Chief, Social Policy, Equity and Gender, P-5, Mogadishu, Somalia Post#85867 (re-advertisement)

UNICEF Somalia played a key role in making sure that child-focused data, with attention to gender and minorities, was included in the country’s first national development plan in 30 years. We have been tackling issues such as child mortality, better access to health services, severe malnutrition, and stronger child rights. We are working with partners to address the alarming food insecurity and malnutrition levels in Somalia. We are supporting community based reintegration programs for children released from armed groups, and are working on developing a social protection policy. We are also conducting robust HACT implementation. Join our team and help us make 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 Somalia played a key role in making sure that child-focused data, with attention to gender and minorities, was included in the country’s first national development plan in 30 years. We have been tackling issues such as child mortality, better access to health services, severe malnutrition, and stronger child rights. We are working with partners to address the alarming food insecurity and malnutrition levels in Somalia. We are supporting community based reintegration programs for children released from armed groups, and are working on developing a social protection policy. We are also conducting robust HACT implementation. Join our team and help us make sure every child has a champion.

How can you make a difference? 

The Chief of Social Policy, Equity and Gender reports to the Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction, and is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of social policy, equity and gender 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 the  quality, equity and coverage of social services, (e) equity and social inclusion, (f) resilience programming coordination and management, and (g) gender mainstreaming and cross-sectoral support. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to other programme teams, including those working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, communication for development, and HIV.

Managerial leadership

• Establish the Section’s annual work plan with the social policy, equity and gender team; set priorities/targets and performance measurement. Monitor work progress and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards.
• Establish clear individual performance objectives, goals and timelines; and provide timely guidance to enable the team to perform their duties responsibly and efficiently. Plan and ensure timely performance management and assessment of the Team.
• Supervise team members by providing them with clear objectives and goals, direction and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.

Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability and increased use for policy and programme action

• Oversees 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

Strengthening  social protection coverage and impact for children

• Develops 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, 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.

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.
• Identifies 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

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

• Where the 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 and 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.

Strengthened  advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy

• Oversees the 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

Resilience programming coordination and management

• Coordinates and manages resilience programming, including cross-sectoral support and coordination to integrate resilience approaches across the programme cycle
• Develop and foster inter-agency and other partnerships on resilience, ensuring strategic linkages and the building of resilience in households with young children.
• Represent UNICEF in high level resilience engagements, including those that lead to fundraising and new commitments. 

Gender mainstreaming and cross-sectoral support

• Support the mainstreaming of gender across UNICEF sectoral teams in line with the Global Gender Action Plan (GAP) 2. Ensure appropriate gender reporting in the Results Assessment Module (RAM) and support the Representative and programme team in representation in participation and representation in relevant fora.
• Lead development of new partnerships and explore fundraising opportunities to broaden UNICEF Somalia’s engagement in gender programming, in particular gender mainstreaming to better achieve progress for children.

Equity and social inclusion

• Support the development of research, policies and programmes to increase the social and economic inclusion of marginalized populations.
• Work with partners and government counterparts to ensure UNICEF adequately addresses and plays a leadership role in ensuring assistance considers and successfully reaches marginalized groups.

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.
• Ensures 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.
• Work Experience: Minimum of ten years of relevant professional work experience is required. Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered a strong asset.
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset

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.

* Please note that this is a non-family duty station.

* 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.