Social Policy Officer, NO-2, TA, 364 days, #00137660, Recife – Brazil

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.

For every child, the right to a future

Brazil has one of the most favorable institutional frameworks to guarantee children and adolescents rights in the world, starting from the Federal Constitution (1988) and the Statute of Children and Adolescents - ECA (Law No. 8.069/1990) that place children and adolescents as an absolute priority in public policies.

More recently, the National Development Plan (Plano Plurianual-PPA) 2024-2027 has included a Cross-Cutting Agenda for Children and Adolescents (Agenda Transversal Crianças e Adolescentes) which is also an important step forward to link policies to budget.

Even though many mechanisms have been put in place in Brazil to guarantee that child rights are prioritized in public policies and programmes, further advancements are needed to move from policy to budget commitment, including costing and resourcing through the public budget. In addition, apart from allocating additional resources for children and adolescents, it is also important to ensure efficient, effective, and equitable use of available funds, especially in times of limited fiscal space.

Furthermore, given that Brazil is a federal country, it is essential that this agenda be expanded at the state and municipal levels where children and adolescents live, and therefore policies and budgets must be planned, implemented, monitored and evaluated.

How can you make a difference?

It is in the light of the above-mentioned context that UNICEF Brazil is seeking to hire a TA Social Policy Officer-Public Finance for Children. This TA is placed in the Sub Office of Recife and will be focusing specifically on the PF4C agenda, providing specialized technical assistance on public finance management and analytical support on economic and fiscal measures for better public budget allocations for children and adolescents at sub national level in the states of Alagoas, Paraíba e Pernambuco.

Under the general guidance of the Chief Social Policy and in close collaboration with the Chief Field Office (Recife), the Social Policy Officer (Public Finance for Children) will be accountable for providing technical support and assistance in all stages of social policy programming and related advocacy from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable results at sub national level.

This includes programmes aimed at improving (a) public policies to reduce child poverty; (b) social protection coverage and impact on children; (c) the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management; and (d) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: TOR_Social Policy Officer_NO2 TA.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Completed first level university degree in Economics, Public Finance Management, Public Policy and/or Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field is required.
• Work Experience: A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience working on public finance, budget analysis, statistics and/or macroeconomic analysis is required. Prior experience with socioeconomic analysis and public finance analysis is required.

Prior experience in leading advocacy efforts to influence policy dialogue on public finance related issues is required.

• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of Spanish or other UN official language (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian) is an asset.

• Background and/or familiarity with emergencies is considered a strong asset.
• Demonstrated experience in the public sector at subnational level, especially in areas related to finance, planning or budget, is considered a strong asset.
• Background and familiarity with Brazilian economy, fiscal policies, public budget at national, state or municipal levels, is considered a strong asset.
• Relevant experience in public finance management is an advantage.
• Working experience within the United Nations is desirable.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is also desirable.

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 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:

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. For this position, all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, or disability status—including neurodivergence—are welcome to apply.

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.

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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.