Social Policy Officer, (NO-1), Athens, Greece | unicef

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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, results

The fundamental mission of UNICEF 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 UNICEF, 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 UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

UNICEF became operational in Greece in early 2016 as an outposted team from the Regional Office of Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) to respond to the significant influx of refugee and migrant children and their families at that time. Following several years of engagement with national stakeholders, UNICEF and the Government of Greece made a decision in January 2020 to formalize the agency’s presence in the country as a full-fledged Country Office. The office falls under the auspices of the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia located in Geneva, which supports the work of 22 Country Offices within its geographical scope, reporting in turn to global headquarters in New York. Within the framework of a mandate for all children in Greece, UNICEF and Greece are now working to address the needs of all vulnerable, marginalized and left-behind children in the country.

In the context of the Country Programme for Greece (2022-2026) approved by the UNICEF Executive Board in February 2022, UNICEF and the Government of Greece have agreed on national targets for children, concerning child rights monitoring, social policy, health, education, child protection and youth employability.

Under the guidance of the Representative, under the supervision of the Deputy Representative and in close cooperation with UNICEF Greece Country Office Section Heads and other relevant staff, the Social Policy Officer is 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. This includes programmes aimed at: (a) public policies to promote child rights and to reduce child poverty; (b) the equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments; and (c) the creation of a stronger culture of child rights.

How can you make a difference?

Strengthened partnerships for child-sensitive social policy and for promoting child rights

• Supports 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, including with the Parliament, and with local authorities, to support sustained and proactive commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child and to promote child rights across policy making.
• Builds partnerships with Universities, as part of the Child Rights Centers initiative, to establish knowledge hubs that serve to promote awareness and creation of a stronger culture of child rights in the society; and coordinates capacity development of Academia on child rights.

Improving data for increased use for policy and programme action

• Supports the strengthening of national capacity to collect, report and use data for policy decision-making and to adequately monitor policy frameworks to promote child rights and to reduce child poverty.
• 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.

Improving use of public financial resources for children

• Informs UNICEF’s advocacy and technical assistance to Ministries of Finance and other relevant stakeholders to improve equitable allocations for essential services for children, including through  costing and cost effectiveness analysis on priority interventions to help inform policy decisions on child-focused investments.
• Coordinates advocacy for improved monitoring and tracking of public expenditure to support transparency, accountability and effective financial flows for essential service delivery.

 UNICEF child obesity programme management  

• Ensures that the UNICEF programme ‘National Action against childhood obesity’ enhances policy dialogue, planning, technical advice and research; and provides oversight of a network of collaborating actors for the promotion of public health at local level.
• Supports the drafting of a legal landscape assessment and roadmap for legislative changes on advertising/marketing of food and beverages to children, the selling of food and beverages in schools, the fiscal measures applied on food and beverages, and the incorporation of thematic areas related to nutrition and physical activity in educational programmes.
• Provides oversight of the Process/Impact/ Output Evaluation of the National Action against childhood obesity.

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

The following minimum requirements:

• Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• Work Experience: At least one year of relevant professional work experience in social policy.

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

The following desirables:

Experience in the promotion of child rights

Experience in the delivery of interventions requiring strong liaising with government counterparts and other stakeholders (incl. academia, civil society, local authorities)

Experience in undertaking research, assessments and/or evidence-generation activities. 

Experience working with the United Nations system or other international organizations is an asset.

Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

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

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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.

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.

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.