Chief of Social Protection and Policy P5, Fixed Term, Amman-Jordan #00103182 ( Open for Non Jordanians only)

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, Protection

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is leader in the region for the rights of its children. Working closely with the Government of Jordan, civil society, the private sector and communities, UNICEF Jordan Country Office aims to sustain results achieved for children to date, and strive to further improve policies, national institutions and programmes, for the well-being of every child in Jordan, in line with Jordan's Vision 2025 and the National Human Resources Development Strategy (2016-2025) towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Our programmes focus on improving the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the Kingdom, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or background. Our main pillars include: Child Protection; Education; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; Adolescent and Youth Engagement; Health and Nutrition; Social Protection; and Operations.

How can you make a difference?

Managing and supervising all stages of social protection and policy 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; (d) governance and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services; (e) setting up systems for effective programme delivery, contribution management, monitoring and reporting; and (f) identification of strategic partnership. This encompasses both direct implementation of integrated social protection programme in the camps as well as work with government and civil society partners, ensuring linkages to national social protection systems and support to teams working on education, youth, child protection, health, water and sanitation.

The Chief of Social Protection and Policy will provide overall guidance and oversight to Social Protection and Policy team, including in terms of leading technical assistance with partners to reform the national social protection system to be more child sensitive. S/he will also oversee

the implementation of integrated social services through the 'Makani platform' including cash transfer programme and Civil Society Capacity Building programme. He/She will also support the section in the development of analytical, policy and advocacy tools and strengthen the national social protection systems. The position is also expected to provide leadership to deepen an emerging Public Finance for Children (PF4C) agenda.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Managerial leadership and supervision

• Establish the section's annual work plan with the 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.

2. Strengthening social protection coverage and impact for children through social policies:

• Contributes to 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, 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.

3. Quality assurance & Programme Design:

• Design and ensure implementation of quality assurance strategies/processes for the implementation of the integrated programme Makani. This includes processes to ensure that implementing partners are selected and assessed in accordance with the CSO procedure and that all documentation is in line with corporate standards as stipulated in the CSO procedure.
• Support the design, implementation and monitoring of an integrated National Social Protection program, in close collaboration with other partners (World Bank, FCDO, EU, FAO, WFP, The Cash Working Group etc.)
• Support the design and dissemination of program implementation tools (Operation Manual, Monitoring and Evaluation tools, result tracking tools) by social protection stakeholders, including UNICEF partners as and when needed.
• Reinforce the development of linkages between the Humanitarian NGOs and Governmental programs in social protection
• Reinforce linkages and complementarity between social protection and other social services, such as education and others, through the national coordination mechanism
• Promote the use of innovations in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of social protection programs
• Reinforce the data collection and management system, and the effectiveness of the Social protection coordination mechanism, at the national and regional levels.

4. Effective UNICEF Programme Management:

• Manages and coordinates technical support around social protection and ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with government counterparts, UN agencies, donor agencies, social protection and social policy institutions, NGOs, research institutes and the private sector to stimulate coordination and collaboration.
• Oversee the analysis of national budgets for social protection / social policy, cost analysis and value-for-money studies, to advocate for improvements in sector efficiency
• Produce materials for social protection and social policy programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fund-raising.
• Represent UNICEF in inter-agency discussions, ensuring that UNICEF’s position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in planning and agenda setting.
• Interact with global and regional initiatives and partnerships for social protection and social policy.

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

• Education: An advanced university degree in development studies, social policy, social protection, international development, business administration, economics, or other relevant field is required.
• Experience: A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in social protection, child protection and systems strengthening is required at the national and international level some of which with the UN. Middle income country work experience in a medium to large country and familiarity with emergency is considered a strong asset. Strong experience in leading on social protection is required with good knowledge of public financing.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leaders and manages people.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable male candidates are encouraged to apply.

[If Applicable] Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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

Original Article