Social Policy Specialist – Public Finance (P-4), FT, Programme Group – Social Policy, New York # 00086021

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, …. An opportunity

This post reports to the Chief of Public Finance and Local Governance (PFLG) unit, Social Policy and Social Protection, Programme Group, UNICEF HQ. The incumbent will work closely with the Senior Advisor of Immunization Financing in the health Programme Group, UNICEF HQ. 

UNICEFs Public Finance and Local Governance (PFLG) Unit covers work areas that seek to influence the mobilization of revenues, equitable design of budgets at national/ federal and local levels, and their efficient and effective utilization to improve the well-being of children. UNICEF’s interventions are anchored in Article IV of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which commits state parties to invest, to the maximum extent possible, available resources towards the implementation of children’s rights.

UNICEF’s work on public finance and local governance also aims to influence regional and global processes/ initiatives related to financing for development including climate and humanitarian financing so that they take into consideration the best interests of the child. These include the upcoming 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, SDG financing initiatives, debt and tax reforms, and a wide range of social sector financing initiatives. At regional and country level, the PFLG team works to influence public financial management reforms and practices that strengthen social sector spending and contributes to SDG aligned budgeting as guided by the CRC, Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) on financing for development and the Paris agreement. In doing this, the team collaborates closely with the broader UN System, international financial institutions, civil society organizations, think tanks and various arms of governments working in across all sectors in humanitarian and development contexts.

Purpose of the post

This post aims to support UNICEF’s mission in advancing the rights of every child through strategic interventions to improve the size and quality of social sector spending with a particular focus on health and to ensure public financial management systems are responsive to the practical and strategic needs of children, especially the most deprived in both humanitarian and development settings. Through this role, UNICEF aims to contribute to adequate and sustainable universal health financing including critical services such as immunization and also equitable access to other essential services such as social protection, education, child protection, early childhood development, water and sanitation, and nutrition.

The incumbent will provide technical advisory services, including through thought leadership, knowledge management, advocacy and capacity development support to UNICEF teams at HQ, regional and country offices as well as partners in health financing, and also support the global design and implementation of a new Public Finance for Children (PF4C) framework and related interventions. The ultimate objective is to contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for universal health coverage and delivery of other essential services to children at-scale, equitably and sustainably. It is expected that the incumbent will commit an estimated 50 percent of their time to strengthening health financing systems. Accordingly, the position will routinely liaise with health sector colleagues at UNICEF HQ and also with relevant staff and partners at regional and country levels.

The post is global; the incumbent is therefore expected to lead networking, partnership and collaboration with experts and institutions involved in social sector financing, and public financial management more broadly from a child rights perspective. These include the Inter-Agency Task force on Financing for Development, Integrated National Financing Framework partners, and International Finance Institutions, such as the World Bank and the IMF, donors, civil society organizations and other United Nations agencies.

How can you make a difference?

Technical Guidance and Support for delivering the PF4C work across sectors

• Provide technical leadership and capacity development across social sectors to UNICEF regional and country offices and partners for the scaling up of UNICEF’s PF4C work globally in line with the revised PF4C framework.
• Provide advisory support, quality assurance and oversight in the development and delivery of PF4C programme activities across sectors at HQ, regional and country office levels.
• Support development of guidance document, technical notes and tools where gaps exist to improve social sector financing.
• Provide specialized technical expertise and capacity development to governments and other partners in the reform of Public Financial Management (PFM) systems related to selected social sectors/ policy areas such as health, education, social protection, nutrition, child protection, social inclusion, and WASH.
• Provide guidance on how fiscal policies and budgets can be effectively used to improve equity in social services delivery especially in critical areas, such as health.

Knowledge management, networking and collaboration between and across countries

• Through engagement across sectors, maintain the global database of sector initiatives, especially on health, and good practices to inspire other countries,
• Regularly monitor key progresses and developments on sector financing with potential to scale up.
• Facilitate learning and networking between and across countries on social sector financing.
• Support health and immunization related taskforces and teams on key emerging financing issues and product development, including an immunization budget database, and with a special focus on addressing financing challenges for primary health care and community health and nutrition workers.

Research and evidence generation

• Initiate and support research on relevant topics, including on fiscal space analysis, sector financing and spending reviews, bottleneck analysis
• Facilitate collaboration with research and academic institutions to strengthen social sector financing
• Collect, repackage and disseminate relevant research papers, articles and other publications to inform programming by Social Policy and sector colleagues.

Advocacy and partnerships

• As the global technical expert for social sector financing, develop and maintain collaboration with the sector teams and focal points in support of sector financing agendas on key area such as health, nutrition, early childhood development, social protection, including shock responsive, child protection, education and WASH
• Support investment case-making and advocacy for reforms to strengthen PFM systems especially to improve investments in neglected areas such as immunization, nutrition and child protection.
• Lead strategic engagements with partners involved in sector financing such as WHO, the World Bank, Gavi, Centers for Disease Control and Early Childhood Development Action Network and also develop and strengthen strategic alliances with a variety of international partners, including UN agencies and philanthropic organizations.
• Facilitate the enhanced integration of social sector stakeholders and partners into relevant financing consultative processes and networks. Represent the organization in global forums, engaging with partners and stakeholders to foster meaningful collaborations and external partnerships.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Political Science, or another relevant technical field or any other related field is required.
• A minimum of 8 (eight) years of relevant progressive, professional work experience in public finance and sector financing, an applied, national or international social development setting is required.
• Hands-on experience with sector financing issues, particularly related to health, immunization, nutrition and early childhood development, with demonstrated expertise in the Public financial management of health sectors, which will be considered as a plus.
• Familiarity with UN/UNICEF programming and experience working with UNICEF field offices will be considered a significant advantage, including operating within developing countries.
• A history of contributing research to international academic journals, which will be viewed as an asset.
• Experience or familiarity with emergency contexts is highly valued.
• 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 values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability (CRITA), and sustainability

Please click Here to view UNICEF’s core values and Here to view our competency framework.

UNICEF competencies required for this post are.

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

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 including 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, 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 promoting 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.

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 may also be 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.

“UNICEF only considers higher educational 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/”

For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page.  If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online Salary Estimate Calculator

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service