertakes improved monitoring and research around budgetary policies and impact on child outcomes and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.

Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy:

• Supports correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services – in support of the social policy programme and the country programme overall.
• Establishes effective partnerships with the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society and local leaders, the private sector, and other UN agencies to support sustained and proactive commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and to achieve global UN agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Identifies other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family.

UNICEF Programme Management:

• Manages and coordinates technical support around child poverty, social protection, public finance and governance ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion so as to adequately support scale-up and delivery. Ensures risk analysis and risk mitigation are embedded into overall management of the support, in close consultation with UNICEF programme sections, Cooperating Partners, and governments.
• Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme. Ensures that the social planning project enhances policy dialogue, planning, supervision, technical advice, management, training, research and support; and that the monitoring and evaluation component strengthens monitoring and evaluation of the social sectors and provides support to sectoral and decentralized information systems.
•  Implement the section’s annual work plan particularly related to Child Friendly Governance and Public Finance for children related work, set priorities and targets and monitor work progress to ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards. Establish clear individual performance objectives goals and timelines.
• Coordinate with partners (mention them here) and field staff, providing them with clear objectives and goals, direction and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.

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

Education:

• 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 first-level University Degree (bachelor’s degree) in a relevant field combined with additional five (5) Years of Professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced University Degree. A degree in Economics would be an asset.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience is required. Experience in public finance management is required. 
• Experience in local governance, a strong asset. 
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.
• Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Nepali language is required.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/577324

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