Social Policy Specialist

The Social Policy Specialist will lead technical guidance, operational support and coordination to strengthen the Government of Malawi’s planning, financing, budgeting and expenditure management, and accountability of public financial resources to achieve better outcomes for children and vulnerable populations. The role involves strengthening public financial management, budget analysis, social sector financing, and enhancing transparency and accountability at national and subnational levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical guidance, operational support and coordination throughout all stages of programming to strengthen the Government of Malawi’s planning, financing, budgeting and expenditure management, and accountability of public financial resources.
• Strengthen public financial management, budget analysis and social sector financing.
• Enhance transparency, accountability, and oversight of public finances at both the national and subnational level (decentralization).
• Produce cutting-edge and tailored evidence on social sector financing, including analytical data on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child-focused services.
• Engage strategically and coordinate with government counterparts, development partners, and contractors to ensure country programmatic outcomes are met.
• Lead Public Financial Management (PFM), decentralisation and child poverty coordination, advocacy and analysis to advance equitable public investments in the social sectors.

Requirements

• Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience is required.
• Proven experience in upstream Public Finance Management, specifically working on planning and budget preparation with line ministries (especially in social sectors), the Ministry of Finance, and/or other relevant Public Sector entities.
• Proven knowledge and experience of Malawi’s National Social Protection system and wider social service sector financing.
• Proven knowledge and experience of the decentralization process – specifically how public resources are planned, allocated, transferred, managed and accounted for at both the national and local government levels to improve service delivery.
• Project and budget management skills.
• Experience effectively supervising team performance through goal setting, regular feedback, and performance management processes.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with high-level development and government partners on public financial management and decentralization issues.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to use data and evidence to assess the situation of children, analyze service coverage and impact, interpret public financing data and trends, and inform social policy and country programme decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to effectively convey public financial management policy recommendations and engage stakeholders.
• Ability to perform under pressure; ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Previous experience with UNICEF or another UN agency is considered as a strong asset.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.
• Proven experience in working within a Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)/Programme-Based Budget (PBB) system, including the selection and monitoring of inputs, outputs, and outcomes.
• Proven experience in preparing costing models, investment cases, surveys, or other evidence generation activities to support improved investments in Social Protection and other Social Sectors.
• Demonstrated capacity to generate evidence, monitor progress, and prepare high-quality analytical reports on public finance reforms and social sector investments.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Skills

• Public Finance
• Budget Preparation
• Social Sector Finance
• Decentralization Process
• Project Management
• Budget Management
• Team Performance Supervision
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Data Analysis
• Public Financial Management Policy
• Medium-Term Expenditure Frameworks
• Programme Budgeting
• Financial Costing Models
• Investment Case Development
• Evidence Generation
• Analytical Reporting
• Social Protection Policies
• Public Sector Planning
• Expenditure Management

Languages

English