Chief Social Policy , (P-4), Maseru, Lesotho, #52135, Fixed Term Appointment (Open for Internationals ONLY) at Lesotho
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 UNICEF Country Programme 2024-2028 vision is to support Lesotho in realizing the rights of all children and adolescents, providing them with opportunities to survive, thrive, develop to their full potential, and actively engage in society while promoting social inclusion and reaching the most vulnerable, including children with disabilities and those facing gender or other inequalities.
The Lesotho country programme focuses on meeting quality standards to achieve impactful results for children. The Country Programme will be implemented through a ‘Decade Approach’: Decade 1 (Young Children Survive, Thrive and Attain Learning Outcomes); Decade 2 (Children and adolescents are protected from violence HIV and have improved learning outcomes), Social Policy and Inclusion (Reducing Child Poverty, Enhancing Equity and Social Protection) and one Cross-Sectoral outcome (Programme Effectiveness) with the components of Advocacy, Research and Evaluation; Communication and Partnerships; and Coordination, Planning and Monitoring. The Social Polic component envisions that by 2028, children and adolescents benefit from improved and evidence-informed social policies and investment in social services that reduce multidimensional poverty and promote inclusion.
How can you make a difference?
I. Organizational Context and Purpose for the job
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
Job organizational context:
The Chief, Social Policy GJP is to be used in medium to large size Country Offices (CO) where the Representative is at the D1/D2 level, and social policy is a stand-alone section.
Purpose for the job:
The Chief, Social Policy reports to the Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction, and is responsible for leading, managing and supervising 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) 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 on education, health, child ,protection, water and sanitation, and HIV.
Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks (Please outline the key accountabilities for this position and underneath each accountability, the duties that describe how they are delivered. Please limit to four to seven accountabilities).
II.Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
1.Managerial leadership
Establish the section’s annual work plan with the social policy team. Set priorities and targets and monitor work progress to 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. Improving data on child poverty and vulnerability for 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.
3. Strengthening social protection coverage and impact for children
Develops 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 and HIV.
Undertakes improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
4.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.
5. Strengthening capacity of local governments to plan, budget, consult on and monitor child-focused social services
Where the national decentralization processes are taking place, collaborates with central and local authorities to improve policies, planning, budgeting, consultation and accountability processes so that decisions are child-focused and service delivery more closely respond to the needs of local communities.
Collaborates 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.
6. 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.
7. UNICEF Programme Management
Manages and coordinates 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.
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.
III. Impact of Results (Please briefly outline how the efficiency and efficacy of the incumbent impacts its office/division and how this in turn improves UNICEF’s capacity in achieving its goals)
The strategic and effective advocacy, planning and formulation of social policy programmes/projects and the achievement of sustainable results, contributes to the achievement of goals and objectives to create a protective environment for children and thus ensure their survival, development and well-being in society. Achievements in social policy programmes and projects in turn contribute to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide programme services for mothers and children that promotes greater social equality in the country.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Recruitment Qualifications
Education:
An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
Experience:
- A minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience is required.
- Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.
- Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English is required.
- Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as 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…
Core competencies:
- Care
- Respect
- Intergrity
- Trust
- Accountability
- Sustainability
Functional Competencies:
- Leading and supervising (II)
- Formulating strategies and concepts (II)
- Analyzing (III)
- Relating and networking (II)
- Persuading & Influencing (II)
- Planning & Organizing (III)
- Nurtures, leads 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.
Closing date: 15 January 2024