Social Policy Monitoring & Learning Expert, 191 days within 19 months, home based Individual Consultant International Position Long-term contract Part time Senior level

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, opportunity

The purpose of this consultancy is to strengthen monitoring and analytical learning for the National Disability Allowance and broader Social Policy portfolio to generate credible evidence on results, support Government and donor financing dialogue, and contribute to the implementation of the National Social Protection Strategy and the new Country Programme. The assignment aims to ensure that investments targeting vulnerable children and persons with disabilities are effectively measured, demonstrated, and translated into policy and programme improvement in line with UNICEF’s equity and child rights mandate.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Lebanon’s Social Policy programme supports national efforts to strengthen inclusive, and rights based social protection systems, with a particular focus on children and persons with disabilities. Within this framework, the National Disability Allowance constitutes a flagship social assistance programme led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and supported by UNICEF and the ILO through sustained technical assistance, financing facilitation, systems strengthening, and operational delivery support.

UNICEF’s engagement includes support to programme design, onboarding, payment systems, monitoring and learning, and institutional capacity building to enable Government ownership and long-term sustainability. Given the scale of investment and policy significance of the National Disability Allowance, strengthened monitoring, learning, and analytical evidence are required to demonstrate results, inform adequacy and expansion decisions, and contribute to broader National Social Protection Strategy implementation.

Objectives and Scope of Work:

• Develop and operationalize a comprehensive monitoring and learning framework for the National Disability Allowance, integrating administrative performance data with outcome measurement and evaluation evidence.
• Design, support implementation, and analyse post distribution and outcome monitoring to generate timely evidence on wellbeing, inclusion, and access to services among persons with disabilities.
• As part of the ongoing institutionalization efforts of the NDA, strengthen institutional capacity within the Ministry of Social Affairs through development of standard operating procedures, training, and knowledge transfer for sustainable monitoring of the programme.
• Synthesize cumulative evidence into policy relevant analytical products to support programme improvement, financing dialogue, and social protection reform.
• Establish monitoring and learning approaches for broader Social Policy interventions and CPD results.
• Provide targeted technical support to National Social Protection Strategy monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes.

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:  Advanced university degree in social sciences or related fields.
• Work Experience:  Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in monitoring and learning, evaluation, or related applied social science and research fields, including work on large scale national or multiyear programmes.
• Skills:
  • Demonstrated expertise is required in monitoring and evaluation systems, outcome measurement, and evidence synthesis for social protection, social assistance, disability inclusion, social policy, or government system strengthening programmes, with strong qualitative and quantitative analytical capacity, sound methodological rigor, and proven ability to translate evidence into policy and programme improvement.
  • Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis is an asset.
  • Experience combining monitoring, evaluation, learning, and programme or portfolio management is considered a strong asset.
  • Demonstrated excellent drafting, analytical writing, and reporting skills, including preparation of policy briefs, technical reports, monitoring frameworks, and strategic synthesis documents for decision-making audiences.
  • Exposure to international experience and application of global good practices in monitoring, evaluation, and learning is considered an asset.
  
  
• Language Requirements: Fluency in oral and written English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of French or any other UN language is an asset.

Desirables:

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

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 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 from targeted underrepresented groups  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.

[CO/ HQ specific: visa residence requirements: i.e.: UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.]

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.

Please submit comprehensive financial and technical proposals addressing the terms of reference outlined above. Applications that do not include both technical and financial proposals will not be considered.