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Social Policy Officer, No2 level based in Suva, Fiji (#103114)

Suva

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Suva
  • Grade: Junior level - NO-B, National Professional Officer - Locally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Legal - Broad
    • Children's rights (health and protection)
  • Closing Date: Closed

 

UNICEF Pacific is seeking candidates for the position of Social Policy Officer at the NO-2 level in the UNICEF Pacific Office based in Suva, Fiji. Successful applicants will participate in a thorough selection process. Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the Social Policy officer is accountable for providing technical support and assistance in all stages of social policy programing 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) social protection coverage and impact on children; (c) the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management; and (d) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is seeking candidates for the position of Social Policy Officer at the NO-2 level in the UNICEF Pacific Office based in Suva, Fiji. Successful applicants will participate in a thorough selection process.

Key expected results:

  1. Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability and increased use for policy and programme action
  • Supports the collection, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child poverty, including strengthening national capacity to collect routinely, report and use data for policy decision-making.
  • Provides timely, regular data-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development; facilitates results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling-up specific social policy initiatives to reduce child poverty. 
  • Analyzes the macroeconomic context and its impact on social development, emerging issues and social policy concerns, as well as implications for children, and proposes and promotes appropriate responses in respect of such issues and concerns, including government resource allocation policies and the effect of social welfare policies on the rights of children

 2. Strengthening  social protection coverage and impact for children

  • Supports the development of social protection 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.
  • Supports strengthening of integrated social protection systems, providing technical support to partners to improve the design of cash transfers 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 intervention related to nutrition, health, education, water and sanitation, child protection and HIV.
  • Supports improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.

 3. Improving use of public financial resources for children

  •  Undertakes 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 the identification of policy options for improved domestic financing of child-sensitive social protection interventions.
  • Undertakes, and builds 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

 4. Strengthening capacity of local governments to plan, budget, consult on and monitor child-focused social services.

  • Where national decentralization processes are taking place, collaborates with central and local 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 quality data collection, analysis for policy development, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring of essential social services, with emphasis on community participation and accountability.

 5.  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.

 6.  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.

7. As an advocate for every child, you should have…

  • Completion of a university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or other relevant disciplines is required with more than two years of relevant professional work experience is required
  • Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered a strong asset.
  • Fluency of English and local language of the duty station required.

For every Child, you will need to demonstrate…
Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The functional competencies of Formulating strategies and concepts, Analyzing, Planning and organizing, learning and researching and applying technical expertise.

Please note that National Professional (NO) staff are locally recruited staff and therefore, candidates are personally responsible for any travel and accommodation arrangements as these are not the organization’s responsibility.

To apply…

All applications to UNICEF are required to be submitted through UNICEF's online recruiting system. You can apply to the above position by submitting your application on our web site, Your application should include cover letter describing how you best meet each of the requirements of the post, UN Personnel History Form (P11), two most recent performance appraisals or evaluation reports if available and names, emails and phone details of three work related referees including supervisors. All applications should be in English.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

 

 

 

This vacancy is now closed.
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