Social Policy Specialist/Chief Field Officers at UNICEF Nigeria

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria is supporting the Government of Nigeria to strengthen prevention of and response all forms of violence against children. In particular, assistance will be provided to strengthen the child protection system, including through modelling the system in four States, in order to demonstrate the impact of a well-functioning child protection system, to develop a common model for operationalizing the Child Rights Act at State level and to develop standardized tools, including regulations, working protocols and training manuals to govern the system.

If you are a passionate and committed professional and want to make a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Social Policy Specialist/Chief Field Officer, P-4

Vacancy No: E-VN-2015-003370
Location: Rivers
Duty Station: Abuja
Country: Nigeria
Region: WCARO

Purpose of the Position

• Accountable for effective engagement in social policy dialogue, technical support, and advice to the Government for programme development, advocating for more efficient, equitable, and sufficient public resource allocation and budgeting towards the social sectors in support of the goal of universal coverage of essential social services, social protection, and social inclusion.
• Conducts data collection and analysis to fill information gaps and to strengthen capacity for advocacy for children's rights, the World Fit for Children (WFFC) agenda, and to support national and state-level development goals.
• The incumbent of this post is responsible for all aspects of office management of UNICEF Field Office, Rivers State, Nigeria. He/She provides leadership/supervision to generate, foster and maintain amongst all staff high morale and team work, sound management-staff relations, and ensures general staff welfare and security.

Key Expected Results:

• Social policy dialogue, technical advice, and programme development:
• Provides technical advice and participates in social policy dialogue and development with the Government, engages in and establishes constructive dialogue and partnerships between international and local stakeholders to support the development of social policies and programmes contributing to the progressive realization of children's rights and strengthening of implementation and monitoring mechanisms at all levels of society, and ensures that the services reach out in innovative, effective ways to those most excluded pockets of children and families that have been previously left out.

Monitoring state budget resources:

• Monitors and updates current information on state budgeting and spending patterns for social programmes on an on-going basis to support advocacy for more efficient, more equitable, and sufficient public resources and budget allocation for social development, the prioritization of resource allocation for children, and universal coverage of essential services for children and social protection, in order to ensure that they reflect the best interest of children, promote equality, and contribute to social inclusion.

Sustainable development and capacity building:

• Collaborates with the central and state authorities to strengthen community-based capacity on quality data collection, analysis for policy development, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring of social policy and programmes, gender equality, and convergence across states.
• Develops programme plans of action for children at provincial and district/municipality levels; strengthens coordination between sectors and between different levels of government structures for policy implementation.

Data collection, analysis and results-based approach:

• Collects quantitative and qualitative data for the sound and up-to-date assessment of the situation of children and women to provide the base-lines for result-based decisions on interventions and evaluations. Develops information systems for monitoring child rights indicators, with emphasis on community and child participation.
• 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. Support maintenance of information system for monitoring gender/sex, geographic, and socio-economic disaggregated data.
• Analyzes the macroeconomic context of social policy programmes 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.

Advocacy and communication:

• Promotes and raises awareness on children's rights with both the general public and with policy makers, utilizing effective information dissemination, mass media campaign, special events, and other means, to ensure local buy-in, commitment, and continued relevance of UNICEF programming. Highlight interventions to attain social policy goals which are designed to reduce gender inequalities, promote social inclusion.

Partnerships:

• 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 and the World Fit for Children (WFFC) agenda.
• Identifies other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family.

UNICEF Programme Management:

• Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme, with attention to gender equality, identify and track gender inequalities and promote intervention to strengthen gender equality.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate
Education Background:

• Advanced University Degree in Social Sciences, Economics, International Relations, Political Science, International Finance, or other relevant disciplines.
• A first University Degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of Advanced University Degree.

Work Experience:

• Eight years of relevant professional work experience.
• Developing country work experience.
• Background/familiarity with Emergency.

Language Proficiency:

• Fluency in English and another UN language (for IP) or
• Fluency in English and local working language of the duty station for (NO)

Competencies of Successful Candidate
i.) Core Values:

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

ii.) Core Competencies:

• Communication
• Working with People
• Drive for Results

iii.) Functional Competencies:

• Leading and Supervising
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts
• Analyzing
• Relating and Networking
• Persuading and Influencing
• Creating and Innovating

Remarks

• The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

Application Closing Date
30th December, 2015.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online