Current vacancies

Contract Duration - 12 months

Working arrangement: Office based with travel

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

Malaysia’s social protection system has expanded significantly over the past decade; however, coverage for children and families remains limited and uneven. Administrative and statutory coverage remains extremely low: only 1.4% of children are protected under statutory social security provisions, reflecting the exclusion of most children from contributory schemes. At the same time, coverage through social assistance remains minimal—less than 0.75% of children received the Child Benefit and Financial Assistance for Foster Care Children in 2024, according to the Department of Social Welfare’s Report.

As a result, a large proportion of children are not covered by regular, adequate, and child‑sensitive income support, relying instead on fragmented assistance that is often categorical, time‑bound, or insufficient to mitigate poverty and vulnerability. Gaps in coverage are especially pronounced for young children, children with disabilities, migrant and stateless children, and families affected by shocks. Climate‑related hazards, economic volatility, public health shocks, and localized disasters increasingly affect households with children, underscoring the need for adaptive and shock‑responsive social protection (ASRSP) systems that can anticipate, absorb, and respond to covariate shocks. In parallel, UNICEF Malaysia is supporting several priority initiatives that require strong national‑level technical accompaniment, including:

1. National assessment of adaptive and shock‑responsive social protection.
2. Impact assessment of the Bantuan Ibu Bersalin (BIB) programme in Sarawak, with a focus on Cash‑Plus design for the first 1,000 days
3. Monitoring and Evaluation of the ASUH KL cash‑plus pilot for urban low‑income families with under five years old children
4. Data collection for the cost of raising children with disabilities study
5. Design of the Cash Plus Care programme with Selangor State Government
6. Development of Social Protection Budget Brief

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  National Consultant for Social Protection.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education: Masters in Social Policy, Economics, Social Protection, Public Policy

Main work experience: Social Protection

Language requirements: Bahasa Malaysia, English

Additional knowledge/expertise/skills: Data Analysis, Research Methods, Impact Evaluation, Implementation design of social protection programme in Malaysia

Desirables:

• Experience in program implementation, research and stakeholder engagements including organizing focus groups, KIIs, and other qualitative / participatory methods.
• Experience in Family Friendly Policies, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Adaptation, Public Finance for Children, or Nutrition policies
• Strong interpersonal skills direct engagement with ministries, agencies, parliamentarians, and academics

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal  Financial proposal National Consultant for Social Protection.docx

Remarks:  

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.