Social Policy Specialist (Inclusive Social Protection) (1-year Temporary Appointment)

The Social Policy Specialist is responsible for the following functions:

• Inclusive social protection
• Cross-cutting social policy areas

  Specifically, The Social Policy Specialist (Inclusive Social Protection) Performs

• Inclusive social protection
• Advocates for inclusion and equity-driven particularly as it relates to gender, disability and migration by advocating and promoting policies that address specific vulnerabilities tied to multifaceted aspects of poverty and the contribution social protection has on reducing exclusion.
• Works closely with colleagues across UNICEF to ensure a coherent agenda on inclusive social protection, engaging with cross-sectoral and thematic areas such as adolescence and humanitarian response.
• Together with child protection, education, nutrition and other substantive sections, identifies the most suitable strategies to develop social protection services for the most marginalized and at-risk children and adolescents supporting inclusion and preventing institutionalization. This includes contributing to the development of inclusive, gender-transformative systems that respond to women’s and caregivers needs.
• Designs, updates, reviews, adjusts, implements and evaluates specific programmes and instruments that contribute to gender-responsive / transformative, disability-inclusive and migrant-inclusive social protection systems.
• Cross-cutting social policy areas
• Establishes effective partnerships with the government, bilateral and multilateral donors, 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, achieve global UN agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthen UNICEF’s leading positioning for their implementation as they relate to inclusive, child-sensitive and gender-transformative social protection.
• Analyzes national context, including key socio-economic trends, and their impact on social development, emerging issues and concerns. Uses evidence and data to help the country office predict, prepare for and mitigate risks and adjust programming course.
• Supports the correct and compelling use of data and evidence including on the situation of children, and coverage and impact of child-focused services, in support of the social protection programme and the country programme overall.
• Develops approaches to identify social and behavioural change needs and undertakes interventions for the meaningful accountability to affected populations and community engagement.
• Monitors current technological trends, new modalities of working applicable to social protection versus current and emerging needs to assess their role and match their potential applicability to social protection for enhanced outcomes for children.