Social Policy Specialist, NOC (TA), Zanzibar, Tanzania (364 days)

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries.

In Tanzania, UNICEF has been on the ground since 1985. The UNICEF Zanzibar Field Office currently comprises of 13 staff working in the following sectors: Health, Nutrition, Child Protection, Education, HIV/AIDS, WASH, Social Policy and Child Participation. UNICEF Tanzania is looking to recruit a Social Policy Specialist to support its social policy portfolio in Zanzibar in 2018. The scope of work entails management and delivery of technical support in the areas of child poverty measurement and analysis, child-sensitive social protection, public finance for children, and child-focused decentralisation and local governance.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the Social Policy Specialist is accountable for providing technical support and assistance in all stages of social policy programming and related advocacy, from strategic planning and policy formulation to delivery of comprehensive and quality services and programmes for children. The Social Policy portfolio with UNICEF in Zanzibar includes the following main areas of work:

1. Child Poverty, Child Rights Monitoring, and Data & Statistics. This comprises technical assistance to understanding the situation of children in Zanzibar and support to monitoring & evaluating policies, programmes, and services from a child rights and (multidimensional) child poverty perspective;
2. Child-sensitive Social Protection. This comprises technical support to the implementation of Zanzibar’s social protection policy, linkages with basic social services, and enhancement of capacity of social protection service providers;
3. Public Finance for Children. This comprises budget analysis and budget process support from a child perspective with the aim to enhance budget’s transparency, equity, effectiveness and efficiency to achieve results for children;
4. Decentralisation and Local Governance. This comprises technical support to the on-going decentralisation by devolution process in Zanzibar and its relevance for children.

This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to UNICEF teams working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, and HIV.

The Social Policy Specialist will work in collaboration with the other UN Agencies based in Zanzibar, notably, UNFPA, UNDP, WHO and FAO on Delivering as One and will cooperate with the following Government institutions both at central and decentralized levels: Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Labour, Empowerment, Elders, Youth, Women and Children (MLEEYWC); President’s Office, Regional Administration, Local Governments and Special Departments (PORALGSD); Second Vice President Office; TASAF; Zanzibar Planning Commission, and with the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS).

The Social Policy Specialist will contribute to strategic research and analysis in the areas of child poverty and public finance for children.

 Competencies and level of proficiency required

 Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

 Core competencies

• Communication (iii)

• Working with people (ii)
• Drive for results (ii)

Functional Competencies:

• Leading and supervising (i)
• Formulating strategies and concepts (ii)
• Analyzing (ii)
• Relating and networking (ii)
• Persuading & Influencing (ii)
• Planning & Organizing (ii)

 Qualifications

• Advanced university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or other relevant disciplines.
• Minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience is required.
• Familiarity with emergency is considered a strong asset.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

 The successful candidate will be offered a remuneration package under UN system.

 UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all nationals, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply to become a part of our organisation.