Chief Social Policy

 UNICEF

Vacancy Announcement - Chief Social Policy (Chennai Social Policy Section), NO-D, Chennai, India, Post # 104058 - (This vacancy is for Indian Nationals only)

Job no: 537510
Position type: Fixed Term Appointment
Location: India
Division/Equivalent: Kathmandu(ROSA)
School/Unit: India
Department/Office: Chennai, India
Categories: Social and Economic Policy, NO-4

 

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world. And we never give up! 

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. Our workplace policies promote flexible work arrangements, to support all staff in maintaining a healthy life balance, both in and out of the office. UNICEF prides itself on fostering a multicultural and harmonious work environment, guaranteed by a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

For Every Child, AN ADVOCATE:  The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does in programs, 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 favoritism. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. 

How can you make a difference?   If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children in the world's thereby ensuring a better future for every child, this is the chance to make a difference. 

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:   

Technical leadership:

• Coordinate and provide guidance on annual work plan with the team of social policy specialists; in consultation with the Deputy Representative, define the strategy and priorities/targets for the programme and performance measurements. 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.   
• Provide technical guidance to the 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 states capacity to collect data routinely, report and use it for policy decision-making. Uses the evidence and engages in high level advocacy with senior state officials in support of inclusive social policy strategies and interventions. 
• 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 multi-dimensional 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:

• Provides high level technical inputs/advice toward the development of social protection policies, legislation and programmes with attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, and special attention to 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 to advocate for inclusive social policy improvement and 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, effective and efficient use of resources 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 services and 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 service delivery more closely respond to the needs of the most vulnerable 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. 

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.

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

• Education: Advanced university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or other relevant disciplines.
• Experience: At least 8 (eight) years of relevant professional work experience in social policies related areas such as public financial management and research in child poverty, social protection, and financing related fields that involves substantive and relevant experience in policy and system strengthening. Familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

For Every child you demonstrate:  Competencies and level of proficiency required: Core Values:  Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability

Core competencies (Level 2)

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically  
• Works collaboratively with others
• Nurtures, leads and manages people

Advertised: Jan 19 2021 India Standard Time
Application close: Feb 01 2021 India Standard Time

For more information and online application click here