Temporary Appointment: Programme Specialist (Cash-Based Approaches), P-3, Juba, South Sudan (364 days)

The Programme Specialist (Cash-Based Approaches) will be responsible for coordination and partnership with the Inter-Agency Cash Working Group, and building capacity of the Country Office and partners in cash-based approaches.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

For every child, a champion

While cash-based programming, including cash transfers and vouchers, still represents a small fraction of humanitarian interventions in South Sudan, there has been a been a significant expansion of humanitarian cash-based programming in the past two years.  As a form of social transfers within a social protection system, cash transfers and vouchers can help vulnerable households stabilize their income, invest in human capital and productive activities, and reduce overall inequality and poverty.

UNICEF works closely with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, and has supported the Government in the development of a National Social Protection Framework in 2013. The dedicated technical support in this area aims to support the government and various partners to effectively coordinate the overall social protection programmes, including cash transfers, ensuring that they are child-sensitive, inclusive and nationally-owned.

Cash transfers in humanitarian situations is also part of the strategies of the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2018-2021 Goal 5 “Girls and boys are provided with an equitable chance in life,” which includes supporting cash-based programmes to help families to gain access to goods and services in a dignified manner, and to strengthen national social protection systems.

How can you make a difference?

The Programme Specialist (Cash-Based Approaches) will be responsible for coordination and partnership with the Inter-Agency Cash Working Group, and building capacity of the Country Office and partners in cash-based approaches.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Chief, Social Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, UNICEF South Sudan, she/he will:

• Support Country Office in designing a longer-term strategy on UNICEF’s engagement with cash-based interventions in both humanitarian and development contexts, ensuring strong linkages with the overall social protection system. She/he will work closely with the Social Policy, M&E, Programme Sections (Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, C4D and Gender) and Field Operations colleagues.
• Represent UNICEF in the Inter-Agency Cash Working Group and other relevant fora; build and maintain partnership with its members and other partners, to identify opportunities for joint approaches and joint programming.
• Provide support to the Inter-Agency Cash Working Group in implementing a robust monitoring, data management and reporting of cash-based programmes. This will include gathering data, producing analysis, as well as documenting best practices/lessons learned from ongoing implementation to inform the work of the Inter-Agency Cash Working.
• Support effective coordination and common approaches (e.g., assessment tools, targeting methodologies, benefit calculations) to cash transfer and voucher programming across the humanitarian cluster system.
• Provide sustained technical support to the Country Office in designing/implementing child sensitive “cash plus” interventions in existing cash transfer and voucher programmes implemented by partners in South Sudan.
• Actively contribute UNICEF’s inputs to technical documents and strategies from a child sensitive social protection/resilience based perspective; produce advocacy materials to inform decision making internally and externally.
• Build capacity of country office staff, partners and where relevant, government counterparts, in cash-based programmes; development of communication strategies for a better understanding of the programs by the government and local communities.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Education: Advanced University degree in social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines. Preferably a combination of management and relevant technical fields. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Work Experience: Five years of progressively responsible experience in the coordination, planning, management, monitoring and evaluation of cash and voucher programmes in humanitarian / developing countries context of which at least two years in emergency contexts. Strong understanding of social protection, including social protection in fragile and conflict-affected environments.
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of the local working language of the duty station is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The technical competencies required for this post are:

• Formulating Strategies and Concepts [II]
• Analyzing [II]
• Relating and Networking [II] 
• Deciding and Initiating Action [II]
• Persuading and Influencing [II]
• Applying Technical Expertise [II]
• Planning and Organizing [II]
• Adapting and Responding to Change [II]

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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Remarks:

* Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

* Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

* 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.

* This post is based in Juba with frequent travel to the field.

* 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.