UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children, save their lives, defend their rights, and 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, support

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work in the link provided here www.unicef.org/pacificislands

Social Policy programme in Solomon Islands is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the provincial government in policy, planning, and budgeting to complement the efforts of the National Government to decentralize social services, especially for Water, Sanitation & Hygiene( WASH), health, and education sector that promotes the transparency, adequacy, equity, and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management; and governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity, and coverage of social services.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Social Policy Specialist in Honiara and general guidance by the Chief Social Policy based in Suva, Fiji, the Social Policy Officer is accountable for providing technical support and assistance in all stages of social policy programming on decentralization and related advocacy from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable results.

The Social Policy officer is expected to carry out the following responsibilities under the guidance of the Social Policy Specialist

• Support the Specialist the provincial and national government in improving data on child poverty & vulnerability for increased use for policy, planning, budgeting, and programme at the provincial level
• Support the provincial and national government to improve the use of public financial resources for children through undertaking budget analysis to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to Ministries of Finance, Ministry of Provincial Government & Institutional Strengthening, planning commissions, and social sector ministries to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children
• Support strengthening capacity of provincial governments to plan, budget, consult on, and monitor child-focused social services in collaboration with central and local authorities to improve policies, planning, budgeting, consultation, and accountability processes so that decisions and child-focused service delivery more closely respond to the needs of local communities.
• Support UNICEF Programme Management and coordinate technical support and dialogue around the social policy programme on decentralization, ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion to adequately support scale-up and delivery.
• Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of the EU-funded programme on decentralization.

To qualify as an advocate for every child, you will have…

Education:

• A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.

Experience:

• A minimum of one year of relevant professional experience is required

 Desirable:

• Previous experience working with national and provincial governments in the Solomon Islands
• A good understanding of decentralization mechanisms, policies, and stakeholders is desirable
• Good networking and coordination skills and time management is an asset
• Willingness to travel to provinces and remote locations within the Solomon Islands is required
• Ability to communicate and coordinate with a range of stakeholders at all levels is an asset

 Language:

• Fluency in English is required, and knowledge of the local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People, and Drive for Results. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The functional competencies required for this post are…

• 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)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

Remarks

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, including paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates. Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.