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.

For every child, future.

Emergency cash-based responses are key to support children and their families during shocks. They can ensure these children and their families continue to have access to basic goods and services, and do not resort to negative coping mechanism.  

The humanitarian community has recognized the value of leveraging existing state-mechanisms for responding to disasters through cash assistance, rather than setting up parallel response programs. Yet, social protection programs in the region vary in their degrees of shock responsiveness. It is thus important to support preparedness and to respond in a timely manner, whether that is through existing national social protection systems or through parallel systems while building the capacity of national systems to respond more effectively and timely in the future.

The collaboration between social sectors and disaster management sectors is an emerging need in this context. Subsidies, cash and food assistance take multiple forms and are under the remit of multiple ministries depending on the purpose and scope of each program (agriculture, nutrition, education, social affairs, etc.). When a disaster hits, this calls upon effective coordination in order to leverage the best possible mechanisms for response.  

Between July 2022 and February 2023, UNICEF ROSA increased its ability to roll out cash in emergencies and to leverage social protection systems to do so. Yet there are still significant gaps and support needs that require dedicated expertise to support cash preparedness and response to UNICEF Country offices in South Asia.

The region therefore is now looking for a full-time dedicated resource to continue to support all eight countries in South Asia to be fully equipped to use cash transfers to respond to emergencies and in the process build and strengthen shock responsive social protection systems with government counterparts.  

How can you make a difference?

The post is located in UNICEF’s South Asia Regional Office in Kathmandu, Nepal. The post holder will be part of the social policy team, which provides technical support and oversight to UNICEF country programmes in the region in the area of social protection and cash transfers, public finance for children and child poverty. The post contributes critically to the unit’s work on social protection, with a special focus in humanitarian settings. The supervisor of the post is the Regional Social Policy Adviser, and secondary reporting line to Regional Emergency Adviser.

1. Support with preparedness, design and implementation of cash in emergencies by advising and supporting country offices on minimum preparedness requirements, aligned to corporate preparedness measures. (including EPP MPS) related to both humanitarian cash transfers and social protection, build preparedness and capacities in the offices as well as provide technical support to COs at all stages of implementation - from planning and design to in-country implementation support, undertaking of risk assessments, monitoring, coordination with national social protection and cash working groups, documentation and revision of processes (SOPs and/or operational guidance). and coordination with national partners to then strengthen shock responsiveness of the systems.

2. Strengthening shock responsive social protection by supporting country offices to identify ways emergency responses can also be designed with a view to strengthening national SP systems, promotes the strengthening of a shock-responsive social protection system, assist country offices apply evidence and appropriate advocacy messaging across the entire spectrum of social protection from a risk perspective, including inter alia: evidence and analysis; contingency planning; strengthening horizontal and vertical coordination between social protection, emergency response; and humanitarian principles, commitments and links between social protection and Humanitarian Cash Transfers.

3. Enhance the documentation and reporting of  ROSA’s field experience with HCTs, including new models of implementation and programmatic approaches, joint programmes delivery and coordination and others for subsequent dissemination, produces knowledge management products for cash transfer programmes documenting good practices and lessons learned as well as support country offices to understand and report against HPM indicators, SitReps, etc.

For further job details, please see: JD- Social Poilcy Specialist (Cash in Emergencies) - TA, P4 (364 days).pdf

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

• Advanced University degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines. Preferably a combination of management, administration, and relevant technical fields
• A minimum of eight years of professional work experience in social protection, including operational and strategic leadership on social protection in emergency settings or programmatic humanitarian cash transfer experience where linkages to government work has been made is required.
• Demonstrated experience managing SRSP and HCT programmes from an operational perspective is required.
• Experience in programme design and management and policy advocacy is required.
• Extensive experience with emergencies and humanitarian contexts, including work in contexts with complex risks related to natural hazards, economic crises, and/or conflicts is required.
• Background, familiarity and/or knowledge of mainstreaming specific programmes of delivering cash in emergencies into the larger social protection system is a strong asset.
• Demonstrated experience with capacity development of partners is required.
• Experience in South Asia is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another language of relevance to the region is 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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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.

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:

This Vacancy Announcement has been revised to reflect updated information regarding the tasks and responsibilities associated with the position

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.

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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.