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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 [insert tagline] 

Benin is a middle-income country that faces many challenges in guaranteeing the rights of every child. Ranked 158th out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index (UNDP, 2021/2022), it has significant disparities between urban and rural areas, and between girls and boys. Since 1977, UNICEF has been working closely with the government, civil society, technical and financial partners, young people and communities to improve access to education, health services, protection, water, sanitation, nutrition and social policies for children.

The 2024-2026 cooperation program pays particular attention to girls' education, protection against violence, community health, and the fight against child labor. Present in the field through its offices in Cotonou, Natitingou and Parakou, UNICEF is committed to working alongside the most vulnerable communities to guarantee concrete, lasting results.

The UNICEF Benin office is looking for committed, creative and motivated professionals to make a difference in the life of every Beninese child.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Chief Social Policy, the Social Protection/ Cash Transfers Specialist oversees the implementation, monitors, evaluates and improves the delivery and support the implementation of exit strategy, of UNICEF, MSAM and Dutch Embassy cash transfers (HCTs) programme Cash Plus Care: Faaba in Benin, and provides support to the government  of Benin in other  social  protection interventions, including through the  assistance in implementing GUPS reform.

The Social protection Specialist is responsible for the following functions:  

1. Oversight of Cash Plus Care/Faaba implementation
2. Cash Plus Care/Faaba monitoring and evaluation
3. Cash Plus Care/Faaba reporting, knowledge management and capacity building 
4. Implementation of Cash plus Care/ Faaba exist strategy, including support to the GUPS reform and enhancing the resilience of the households and communities
5. Supervision of SIG Cash plus Care/ Faaba Developpement and operationalization
6. Cross-cutting social protection areas, concluding coordination  and support to the line ministries in the implementation of National Holistic Social Protection Strategy, including through the assistance in implementing GUPS reform.

Specifically, the Social protection Specialist performs: 

Oversight of Cash plus Care/ Faaba  Programme implementation  

• Conducts operational analysis of cash transfer programme, including registration, payment, verification exercises, etc., to identify areas of poor performance, bottlenecks, and identify solutions. 
• Liaises regularly with all key organizational stakeholders – internal and external - through the established coordination mechanisms to ensure follow-up actions at the respective levels are taken. 
• Disseminates and supervise the respect of UNICEF’s Cash plus Care/Faaba related guidance, SOPs and tools as well as, where appropriate, inter-agency strategies and operational guidelines. 

Cash Plus Care/Faaba reporting, knowledge management 

• Ensures that all programme documentation is place and that all required reports are prepared and submitted according to the schedule or on demand. 
• Produces knowledge management products for cash transfer programmes documenting good practices and lessons learned for their wide dissemination and advocacy purposes . 
• Delivers bespoke or larger group capacity building on cash transfers both internally, within the country office, and externally. This may include running workshops, often in a multistakeholder environment, that lead to stakeholders’ feeling of ownership of Cash Plus Care interventions;
• Supports the implementation Cash plus Care/ Faaba exist strategy and governmental ownership and financing of the programme, including through  supporting the implementation of GUPS reform and households and communities’ resilience  to different shocks in North Benin.
• Supervises the development, deployment and training of SIG Cash plus Care/ Faaba, and its interoperability with other similar social protection programmes.

Strengthening national social protection systems for children

• Supports the development of 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 shock-responsive social protection initiatives
• 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.
• Undertakes improved monitoring and research around social protection impact on child outcomes, and use of data and research findings for strengthening programme results.

Cross-cutting social protection areas 

• Supports the correct and compelling use of data and evidence in support of the humanitarian cash transfer programme, the social policy programme and the country programme overall. 
• Assesses how specific vulnerabilities are tied to multifaceted aspects of poverty and the contribution social protection has on reducing exclusion, to mainstream inclusion, particularly as it relates to gender, disability and migration.
• Works towards gender-responsive-transformative, disability-inclusive and migrant-inclusive systems by integrating the inclusion lens into humanitarian cash transfer programmes. 
• Develops approaches to identify social and behavioral change needs and undertakes interventions for the meaningful accountability to affected populations and community engagement. 
• Monitors current technological trends, new modalities of working applicable to cash transfer current programmes and emerging needs to assess their role and match their potential applicability for enhanced outcomes for children.
• Supports the line ministry, particularly the Ministry of Development, in the implementation of the National Comprehensive Social Protection Strategy.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Social-Policy-Specialist-Cash-Transfers--JD-tem_SB_actualise_SProtect-ON_fin (002).pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

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

• Work Experience:

  A minimum of five years of professional work experience in the design, implementation and management of social assistance programmes, including cash transfer experience, is required.

  Experience in cash transfer programme design and management and policy advocacy is required.

  Experience working in emergency contexts 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. 

Functional Competencies

• Analyzing (2)

• Planning and Organizing (2)

• Persuading and Influencing (2)

• Language Requirements: Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of another official UN languages is considered as 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 

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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.

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 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 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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged 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.

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

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.