Social policy and Social Protection Section - Intern

Jordan’s population of 9.5 million is young: 70 per cent of people living in Jordan are below the age of 30 and 42 per cent are under 18. Only 69.4 per cent of the population are Jordanians while 30.7 are non-Jordanians, including 13.3 per cent Syrians, 6.7 per cent Palestinians, 1.4 per cent Iraqis and 9.3 per cent other nationalities (Census 2015). The population is highly concentrated, with 75 per cent living in three of the 12 governorates. Forty-two per cent live in Amman governorate alone. Of the 1.2 million Syrians in Jordan, 655,000 are registered refugees, 52 per cent of whom are under 18 (UNHCR, 31 Dec 2016). This represents the second-largest ratio of refugees to citizens in any country in the world and the fifth-largest refugee population in absolute terms. Among these, 50.7%are female, 49.3% are male, and 16.4% are children from 0-4 years, 21.8% are from 5 -11 years, and 13.5% are from 12-17 years. The majority (82 %) of refugees are living in non-camp settings (so-called, “host community/urban centers”), with higher concentration in northern and central Jordan.

Description of Tasks:

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Social Protection or Chief of Social Policy, the Interns will work as support for both sections to deliver on the following two outputs:

Integrated Social Protection programme for Children in Jordan Programme support:

• Perform data quality assurance procedures and troubleshoot data collection problems
• Contribute to develop an accountability to affected population framework for the programmes
• Work in partnership with the other UNICEF sections to produce a Home Visit Protocol for delivering an integrate package of Social Protection services.
• Contribute in analysing the available data to conduct operational programme review and report generation

Preparation of Knowledge Management products:

• Contribute in producing relevant fact sheet and information briefs on the situation of children in Jordan
• Contribute in preparing working paper on the situation of public finance for children in Jordan
• Coordinate with the communication section to disseminate of research findings
• Contribute in preparing both internal and external reports.

Evidence generation on the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of social protection programmes on children’s outcomes

• Provides support to other UNICEF sections in the design and implementation of research studies regarding the situation of children in Jordan
• Ensure that the data collected by UNICEF partner are sound and reliable
• Contribute to the situation and real time monitoring of children’s rights in Jordan
• Contribute in the management of evaluations of programs implemented by the social protection unit

Proposed Approach

Supervision and guidance will be provided on a day-to-day basis, and regular meetings will be organized between the supervisor and the program specialist to review work accomplished and provide advice on course corrections, if necessary. Interns will be exposed to learning and personal development opportunities within UNICEF and also with the partners including humanitarian response.

Expected Methodology: 

To be agreed upon in mutual discussion with the interns once they are on board.

Qualifications: 

• Being enrolled in a social science bachelor or master course (economics, statistics, social policy or other relevant subject)
• Fluency in English
• Strong writing skills
• Knowledge of Arabic is an asset
• Experience in data collection and analysis software (ODK, STATA/ SPSS) is considered an asset
• Experience with GIS software also considered an asset

Fieldwork – scope and scale

Regular field work in both Refugee camps and districts where Social Protection programs are implemented and with UNICEF’s government partners.

Expected benefits -Learning and Development

The intern will be received and assisted within the framework of the UNICEF Jordan Country Programme in Jordan that emphasizes the focus on acquiring experience in a development field under close direction of UNICEF Social Policy Specialist.

Background reading materials

Three Pager on Cash for Education Programme

A Window of Hope PDM Report

Brief explanation of Makani Program

Living conditions in Jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is strategically located in the Middle East covering a diversity of landscapes. Bound by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, the Red Sea to the south and Israel and the Palestinian National Authority to the west. The weather in Jordan is not too extreme. This position will be based in Amman, which is the capital city of Jordan - a unique blend of old and new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley. Amman is a peaceful city with over one million residents. People are friendly to visitors. Amman is hot and sunny from May to October, with cool, pleasant evenings. Winter in Amman is rainy with occasional short snowfalls. Services in terms of banking, transportation, communications, etc are well-available. Arabic is the official language but English is widely spoken among the majority of the population, especially in Amman.