Social Policy Officer

The Social Policy Officer will provide technical, operational and coordination support to strengthen the Government of Malawi’s planning, financing, budgeting, expenditure management and accountability for public resources, contributing to improved outcomes for children and vulnerable populations. The role supports public financial management, budget analysis, social sector financing and decentralization, including transparency, accountability and oversight of public finances at national and sub-national levels.

Responsibilities

• Provide 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.
• Support programmes aimed at improving public policies to reduce child poverty.
• Support social protection coverage and impact on children.
• Support transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management.
• Support governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and the quality, equity and coverage of social services.
• Generate and use evidence on social sector financing, child poverty, and child-focused services to inform policy dialogue, programming, resource mobilization and donor reporting.
• Engage with government counterparts, development partners and contractors to advance country programme results.
• Strengthen capacity of local governments to plan, budget, consult on and monitor child-focused social services.
• Strengthen advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive social policy.

Requirements

• A Bachelor or equivalent degree (First Level University Degree) in Economics, Social Science, Political Science, Public Policy, International Relations and any other related field is required.
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience in Administration, Clerical work, Budget Preparation, Public Finance, Public Sector, Social Protection, Social Sectors, Government Budgeting, Investment Analysis, Financial Reporting and any other related fields are required.
• Demonstrated project management, budget management and analytical skills are required.
• Having experience in stakeholder engagement, government relations and policy programming are also required.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is desirable.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.
• Background and/or familiarity with emergency is considered as a strong asset.
• Having experience with SAP, Service gateway, data tools and AI tools are considered an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Skills

• Budget Preparation
• Public Finance
• Social Protection Policies
• Sector Budgeting
• Investment Analysis
• Financial Reporting
• Project Management
• Budget Management
• Analytical Skills
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Government Relations
• Policy Programming
• SAP
• Service Gateway
• Data Tools
• AI Tools Usage
• Public Financial Management
• Budget Analysis
• Social Sector Finance
• Decentralization

Languages

English