Social Policy Specialist, P-3, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

UNICEF has been achieving important progress on education, child rights, nutrition, and WASH in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Challenges remain, though, and in spite of its vast physical size and limitless natural resources, the DRC poses a complex operational environment in terms of infrastructure challenges. Child poverty is widespread, and according to a recent UNICEF study, 80 percent of children aged zero to 15 years old face at least two major deprivations. Join our team and help tackle these issues, making sure every child has a champion.

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.

For every child, a champion

UNICEF has been achieving important progress on education, child rights, nutrition, and WASH in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Challenges remain, though, and in spite of its vast physical size and limitless natural resources, the DRC poses a complex operational environment in terms of infrastructure challenges. Child poverty is widespread, and according to a recent UNICEF study, 80 percent of children aged zero to 15 years old face at least two major deprivations. Join our team and help tackle these issues, making sure every child has a champion.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the Social Policy and Cash Specialist reports to the Chief of Social Policy and Evaluation for general guidance and direction, in close collaboration and coordination with the Chief of Emergency/Transition, and is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of social policy and cash-based 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 in development, fragile environment and emergency setting; (c)  the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management; (d) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the  quality, equity and coverage of social services, and (e) monitoring, evidence generation and knowledge management on cash based programming aiming at improving children resilience and testing of new models of social protection/safety nets in fragile and emergency environment. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, HIV, emergency and transition.

Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability and increased its 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. 

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.
• Promotes strengthening of integrated social protection systems or safety nets in fragile environment, 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.
• Undertakes improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.

Social protection programme design, management and monitoring of UNICEF-led cash based programming:

• Leads discussions and analysis on cash-based programming within development and emergency programming and promote innovation; Cash strategies are mainstreamed in the country office’s workplans. Sectoral input is provided for all related documents for the offices, as well as for the situation analysis and the country program document.
• Participates and contributes to the inter-donor Social protection and cash working groups to share knowledge and enhance UNICEF lead role in both social protection ( national systems) and cash based programming in emergency settings and fragile environment.
• Elaborates UNICEF strategy in cash based programming in collaboration with others sections, provide technical guidance and lead research elements of UNICEF cash based programming aiming at strengthening resilience or setting up safety nets/social protection mechanism;
• Contributes to the monitoring of the social protection and cash-based interventions to demonstrate their outcomes for children and ‘value for money’

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.

Qualification of Successful Candidate

• Education: Advanced university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or other relevant disciplines. *First university degree with additional two-years of relevant work experience is acceptable in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work Experience: Minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience in social policy/relevant field is required. Cash-based programming experience is required. Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency/fragile environment is considered a strong asset.
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English and French is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

This position is classified as “rotational” which means the incumbent is expected to rotate to another duty station upon completion of their tour of duty.

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

Remarks

* The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

* Employment is conditional upon receipt of medical clearance, any clearance required, the grant of a visa, and completion of any other pre-employment criteria that UNICEF may establish. Candidates may not be further considered or offers of employment may be withdrawn if these conditions are unlikely to be met before the date for commencement of service.