Batch Recruitment (3 Positions), Social Policy Officers (NOA), TA (Garowe, Hargeisa & Baidoa), (116778, (116779 & 116780) – Somali nationals 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, Hope

How can you make a difference?

Purpose for the job:

Under the general guidance of the Chief of Zone Offices SL, PL and Mogadishu , the technical supervision of the Program Specialist (Local Governance), and the day to day supervision of the Social Policy Officer (Local Governance NOB )  the social policy officer is accountable for providing technical support and assistance in all stages of social policy programming 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) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services; and (c) the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused outputs. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, nutrition, child protection, and water and sanitation.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy

• Supports 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
• Collects systematically qualitative data for the sound and up-to-date assessment of the situation of children and women to provide the base-lines for result-based decisions on interventions and evaluations.
• Provides technical support for the development of information systems for monitoring child rights indicators, with emphasis on community and child participation.
• Establishes effective partnerships with the Government, at federal state ministries, and local government entities/authorities 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.
• Supports and Provides professional assistance in UNICEF’s engagement in social policy dialogue and community driven development with the Government, maintains constructive dialogue and partnerships between international and local stakeholders to support the development of social policies and programmes contributing to the progressive realization of children’s and women’s rights and strengthening of implementation and monitoring mechanisms at all levels of society, and ensures that the services reach out in innovative, effective ways to those most vulnerable pockets of children and families that have been previously left out.
• In collaboration with UNICEF, UN agencies and government programme officers, supports the JPLG officer to design and manage the implementation of UN Joint Program on Local Governance( JPLG)  plans of action aiming at: (a) increased community participation in development programmes which include children, women and marginalized groups; and (b) social mobilization of communities and civil society organizations to advocate for increased equitable service delivery and strengthened coordination between sectors and national/sub-national plans.

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

• Where national decentralization processes are taking place, supports the collaboration 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 local communities. Provides on-going support to facilitate decentralization process where the national decentralization process is taking place, collaborates with the central and local authorities to assist in planning, policy discussion and service delivery closely responding to the needs of local communities.
• Supports the Collaboration 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.
• In coordination and in the absence of the SP officer provides technical supervision, stewardship, and guidance to the technical decentralization consultants at sector ministries (health, water, and education) as well as the Vice President’s office under the (JPLG-Phase III) 
• Supports the design, implementation, monitoring, and provide technical support for decentralized service delivery and sector strategies,
• In coordination and in the absence of SP officer participates and provides technical support in the local coordination meetings such as local JPLG monthly and Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings.

3. Improving use of public financial resources for children

• Supports the 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.
• Supports the identification of 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

4.  UNICEF Programme Management

• Helps manage and coordinate 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.
• Supports and contributes to 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.
• Supports the Management of UNICEF’s inputs in the JPLG program for Somaliland Puntland, CSZ (in particular Baidoa) specifically the community development aspects of the programme; participates in joint programme review meetings and monitoring of local partners in close coordination with the SP officer. This includes tracking progress as per the deliverables in the agreements/contracts and the joint work plan, undertaking field visits to review jointly with the communities, progress as far as implementation is concerned and documenting achievements as well as constraints, recommending possible steps for addressing identified constraints in implementation. Is responsible for the development and/or introduction of new approaches, methods and practices in project management and evaluation.
• Supports the analysis and the evaluation of zonal policy and programming environment and supports the design and implements project activities to strengthen the overall policy environment for children, including advocacy for CRC ratification and implementation.
• Participates in planning in the absence of the SP officer at the zonal level (Somaliland, Puntland, CSZ) with partners UN Agencies, Ministries and local NGOs. This includes ensuring that responsibilities assigned to UNICEF under the joint work plan corresponds to UNICEF’s mandate and resources (human and financial), ensuring that lessons learnt from the JPLG pilot project as far as community capacity development is concerned are adopted within the joint programme.
• Supports the SP officer and contributes zonal inputs to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme. Ensures that the community development programming 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.
• Manages Fund (DCT, budget review, and preparation, etc.) and represents UN Joint Program on Local Governance (JPLG) meetings, in UNICEF internal key decision-making platforms such as Zonal Management Team Meetings (ZMT) and Sunday Management Meetings (SMM)

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

• A university degree in in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of one year (1) of relevant professional experience supporting the management and implementation of projects in the area of local governance community mobilization and social development preferably in the areas of participatory planning, social mobilization and community empowerment as a professional level.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English and Somali languages is required.
• Training in community planning, Knowledge of current developments in the fields of adult learning theory, community organization and participation an added asset.
• Knowledge and experience on gender, youth, child sensitive, resilience/DRR programming and planning in local governance (eg JPLG program) an added asset.
• Knowledge on PF4C“ Public Finance for Children at national and local level is an added asset.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, write proposals, project agreement documents.
• Strong community communication skills, willingness to spend time in the field.
• Ability to research, analyze, evaluate and synthesize information.
• Ability to express clearly and concisely, ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
• Proven skills in communication, networking, advocacy and negotiation, especially at the community level.
• Computer skills, including internet navigation, and various office applications.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• 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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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 only considers Higher education qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net
• The Vacancy is open to all (Internal and external candidates).
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.