Social Policy Specialist

UNICEF; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

An international organization for children's rights based in Kuala Lumpur is seeking an experienced professional to manage and improve child-focused policies. You will be responsible for enhancing data use, developing social protection systems, and advocating for family-friendly policies. The ideal candidate should have at least five years of relevant experience and a strong educational background in economics or social sciences. Fluency in English and Bahasa Malaysia is required, along with skills in partnership building and policy development.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience.
• Experience in evidence generation, programming or implementation of family friendly policies.
• Fluency in English and Bahasa Malaysia; knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Improve data on child poverty for policy and program action.
• Develop social protection policies focusing on family friendly policies.
• Conduct budget analysis for equitable allocations for essential services.
• Strengthen the capacity of local governments for child-focused services.
• Manage technical support related to family friendly policies and child poverty.

Skills

Data analysis

Policy development

Partnership building

Advocacy

Education

Advanced university degree in relevant field

Job description

Overview

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.

Key functions/accountabilities

• Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability for increased use for policy and programmatic action
  • Supports the collection, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child poverty, and in particular the link between access and coverage of family friendly policies and child poverty and vulnerability.
  • 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 and expand the implementation and adoption of family friendly policies.
  • 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 effects of social welfare policies, and in particular family friendly policies, on the rights of children.
• Strengthening social protection and family friendly policies coverage and impact for children
  • Supports the development of social protection policies, and in particular, family friendly policies, legislation and programmes with attention to increasing coverage of and impact on children, with special attention to the most marginalized.
  • 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 social care services as well as complementary services and intervention related to nutrition, health, education, climate and child protection.
  • Undertakes improved monitoring and research around the impact of family friendly policies on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.
• Improving the use of public financial resources for children
  • Undertakes budget analysis to inform UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to Ministries of Finance, planning commissions and social sector ministries to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children for implementation and expansion of family friendly policies.
  • Supports the identification of policy options for improved domestic financing of family friendly policy interventions.
• Strengthening the capacity of local governments to plan, budget, consult on and monitor child-focused care services and family friendly policies
  • Collaborates with central and local authorities on the expansion and implementation of family friendly policies and in particular provide technical assistance and support to improve policies, planning, budgeting, consultation and accountability processes so that decisions and child-focused service delivery more closely respond to the needs of families.
  • 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 care services, with emphasis on community participation and accountability.
• Strengthening advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy
  • Supports correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services, in particular family friendly policies.
  • Establishes effective partnerships with the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society and local leaders, the private sector, and other UN agencies.
  • Identifies other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family.
• UNICEF Programme Management
  • Manages and coordinates technical support around family friendly policies and their link with child poverty, social protection, public finance and governance ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion.
  • Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme.

Minimum requirements

• Education: An advanced university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience.
• Experience working on evidence generation, programming or implementation of family friendly policies or the care economy in Malaysia.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Bahasa Malaysia. Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

Desirables

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Core values and competencies

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability underpin everything we do. The competencies for this post include partnership building, ethical awareness, results orientation, innovation, ambiguity management, strategic thinking, and collaboration.

EEO statement

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and from individuals with disabilities, including neurodivergence. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to UNICEF’s standards.