Social Protection Officer

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was established in 1946 by the United Nations General Assembly to provide humanitarian and development assistance to children worldwide. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized populations. In Iraq, UNICEF supports the Government at federal and regional levels in strengthening systems and services that improve the well-being of children and families, including social protection, education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, and social policy.

This United Nations Volunteer (UNV) assignment is part of UNICEF Iraq's Social Policy Programme, which contributes to the reform and strengthening of Iraq's social protection system under the European Union–United Nations Joint Programme on Social Protection. The programme aims to support the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government in developing more inclusive, equitable, shock-responsive, and child-sensitive social protection systems.

Key interventions include supporting the implementation of the national Social Protection Strategy, strengthening institutional capacities, improving social protection delivery systems, generating evidence to inform policy reforms, and piloting innovative approaches to expand access to social protection services for vulnerable populations. The programme also supports initiatives such as cash transfer pilots, assessments focused on vulnerable groups including teenage mothers, and the modernization of social protection management information systems.

Key stakeholders include the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Federal Iraq), the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Ministry of Planning, the European Union, participating UN agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, and other national and sub-national institutions involved in social protection policy and service delivery.

The UN Volunteer will contribute to the effective implementation of programme activities through technical, coordination, operational, and administrative support, helping advance social protection reforms that improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families across Iraq.

Under the supervision of the Social Policy Specialist, the UN Volunteer will support the implementation of UNICEF's Social Protection programme by undertaking the following tasks:

Support the implementation of national social protection priorities
• Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of the Social Protection Strategy implementation roadmaps for both the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
• Assist in tracking progress against agreed milestones, identifying implementation bottlenecks, and supporting coordination with relevant government counterparts and development partners.

Support social protection research and assessments
• Contribute to the implementation of the Teenage Mothers Assessment, including coordination with stakeholders, data collection activities, review of outputs, and dissemination of findings.
• Support the generation of evidence and analysis to inform social protection policies and programmes.

Support government capacity strengthening
• Assist in the planning, organization, and delivery of capacity-building activities for government officials in line with the agreed annual workplan.
• Support the development of training materials, documentation of training outcomes, and follow-up actions to strengthen institutional capacities.

Support the expansion of cash transfer initiatives
• Assist with the implementation and scale-up of the Cash Pilot Programme in both Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
• Support coordination with government counterparts and partners to facilitate programme delivery, monitoring, and reporting.

Support programme coordination and event management
• Coordinate the organization of workshops, consultations, technical meetings, and high-level events related to the Social Protection programme.
• Liaise with event management service providers and ensure timely delivery of logistical and administrative arrangements in accordance with UNICEF procedures.
• Prepare meeting agendas, presentations, minutes, and follow-up action points as required.

Support operational and administrative processes
• Work closely with UNICEF Supply and Operations teams to facilitate the processing and follow-up of programme-related requests, including procurement, contracting, and logistical arrangements.
• Proactively monitor the status of requests and ensure timely communication between programme and operational teams.

Support partnership and stakeholder engagement
• Assist in maintaining effective coordination and communication with government institutions, UN agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders involved in social protection initiatives.

Perform other duties as required
Undertake any other programmatic, operational, coordination, or administrative tasks assigned by the Social Policy team to support the effective implementation of UNICEF's Social Protection programme.