Consultancy for Social protection

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For every child,
Care.
[Include information about the country/specific programme. Ideally include a link to a video]
How can you make a difference?
Objective
The overall objective of this consultancy is to provide technical expertise and policy guidance to strengthen Egypt's social protection system in alignment with the UNICEF Country Programme Document (CPD) and the rolling workplan with MoSS and relevant ministries. Specifically, the consultancy will support the finalization and operationalization of the National Social Protection Strategic Framework, provide technical support to the Haya Karima programme in collaboration with the EU, ILO and relevant national entities; advance the integration of poverty diagnostics, including multidimensional poverty and poverty dynamics analyses, into the design, targeting, and monitoring of social protection and humanitarian cash interventions; and strengthen humanitarian cash response through the development of operational guidance, SOPs, and tools.

The consultancy will also contribute to building the capacity of government counterparts and partners, generating evidence and advocacy products, and ensuring that both interventions are aligned with long-term poverty reduction and child rights objectives.

Some Of The Objectives Of The Consultancy Include

• Internal coordination: Support UNICEF's internal coordination with other relevant sections.
• Policy and analytical work: Contribute to, review, and develop analytical products on social protection, humanitarian cash, and poverty.
• Poverty analysis: Conduct and/or review poverty-related analyses, with focus on poverty dynamics and multidimensional poverty (MPI), ensuring evidence informs targeting, programme design, and advocacy.
• Technical inputs to frameworks: Coordinate and provide technical inputs to the drafting and operationalization of the National Social Protection Strategic Framework and its costing.
• Advocacy and reporting: Draft advocacy notes, talking points, and policy briefs for use by UNICEF in engagements with government, development partners and stakeholders.
• Capacity building: Design and deliver workshops and technical sessions on topics relevant to the activities supported, with a specific focus on building capacity MOSS in the expansion of cash plus for the beneficiaries of Takaful and Karama
• Donor engagement: Contribute to proposals, quality and timely donor reporting, and progress updates related to social protection and humanitarian cash programming.
• Government engagement: Engage regularly with relevant ministries, providing technical advice, responding to requests, and strengthening government ownership of SP reforms.
• Knowledge generation and dissemination: Document lessons learned and prepare knowledge briefs to inform both national policy and UNICEF global learning.
• Programme Monitoring: Track programme performance in alignment with national objectives and donor requirements, providing evidence to inform policy and programme adjustments.
• Risk Management: Collaborate with other sections to identify and mitigate programmatic risks in accordance with UNICEF standards.

Methodology
The consultancy will combine policy review, poverty diagnostics, and stakeholder engagement to generate actionable recommendations. It will build on existing analyses of social protection and poverty in Egypt, consult closely with partners and stakeholders. Capacity building and knowledge transfer will be embedded throughout, with findings captured in practical tools, workshops, and advocacy briefs to inform both immediate programming and long-term system strengthening.

Activities, Deliverables And Timelines, Plus Budget Per Deliverable
DELIVERABLES
ESTIMATED DURATION TO COMPLETE
PAYMENT
Technical inputs to the development of Social Protection Strategic Framework: Written contributions and presentations to MoSS and partners on child-sensitive, shock-responsive and integrated social protection.

10

Payment to be made upon actual number of days utilized per deliverable

Two Advocacy and Policy Briefs (e.g., on social protection, humanitarian cash linkages, multidimensional poverty) to inform policy dialogue with government, development partners and stakeholders.

25

Presentations and Knowledge Products for Engagement: Development of presentations and talking points for UNICEF senior management to use in strategic fora (e.g., inter-ministerial meetings, donor roundtables, Cash Working Group).

25

Support to Resource Mobilization and Donor Reporting: Contributions to proposals, donor concept notes, and progress reports related to social protection

10

Child Cash Grant Implementation Plan: A finalized plan detailing targeting criteria, transfer schedule, delivery modality, and M&E framework.

20

Beneficiary Registry: A verified, finalized, and disaggregated list of all children/households receiving the cash grant.

20

Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) Report: A comprehensive report analyzing the use of the cash grant, beneficiary satisfaction, and reported impact on child well-being and basic needs access.

20

Risk mitigation measures for the humanitarian cash program, including strategies to address implementation delays, promote cohesion between host communities and beneficiaries, and prevent exclusion errors.

22

Conditions Of Work
The consultant will report directly to the Chief of Social Policy and Child Rights Monitoring and will be expected to work primarily from the UNICEF Egypt office in Cairo, with teleworking arrangements to be agreed in advance with the direct supervisor. UNICEF will provide office space. The consultant is expected to use their own laptop. The consultant must have valid health insurance for the duration of the assignment. The consultant will be required to comply with all UNICEF and UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) regulations, including mandatory briefings and security protocols, for both office-based and any missions.

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

• Advanced university degree (Master's or higher) in Economics, Social Policy, Development Studies, Public Policy, or a related field is required.
• 8-10 years of professional experience in social policy related areas.
• Strong record of providing technical advice to governments, including design, implementation, and monitoring frameworks is required.
• Demonstrated experience in social protection, with proven ability to translate findings into actionable policy and programme recommendations is required.
• Experience with large-scale programmes is an asset.
• Previous work with UNICEF, other UN agencies, or international organizations, is an asset.
• Ability to review, develop, and deliver high-quality analytical reports, advocacy briefs, donor proposals, and presentations.
• Fluency in English and Arabic (spoken and written) is required.

Competitive Advantage (Desirables)

• Proven ability to coordinate across sectors and work with diverse stakeholders, including ministries, development partners, donors, and civil society.
• Excellent facilitation and capacity-building skills, with experience designing and delivering workshops and training for government counterparts.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to operate effectively in multicultural environments.

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…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• 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, 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.

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.