Re-advertisement: Social Policy Consultant Roster, Regional Office for South Asia (36 months)

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, Laughter

 ROSA Culture Book.pdf

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF Social policy teams provides programmatic, analytical, and technical support in social protection (including inclusive disability-sensitive, nutrition-sensitive, gender-responsive, shock-responsive, and humanitarian cash transfers), public finance for children, local governance and urban programing and child poverty analysis and advocacy, to support more equitable and more sustainable results for children. To support Country Offices in their work in these areas, UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) is developing a regional roster of experts to facilitate the swift engagement of relevant expertise.

Key Assignments/Tasks:

UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia invites qualified experts to express their interest to be included in the Experts’ Roster to provide specialized services, access to knowledge, and technical expertise to UNICEF’s social policy portfolio in the following areas:

• Child-Sensitive Social Protection (including cash plus programing)
• Gender transformative social protection
• Nutrition sensitive social protection
• Disability Inclusive Social protection
• Shock Responsive Social Protection, including humanitarian cash transfers
• Social Protection Systems Strengthening
• Public Finance Management for Children
• Child poverty measurement and policy
• Local governance, including decentralization and urban planning

Consultants may provide a range of specialized services to UNICEF’s Regional Office, Country Offices and their government partners in the six thematic areas above. The range of tasks for the consultants may include research, assessment, and evaluation missions, provision of high-level policy and operational guidance, training and capacity building including development of tools and guidance, development of policy papers, communication and advocacy, monitoring and evaluation services and others as required. Precise tasks, outputs, reporting and working relationships will be specified at the time of contracting for the given assignments.

The roster will serve as a human resources repository from which the Regional Office or Country Offices can draw pre-vetted, well qualified experts quickly and efficiently for assignments.

Specific Skills Required

Requirements applicable for Social Protection experts– including inclusive (including gender disability, nutrition, cash plus) and Shock Responsive Social Protection (including Humanitarian Cash Transfers)

• Substantial demonstrated experience with planning, design and implementation of social protection policies and legislation including social assistance, and disability benefits, social insurance (including maternity insurance), disability sensitive social protection including disability assessment and determination, family-friendly policies, nutrition sensitive social protection, gender transformative policies or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with planning, design and implementation of Shock Responsive Social Protection in humanitarian, fragile and risk prone contexts including Humanitarian Cash Transfers contexts such as: (a) evidence, analysis assessments; (b) policy, strategy, legislation, coordination and financing mechanisms, including disaster risk financing; (c) programmes and design features, including anticipatory action, (d) administration and delivery systems; (e) knowledge management and capacity building (f) monitoring multi-sectoral impacts on children, lessons learned, exit strategies and resilience building.

Proven track record in some of the following areas:

• research and evaluation (Poverty analysis, risk and vulnerability assessments, Cost-benefit and benefit incidence analyses, social protection effectiveness and impact analysis, social protection systems mapping and functional reviews, Programmes and systems evaluations, Qualitative research methods, Meta-analysis/synthesis).
• systems and programmes (Design of protocols and tools, including PMT formulas for outreach, targeting, referrals, coordination, etc., Design and management of beneficiary ID and administrative data systems/ management information systems/ social registries, Assessment, design and/or piloting of shock responsive social protection, Analysis, and development of legal, regulatory and/or policy frameworks, Analysis of Social Protection Systems (CODI, ABND).
• information dissemination and communication (knowledge sharing and advocacy).
• high-level policy analysis and advice (development of national strategies, policies and plans, development of regulations and by-laws, development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks for national social protection policies) including direct experience with strengthening social protection MIS; Policy formulations in the areas of child-sensitive and/or gender-responsive and/or nutrition sensitive social protection; experience in supporting governments to reform social protection systems.

Requirements applicable for Child Poverty experts

Substantial experience in poverty analysis and advocacy, including both monetary and multi-dimensional child poverty

• Proven track record in all / some of the following areas:
  • quantitative data collection (survey design including survey questionnaires, instructions, training and field monitoring, supervision, sampling, data quality check and data processing).
  • quantitative data analysis (statistical analysis, econometric analysis).
  • data dissemination and communication (evidence-based high-quality report writing, data visualization, presentation skills); and/or
  • training on poverty analysis.
• Proven track record in analyzing large scale household surveys/Including MICS, DHS, HBS, experience with high-frequency survey analysis and other relevant data. Experience of working with Big Data.
• Experience in modeling the impact of different social benefits design (with focus on targeted social assistance) on poverty reduction.
• Proven experience with capacity development of partners

Requirements applicable for Public Finance for Children experts

• Engagement in the planning and budgeting process towards systems strengthening. Improving mid-term fiscal and expenditure frameworks, aligning plans and budgets, policies and budget laws, especially with Ministries of Finance and/or social line Ministries; supporting national stakeholders in establishing and operationalizing Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF); promoting reforms towards child-rights budgeting; roll-out of PFM reforms, including Programme-Based and/or Performance-Based Budgeting, Financial Management Information Systems (FMIS) strengthening, and other reforms that promote ser-vice delivery and the realization of child rights; capacity building activities or plans for government and national partners on PFM and PF4C, to better influence child-focused public finance processes in any sector and level; including the capacity building in budget analysis oversight for the Parliament, its commissions and its Members (MPs). Strengthening the planning and budgeting process making use of the data and evidence available, in any sector and level, to strengthen child-focused planning and allocation decisions; development and implementation of evidence-based PFM strengthening plans, including within Sector-Wide Approaches (SWAp), for strengthening the monitoring, controls, the flow-of-funds, spending performance, etc. Improve budget transparency and budget credibility under the leadership of national institutions.
• Participatory processes, such as: support community engagement and participation in planning and budgeting processes; empower/build capacities of citizens and local organizations, including children and adolescents, communities, and civil society organizations to participate in national and local budgeting processes, including through mechanisms such as social ac-countability and citizens budgets; promote public access to relevant data and support dialogue around open budget initiatives.
• Resource mobilization, such as: development of financing strategies, sector financing plans, financing options and other initiatives to leveraging resources; promote domestic and international resource mobilization for financing of child-related services/programs; work on taxation to promote social spending; engage or articulate financing to public service provision via the private sector; blended finance-support schemes and modalities; social Impact bonds. Resource mobilization for local governments; and unfunded mandates; improving the design of intergovernmental fiscal transfers (IGFT); strengthen local revenue collection and allocation of local revenues to child related priorities.
• Data, evidence generation, and evidence-based advocacy, such as: PFM (Public Financial Management) data and evidence generation at national and subnational level, in any of the areas relevant for children, with the objective to identify and tackle public financial challenges impacting the achievement of child rights. This includes, though is not limited to, the development of budgetary datasets, Budget Briefs, Public Expenditure Review, Public Expenditure and Institutional Reviews (PEIRs), Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS), Child-focused Public Expenditure Measurement (C-PEM), Fiscal and Benefit Incidence Analysis, National Accounts, Costing, Investment Cases, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Cost-Benefit Analysis, Fiscal Space Analysis, Political Economy Analysis of the Budget Process, Citizens’ Budget, Community Score Card; other PFM diagnostics, research, or analysis. It should be mentioned when data and evidence led to the development of evidence-based advocacy work for policy dialogue at global, regional, national, and local levels; including with key budgetary decision makers in the executive, the legislative powers, to raise awareness around child rights, better public finance for children and the cases for investing in children; and support development partners to use evidence in sector reforms and budget to support decisions.

Requirements applicable for Local Governance including urban planning and decentralization experts

• Data, evidence, and evidence-based advocacy on local governance, such as: subnational/local level situation analysis; decentralization analysis, including political economy analysis, sectoral functional analysis, and fiscal decentralization analysis; collection of geographically disaggregated data. On urban programming, such as urbanization trends in countries and regions and its implications on children, families, and caregivers; intraurban/city data analysis, including urban slums, surveying; multi-disciplinary approaches to understand and analyze the interface and interaction of urban environment/system and children’s physical, social and phycological development and behavioral characteristics.
• Engagement in the planning and budgeting process towards systems strengthening, such as: conducting functional analysis of decentralized functions for regional/local governments. Strengthening local data and MIS systems; design, planning and budgeting of child-responsive local service services; local participation; implementation of social services at the local level. Improving local governments’ capacities in the preparation of child responsive local development plans, and in budget oversight and execution. Support monitoring and users’ satisfaction in service delivery
• Participatory processes, such as: strengthening voice and agency of children and young people at the local level; establish participatory and transparent decision-making processes at local level, enable systematic inclusion of children, young people, and their caregivers.

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

Requirements applicable to all experts

• Advanced university degree in public policies, public finance, economics, econometrics, social policies or related field;
• Minimum 10 years’ experience for tier one senior experts; Minimum 8 years’ experience for tier two mid-level experts; minimum 5 years’ experience for tier three junior experts.
• Demonstrated track record of high-quality work with governments on all the specialized areas of work below.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex topics on the areas listed below with specialized and generalist audiences;
• Analytical thinking and strategic planning skills, ability to facilitate, consult and negotiate with a broad range of government and non-government partners;
• Experience working on social protection or any of the specialized areas in one or more countries in Europe and Central Asia is a strong advantage.
• Familiarity with UN & EU agenda is an advantage.
• Good inter-personal and communication (oral and written) skills – publication record on areas related to social protection is a plus;
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills.
• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of the official languages of countries in the region is an asset but not required. 

COMPETENCIES OF SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

Any candidate to be included in UNICEF’s pre-qualified Consultants Roster should be:

Key skills : 

• Able to communicate effectively with varied audiences, including through formal presentation and written communication
• Able to work across different units and encourage collaboration; ability to explain complex concepts to different audiences; ability to communicate with all levels of management and staff
• Able to synthesize complex information for multiple audiences
• Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment and demonstrate sensitivity for cultural differences
• Able to work independently and remotely as well as in various settings
• Able to work effectively with stakeholders from government institutions, international organizations, academia, and NGOs
• Adopt a flexible attitude and adaptability to rapidly changing circumstances
• Able to work under pressure and respond to deadlines without sacrificing quality
• Able to handle multiple assignments with competing deadlines

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).   

To view our competency framework, please visit  here.  

HOW TO APPLY 

1. Applicants are invited to:
2. Duly complete the online UNICEF application form
3. Mandatory Questionnaire form  ROSA Social Policy Roster Questionnaire 2023_final.docx
4. Curriculum vitae (CV) and a cover letter, including a list of relevant publications (with links).
5. Financial proposal with daily rate in USD (applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered) and for which stream (can be multiple) and tier you are applying
6. Proof of relevant works in any of the mentioned areas.
7. Evaluation of work by UN if applicable (e.g., PER).
8. Names and contacts of three (3) referees (applications without referees will not be considered).

Please note that only candidates who are under serious consideration will be contacted. Once pre-qualified, consultants will be eligible for direct recruitment by UNICEF offices in the region for a three-year period. In the selection of its staff and consultants, UNICEF is committed to gender balance, inclusion, and diversity without distinction as to race, sex, or religion, and without discrimination of persons with disabilities. Well qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

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

The application deadline has been extended to expand the pool of applicants therefore, candidates who have applied before need not apply again. 

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 offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.