SOUTH AFRICA SOCIAL POLICY SPECIALIST JOB

UNICEF SOCIAL POLICY SPECIALIST:SOUTH AFRICA

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 60 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.

Purpose of the Post

Accountable for effective engagement in social policy dialogue with the Government for programme development, advocating for increased public resource allocation and budgeting towards the social sector and sustainable decentralization of social services and local capacity building in support of the goal of universal coverage of essential social services and the creation of a protective environment for children. Conducts data collection and analysis to fill information gaps and to strengthen capacity for advocacy for children’s rights, and to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the World Fit for Children (WFFC) agenda.

Key end results

• Constructive dialogue and partnerships are established between international and local social policy stakeholders, to provide effective protective environment for the most vulnerable children, including progressive compliance of principal policy documents and legislation regarding all aspects of child rights.
• Current information on state budget and spending patterns and decentralization status of social services are monitored and updated on an on-going basis to support advocacy for decentralization and universal coverage of essential services.
• Decentralization of social services is made sustainable through adequate local support , keeping decentralized services both accessible and effective. Programme plans of action are developed for children at provincial and district/municipality levels; coordination between sectors are increased and links between different levels of government structures for policy implementation are strengthened.
• Data-driven analysis is provided for effective prioritization, planning, development, and results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling-up specific social policy initiatives.
• Advocacy efforts are effectively made to raise awareness on children’s rights with both the general public and with policy makers, and to ensure local buy-in and continued relevance of UNICEF programming.
• Effective partnerships with the Government and other agencies established to enable sustained and proactive commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals for continuing worldwide progress of the UNICEF mission.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• Advanced University degree (Masters) Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, International Finance, public relations, media, communication, or other relevant disciplines.
• Eight years of relevant professional work experience, including international and developing country work experience, in programme design, planning and implementation
• Current knowledge of the latest developments in the field of child rights, poverty and equity.
• Sound knowledge of government structures, policies, strategies and decision-making processes at national, provincial and local government levels
• Proven ability to conceptualize, develop, plan and manage programmes, as well as to impart knowledge and teach skills.
• Background/familiarity with Emergency.
• Fluency in English and local working language of the duty

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies

• Communication
• Working with people
• Drive for results

  Functional Competencies

  • Leading and Supervising
  • Formulating Strategies and Concepts
  • Analyzing
  • Relating and Networking
  • Persuading and Influencing
  • Planning and Organizing

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