Unicef is hiring a Social Policy Specialist (Public Finance for Children) P4, WCARO Dakar, Senegal #071030.

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.
The growth of the child population in West and Central Africa is among the fastest globally. Investing in these children will therefore be key for the future socio-economic development in the region, as well as for its political stability.

One key objective of UNICEF’s work in the region is to support Governments to implement social and budget policies to reduce the multiple dimensions of child poverty. In this framework, UNICEF advocates with national Governments to increase their domestic investments in sectors that matter for children and young people. Such advocacy requires an in-depth understanding of the political economy, the fiscal situation, the investments needed, as well as the budget allocation and expenditures in key sectors that matter for children. Throughout the region, UNICEF country teams support governments to achieve concrete targets in relation to the regional Key Results for Children. The Key Results for Children relate to immunization, nutrition, out-of-school children, learning, birth registration, child marriage, violence against children, and WASH. Across these areas, strategies to bring results to scale all require enhanced domestic investments, through robust social sector financing, budget allocation, and spending – with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable children. The socioeconomic implications of COVID-19 for children as well as for national budgets, have only enhanced the need to step up investments and address financing challenges – to preserve the progress made over the past decade.

Over the past years, the UNICEF Public Finance for Children portfolio in the West and Central Africa region has gradually expanded. With the guidance and support from the Regional Office, UNICEF Country Offices have engaged in sector-based and cross-cutting initiatives to influence budgetary frameworks (how the budget is put together) and public financial management (PFM) processes (how funds are transformed into public goods and services) for the benefit of children. This is based on the recognition that tackling public finance bottlenecks in social sectors such as health and education, requires integrated actions that engage the broader budgeting and PFM system ad processes. Strategies used by Country Offices range from budget analysis, expenditure tracking and monitoring, building investment cases, strengthening the budget process, to engaging in budget advocacy and influencing spending decisions. Throughout the region, budget and public finance partnerships are being strengthened, including with International Financial Institutions and civil society organisations. All with the overall goal to leverage domestic public financial resources for greater, more equitable, transparent, and sustainable investments in and results for children.

How can you make a difference?
The purpose of this position is to support the acceleration of UNICEF regional and country level efforts in the area of public finance for children (PF4C), including in terms of enhancing the PFM capacity of staff across the Regional Office and in Country Offices in the West and Central Africa region. The Social Policy Specialist (PF4C) will provide oversight, quality assurance and technical support to the PF4C work carried out by UNICEF Country Offices and support their efforts to leverage greater, more effective, transparent, and equitable domestic public investments in children and ensure results in the areas of health, education, HIV, nutrition, child protection, social inclusion, and WASH. Further, the position entails providing staff capacity development, knowledge management, and strategic partnership support to UNICEF WCAR engagements related to budgets and public financial management, to improve the enabling environment and remove PFM related barriers to achieving results for children.

The Social Policy Specialist reports to the Regional Adviser Social Policy for general guidance and direction.

The role requires strong collaboration with a range of Regional Office and Country Office teams, governments and civil society partners, regional institutes such as ECOWAS, the African Union, research institutes, development partners and International Financial Institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank.

Key functions & accountabilities :
Advisory services and technical support

Result: Regional and Country Offices expand, lead and deliver high quality standard programmes in the area of PF4C

Provide technical leadership for the scaling up of UNICEF’s PF4C work in the WCAR region in line with the strategic direction of the regional Social Policy programme. Provide technical support, quality assurance and oversight to assure high quality in all aspects of PF4C programme activities conducted by Country Offices and the Regional Office. This includes the provision of guidance to COs on the development of budget briefs, engagement on budget transparency, assessing and improving the impact of spending, strengthening budget processes, addressing national financing challenges, and increasing investments in child-focused services, as required. Support and set standards for Country Office and Regional Office sector teams to regularly keep track of budget information with regards to sector budget allocations, sector spending levels, and financing needs.
Provide specialized technical expertise to national partners in the area of PFM, with a focus on strengthening PFM systems for the monitoring of allocation and expenditures in key sectors for children (education, health, HIV, nutrition, child protection, social inclusion, and WASH).
Support country programme development, monitoring and evaluation in the area of PF4C. Develop an initiative to support Country Offices, where relevant, with PF4C capacity development and curriculum strengthening programmes for national counterparts.
Support sectors costing their plans and developing investment cases.
Knowledge generation and management

Result: Up-to-date technical expertise is maintained, expanded, and disseminated throughout the region, and shared with regional/national institutions/partners.

Serve as regional focal point of technical expertise for PF4C. Monitor developments in technical areas, as well as political and social developments, at the national and regional levels. Contribute to the regional Social Policy knowledge management function by analysing and disseminating available national budget data, information systems, and trends to evaluate cost and impact on SDGs, capturing determinants of the trends and their implications for country programming. Monitor the access of countries in the region to international financing facilities, and trends in financing for development.
Synthesize best practices in PF4C from ongoing programmes/projects and disseminate among Country Offices and partners in the region and, where relevant, through facilitation of exchange visits, study tours, workshops, and training. Document investment cases for leveraging resources for PF4C. Compile evidence on the investments of countries in the region in key sectors for children and develop relevant knowledge products for advocacy use by the Regional Office.
Create alliances with research institutions, development partners, and civil society organisations on evidence generation and knowledge management regarding Public Finance for Children.
Monitor the macroeconomic outlook, as well as demographic and poverty trends for the region.

Capacity Building :
Result: Country Office and Regional Office staff have the capacity to manage PF4C programmes and engage governments and other partners in PF4C advocacy efforts

Provide technical inputs for capacity development efforts of UNICEF staff in country offices, across all programme sections. Provide technical guidance on the design, content and delivery of staff training courses or workshops on PF4C.
Develop initiatives to promote the engagement of Country Office and Regional Office senior management in national and regional PF4C initiatives, including on budget advocacy and on collaboration with International Financial Institutions.
Communication, Networking and Partnership

Result: Effective communication, partnerships, representation, and networking are forged to develop harmonized PF4C programme interventions and expand programmes and networks

Enhance UNICEF’s regional technical leadership role by forging internal and external partnerships in the development of programme interventions, through representation in regional fora with partners and stakeholders.
Develop and maintain collaboration with the Communication and C4D Advisors to develop innovative strategies for increasing social accountability and demand of citizens across the region for greater investments in children.
Build strategic alliances with various international and regional partners, national associations, entrepreneurs, academics, religious organizations, and NGOs active in PFM/PF4C. Contribute to a better integration of donors into consultative processes and networking. Expand strategic engagement and partnerships with UN
Agencies and International Financial Institutions.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

An advanced university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Public Finance, or other relevant disciplines. A first university degree with two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree.
Minimum of eight years of progressive, professional work experience related to budgeting, public financial management, and sector financing, in the applied, national and international, social development settings.
Hands-on experience with PFM issues required.
Experience in budget analysis, costing and developing investment cases in key sectors for children such as health, education, water and sanitation, social protection, nutrition an asset.
Experience in designing and implementing Public Expenditure Reviews and Pubic Expenditure Tracking Surveys an asset.
Fluency in English and French is required. Knowledge of a local language is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

Core competencies :
Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
Works Collaboratively with others (1)
Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)
To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 :
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
The selected candidate is expected to be based and to work from Dakar, Senegal, the duty station.

Deadline: 30 Nov 2022 Greenwich Standard Time.