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 fulfil 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, dedication
Eliminating child poverty, as well as ensuring access to social protection has been recognized as a critical priority of Agenda 2030. An explicit requirement to measure and monitor multidimensional child poverty is included under SDG 1.1.2, and similarly, the need accelerate progress around public spending for poverty reduction under SDG 1.a.2, and SDG 1.b.1 for which UNICEF has recently become custodian. The effective scale-up of social protection, with a specific attention to children, is now a global priority: Access to social protection is a core target of SDG 1 (Elimination of poverty), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), as a core component to ensure that no child is left behind. Moreover, social protection is also an accelerator for multiple Goals. Addressing the multiple and compounding deprivations experienced by children requires explicit commitments to understanding its drivers and to scale-up comprehensive strategies to address them. The full realization of the right of children to access to social protection and adequate standard for living will not only ensure that every child lives free of poverty, but also prevent those at risk or vulnerable to poverty due to exclusion and discrimination, or facing environmental and conflict related risks, from falling into poverty.
This is why the focus on reducing child poverty, enhancing access to inclusive social protection and cash transfer in humanitarian settings, promoting efficiency, transparency and equity of financing, while strengthening capacities at subnational level, including urban, 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.
UNICEF has clearly articulated its Social Policy and Social Protection priorities and added value towards the Sustainable Development goals in the Social Protection Strategic Framework, the Inclusive Recovery roadmap, the Urban Evaluation, the social protection commitment to the Core Commitments on Children (CCS), as most recently in Goal Area 5 of the Strategic Plan 2022-2025, “Every Child has Access to Inclusive Social Protection and Lives Free of Poverty”.
The Director reports to the UNICEF Director of Programme.
The Director provides global strategic vision, technical guidance, and thought leadership to UNICEF’s work in Social Policy and Social Protection, in support of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and SDG targets. The Director continuously enhances UNICEF’s position as a global technical leader for children on Social Policy and Social Protection while ensuring evidence-based advocacy, analytical, programmatic, and operational leadership across all country contexts, in both humanitarian and fragile settings. The Director is accountable for a results-based approach to meeting goals of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan in specific areas linked to social policy and social protection. The Director also supervises the UNICEF Global Lead on children in urban settings.
The Director leads and promotes global strategic partnerships and coalitions, with public, private, and civil society stakeholders, while providing technical leadership to expand resource mobilization efforts working closely with the Partnership Cone, and other. The Director also coordinates technical guidance and support to country and regional offices, while also promoting collaboration across sectors, anchoring critical issue hubs, as well as systematically incorporating priority multi-sectoral and cross-sectoral issues. Primary responsible for sectoral talent management, the Director serves as the key advisor to UNICEF senior management on matters related to social policy and social protection, and represent UNICEF in strategic high-level technical and decision making fora and strategic engagement with critical partners.
How can you make a difference?
The Director’s key functional accountabilities include:
To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…
To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…
Qualifications
Person Profile
For every child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
Competencies
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
Remarks
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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.