Overview
The NOC Social Policy Specialist is responsible for leading the office's work on social policy, ensuring high-quality technical support for social protection and social policy reforms, and improved public financing for children.
Tasks Summary
- Design and operationalize child focused benefits / universal child benefit (UCB) for children aged 0 – 3 years old.
- Provide high quality analysis and dissemination of evidence, including lessons learned and best global practice and offer policy options for establishing a long‑term social protection system.
- Provide high quality analysis and dissemination of evidence to ensure informed budgeting and planning across sectoral ministries.
- Build strong partnerships with the Ministries of Finance and Economy and social sector ministries and provide quality technical support and advice to UNICEF Kyrgyzstan teams.
- Lead the engagement with the Parliament on behalf of the office, especially with regards to sessions on planning and budgeting.
- Provide strong management and leadership to social policy work team to deliver timely and quality results.
- Responsible for effective budget management, as well as ensuring compliance with donor conditionalities and effective coordination with development partners.
- Proactively and strongly coordinate and collaborate with relevant line ministries and other national partners to effectively and efficiently manage social policy work, especially public financing for children.
Experience Requirements
- A minimum of 5 years of proven professional experience in planning, implementation and management in social protection systems strengthening and reforms in Middle Income Country contexts.
- Experience in supporting design and operationalization of shock responsive/climate resilient social protection systems that address child vulnerabilities will be considered highly advantageous.
- Evidence of proactive leadership, agility and strategic thinking to ensure timely and effective programme delivery, including in complex policy and donor coordination contexts.
- Proven experience in partnership building with government, IFIs, other UN agencies.
- Evidence of strong understanding of public financing for children, especially linking it to leveraging the demographic dividend and human capital formation in social protection systems reforms.
- Developing country work experience is considered an asset.
Qualification Requirements
A University Degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field is required.
