Social Policy Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments

Context

A country of about 29 million inhabitants, Cote d’Ivoire is one of the most developed countries in West Africa, accounting for more than 40% of the West African Economic and Monetary Union’s GDP and exports. The country remains politically stable and recently organized local elections that remained mostly peaceful. The official language of the country is French, and the expatriate community is large and diverse.
UNICEF main Office is in Abidjan, the economic capital and largest city of the country. A cultural crossroads of West Africa, Abidjan is characterized by a high level of industrialization and urbanization. The transport network is developed and offers safe options to commute withing the city and between major towns.
Abidjan features a tropical wet and dry climate with a long rainy season from March to July, a short rainy season from September to December, and three dry months (January, February and August).

Task description

Under the general guidance of the Chief Social Policy, 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 evidence generation and 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; and (d) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, Youth, Adolescents and HIV.
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
1. Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability for increased use for policy and programme action
• 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 [Core task].
• Provides timely, regular data-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development of country programme and national policies and programmes.
• 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.
2. Strengthening social protection coverage and impact for children
• Supports 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.
• Supports improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
• Support digitalization and improved management information system for social protection Demonstrates commitment and innovative thinking to identify and implement innovative solutions for social protection coordination (including MIS). [Core task].
3. Improving use of public financial resources for children
• Undertakes budget analysis to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to the government to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children.
• Supports the identification of policy options for improved domestic financing of child sensitive policies and programmes.
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.
• Ensures supervision of section’s UN Volunteers and coordinate section’s support to other work areas withing UNICEF Cote d’Ivoire Country office.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.