Social Policy Specialist

The Social Policy Specialist is responsible for providing technical support to the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of social policy programming and related advocacy. The role focuses on improving public policies to reduce child poverty, social protection coverage, public investments for children, and governance measures to enhance social services quality and coverage.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support to the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of social policy programming and related advocacy from strategic planning to delivery of results.
• Support programmes aimed at improving public policies to reduce child poverty.
• Enhance social protection coverage and impact on children.
• Improve transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management.
• Support governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase public participation and quality of social services.
• Work directly with government and civil society partners and support teams working on education, child protection, early childhood development and adolescent development and participation.
• Analyze Türkiye’s public financial management architecture including budget processes, Medium-Term Programme, Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and annual budget cycles.
• Design indicators to assess budget performance linking financial inputs to outputs and outcomes for children.
• Conduct budget analysis of allocation and execution data including sector specific analysis for health, education, social protection, WASH, nutrition, or early childhood development.
• Produce high-quality budget briefs and policy notes.
• Assess equity, efficiency, and adequacy of public spending.
• Carry out fiscal space analysis with a focus on social sectors including financial modelling and costing.
• Engage with key government institutions including Ministry of Treasury and Finance, Presidency of Strategy and Budget, and relevant line ministries.
• Support inclusive budgeting approaches and donor-funded programmes related to migration and refugee inclusion.

Requirements

• Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Economics, Public Administration, Political Science, Social Science, Public Policy, Fiscal Policy, Public Financial Management, International Relations and any other related fields.
• A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in social policy, social protection, public finance, fiscal structures, local governance and any other related fields.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills: Strong ability to work with quantitative data sets (household surveys, administrative data), proficiency in tools: Excel (advanced).
• Ability to translate data into policy-relevant insights, skills in data visualization.
• Strategic communication, including the ability to simplify complex fiscal concepts: Translating technical findings into clear recommendations for a variety of audiences, including government counterparts and non-technical audiences.
• Diplomacy and political awareness in engaging with government counterparts.
• Excellent drafting and reporting skills.
• English - Proficient/Fluent.
• Desirable: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language.
• Desirable: Specialization in Social policy or social protection, Development economics with a focus on equity.
• Desirable: Academic background from leading national or international universities.
• Desirable: Networks with partners in government and academia.
• Desirable: Knowledge of innovative financing mechanisms.
• Desirable: Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts (emergency).

Skills

• Social Policy Analysis
• Social Protection Policies
• Public Finance
• Fiscal Structures
• Local Governance
• Quantitative Analysis
• Excel Advanced
• Data Visualization
• Policy Translation
• Strategic Communications
• Diplomacy
• Political Awareness
• Report Writing
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Advocacy
• Public Policy Implementation
• Household Survey Analysis
• Administrative Data Analysis

Languages

English