Madagascar: Chief of Social Policy

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Vacancy reference no.:

VAC-1959

Position:

Chief of Social Policy P-4

Place of performance:

Budapest, Madagascar

Contract duration:

up to 12 months (@21.75days/month)

Starting date:

1-Jan-2019

OVERVIEW OF CTG GLOBAL

CTG support and manage humanitarian projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries around the world. With past performance in 15 countries – from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and Central and South America – we offer a holistic fabric of project management, implementation and support. Skilled in emergency response to crises such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, we have the ability to act quickly (crisis response teams can be on the ground in 24 hours) and to establish structured operations in high-risk environments. CTG recruit and manage qualified, skilled teams with extensive experience operating in challenging conditions.

OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION

The fundamental mission of our client is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For our client, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of our client, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job organizational context:

The Chief, Social Policy GJP is to be used in medium to large size Country Offices (CO) where the Representative is at the D1/D2 level, and social policy is a stand-alone section.

Purpose for the job:

The Chief, Social Policy reports to the Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction, and is responsible for leading, managing and supervising all stages of social policy programming and related advocacy from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable results. This includes programmes aimed at improving

1. Public polices to reduce child poverty;

2. Social protection coverage and impact on children;

3. The transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management;

4. Governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, and HIV.

GENERAL FUNCTIONS

Role objective:

Summary of key functions and accountabilities:

Managerial leadership

• Establish the section’s annual work plan with the social policy team. Set priorities and targets and monitor work progress to ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards.
• Establish clear individual performance objectives, goals and timelines; and provide timely guidance to enable the team to perform their duties responsibly and efficiently. Plan and ensure timely performance management and assessment of the team.
• Supervise team members by providing them with clear objectives and goals, direction and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.

Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability for increased use for policy and programme action

• Oversees the collection, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child poverty, including strengthening national capacity to collect routinely, report and use data for policy decision-making.
• Provides timely, regular data-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development; facilitates results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling-up specific social policy initiatives to reduce child poverty.
• Analyzes the macroeconomic context and its impact on social development, emerging issues and social policy concerns, as well as implications for children, and proposes and promotes appropriate responses in respect of such issues and concerns, including government resource allocation policies and the effect of social welfare policies on the rights of children

Strengthening social protection coverage and impact for children

• Develops social protection policies, legislation and programmes with attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, with special attention the most marginalized. Identifies, generates and presents evidence to support this goal in collaboration with partners.
• Promotes strengthening of integrated social protection systems, providing technical support to partners to improve the design of cash transfers and child grants and improve linkages with other social protection interventions such as health insurance, public works and social care services as well as complementary services and intervention related to nutrition, health, education, water and sanitation, child protection and HIV.
• Undertakes improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.

Improving use of public financial resources for children

• Undertakes budget analysis to inform our client’s advocacy and technical assistance to Ministries of Finance, planning commissions and social sector ministries to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children. Works with sector colleagues to build capacity to undertake costing and cost effectiveness analysis on priority interventions to help inform policy decisions on child-focused investments.
• Identifies policy options for improved domestic financing of child-sensitive social protection interventions.
• Undertakes and builds capacity of partners for improved monitoring and tracking of public expenditure to support transparency, accountability and effective financial flows for essential service delivery, including through support to district level planning, budgeting and public financial management as well as facilitating community participation

Strengthening capacity of local governments to plan, budget, consult on and monitor child-focused social services.

• Where the national decentralization processes are taking place, collaborates with central and local authorities to improve policies, planning, budgeting, consultation and accountability processes so that decisions are child-focused and service delivery more closely respond to the needs of local communities.
• Collaborates with the central and local authorities to strengthen capacity on quality data collection, analysis for policy development, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring of essential social services, with emphasis on community participation and accountability.

Strengthened advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy

• Oversees the correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services – in support of the social policy programme and the country programme overall.
• Establishes effective partnerships with the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society and local leaders, the private sector, and other UN agencies to support sustained and proactive commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and to achieve global UN agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Identifies other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family. Client’s Programme Management

• Manages and coordinates technical support around child poverty, social protection, public finance and governance ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion so as to adequately support scale-up and delivery. Ensures risk analysis and risk mitigation are embedded into overall management of the support, in close consultation with the programme sections, Cooperating Partners, and governments.

• Ensures effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme. Ensures that the social planning project enhances policy dialogue, planning, supervision, technical advice, management, training, research and support; and that the monitoring and evaluation component strengthens monitoring and evaluation of the social sectors and provides support to sectoral and decentralized information systems.

Impact of results

• The strategic and effective advocacy, planning and formulation of social policy programmes/projects and the achievement of sustainable results, contributes to the achievement of goals and objectives to create a protective environment for children and thus ensure their survival, development and well-being in society. Achievements in social policy programmes and projects in turn contribute to maintaining/enhancing the credibility and ability of our client to provide programme services for mothers and children that promotes greater social equality in the country.

Expected output:

Project reporting:

· This position reports to the Deputy Representative

Team management:

· This role involves team supervision

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE

Education:

§ Master's degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.

Work experience:

§ Minimum of 8 years of demonstrable relevant Programme & Project Management experience.

Geographical experience:

§ Minimum of 8 years of experience in Africa (desirable).

Languages:

§ Fluency in French and English are essential.

Key competencies:

Experience:

· A minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience is required.

· Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.

· Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.

Core Values:

· Commitment

· Diversity and inclusion

· Integrity

Functional Competencies:

· Leading and supervising

· Formulating strategies and concepts

· Analyzing

· Relating and networking

· Persuading & Influencing

· Planning & Organizing

Core competencies:

· Communication

· Working with people

· Drive for results

Other relevant information:

· Female candidates and Program Country candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this role.

Interested candidates should create a profile and apply on CTG Global careers website (click here). Please refer to the vacancy number: VAC-1959.Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.