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 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.

The impact of growing poverty and inequality is a major obstacle for the realization of children’s rights. Despite modest, but important progress in terms of child poverty reduction, children continue to be more likely to fall into poverty than adults. Today’s children are growing up in a world beset by multiple, near-simultaneous, interdependent shocks, stemming from the fallout of disease outbreaks, violent conflicts, climate change and environmental degradation, and skyrocketing costs of living.

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 fulfill their potential. In the face of these increasingly challenging environment, under the framework of its new Strategic Plan (SP), 2022–2025, UNICEF’s Social Policy and Social Protection (SPSP) Programme is committed to reducing child poverty and expanding inclusive social protection for all children and adolescents including those living in humanitarian context.

The post sits within the Social Policy and Social Protection Programme team in UNICEF HQ, contributes to UNICEF’s strategic results on child poverty, social protection, public finance, and local governance. The Chief Public Finance and Local Governance reports to the Chief Economist/ Director Social Policy and Social Protection in HQ. The Chief leads specific GA5 Strategic Plan results on child poverty through increased and enhanced public financing for child-sensitive social programmes and strengthening local governance structures. 

For every child, life free of poverty….

The Chief of Public Finance and Local Governance plays a pivotal role in driving UNICEF’s mission to improve investments and outcomes for children and their families. This position provides visionary leadership, expert advice, and technical support in advancing finance for children and local governance, while guiding governments to strengthen public financial management, economic and social policies, and governance systems. The Chief also leads the development of strategic partnerships, including South-South collaborations, and oversees initiatives in systems strengthening, advocacy, knowledge sharing, and innovation to achieve impactful and sustainable results in alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan.

How can you make a difference?

Programmatic Leadership, Technical Support, and Capacity Building

Provide strategic direction and technical guidance for UNICEF's global work on public finance and local governance, developing operational tools and methodologies to support field offices in diagnosing challenges, analyzing data, and offering impactful solutions. Lead efforts to design and implement social, economic, and fiscal policies, link them with context-specific analyses, and monitor progress to refine social policy and social protection programs. Build global evidence and advocacy efforts to raise the visibility of child poverty and social exclusion while monitoring global economic and demographic trends to guide UNICEF country teams in shaping effective responses. Additionally, identify global capacity-building needs and organize training initiatives to address them in collaboration with regional offices.

Strategic Partnership, Advocacy, and Communication

Strengthen and expand UNICEF's global partnerships and alliances on public finance and local governance while enhancing the organization's reputation as a knowledge leader in these areas. Represent UNICEF in global forums and high-profile events, disseminating advocacy messages and raising the visibility of public finance and local governance in global communication initiatives. Develop and sustain resource partnerships and mobilization efforts to support headquarters, regional, and country-level work in these critical areas, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s broader advocacy and programming goals.

Knowledge Management and Managerial Leadership

Advance evidence generation and knowledge sharing on child-sensitive public finance and local governance, fostering systemic data collection, innovative research, and impact evaluations to inform programming and SDG monitoring. Facilitate lesson-sharing through networks, academic collaborations, and communities of practice, while keeping UNICEF updated on international literature and policy debates. Ensure effective management of the Public Finance and Local Governance team, integrating approaches across UNICEF's Finance for Children Framework, strategic plans, and programs to maximize impact on reducing child poverty and social exclusion.

Managerial Leadership

Contribute to the conceptual integration of UNICEF’s public finance and local governance policy and programming approaches, including with the implementation of UNICEF’s Finance for Children Framework, across the strategic plan and across the organization, including ensuring effective links within the Social Policy and Social Protection team between child poverty/inequity analyses, social protection, public finance innovative finance, and local governance, to maximize the efficacy of policies and programs in reducing child poverty and social exclusion. 

Ensure effective management of the Public Finance and Local Governance team, workplans, budgets and human resources.

Prepare reports on progress in UNICEF’s engagement in public finance and local governance and prepare briefs on the subject for senior management and the Executive Board.

The following minimum requirements:

Education:

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

Work Experience:

• A minimum of ten years of relevant professional experience is required in all aspects of programme management, and/or advisory support, in the public finance and local governance resulting in recognized expertise in the technical area..

Desirables/Assets

• Experience in management multidisciplinary teams and partnerships.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.
• Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization and/or International Financial Institution (IFI) is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered an asset.

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, 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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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.