job · indexed from ReliefWeb Jobs RSS

National UN Volunteer Social Protection Officer

UN Children's Fund

Published: 16 Sept 2026

Country: IraqOrganization: UN Children's FundClosing date: 24 Sep 2026Mission and objectivesUNICEF has a long-term commitment to Iraq’s children and young people, with the first formal cooperation agreement signed with the Government in 1963. UNICEF works in close partnership with the Federal through established Cooperation Agreements. UNICEF has a broad geographic presence in the country with four offices located in Basra, Baghdad, Erbil and Dohuk. UNICEF collaborates with UN agencies, international and national NGO partners to meet the humanitarian and development needs of most vulnerable children and young people. In recent years, UNICEF’s work to support the unique needs of young people has gained momentum, as the challenges facing them have come more sharply into view. UNICEF is committed to deliver for all children and young people through its overall impact goal of ‘realizing the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged. The UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2018−2021 recognizes the whole spectrum of young people, including young adults or youth over 18, and includes in its Change Strategies “supporting young people and children as agents of change.” Taking its cue from the strategic plan, the Global Communication and Advocacy Strategy 2019−2021 (GCAS) asserts the important role that young people can play in the successful realization of UNICEF’s mandate, and outlines the need to listen to, co-create and collaborate with young people and create meaningful engagement opportunities for them to make a difference. Being important drivers of change, children and young people are essential partners and contributors to both the development and implementation of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022 2025. With a new and ambitious SP, UNICEF intends to be deliberate and committed in fully involving children and young people in creating the solutions to accelerate the realization of the SDGs and driving change forward.ContextThe 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.Task descriptionUnder 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.Eligibility criteriaAge18 - 80Required experience7 yearsNationalityCandidate must be a national, legal resident or hold refugee status in the country of assignment.Assignment requirementsRelevant experience7 yearsLanguagesEnglish, Level: Fluent, Required Arabic, Level: Fluent, Required Kurdish, Level: Working knowledge, DesirableRequired education levelBachelor's degree in Social Policy, Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies, Public Administration, Social Sciences, International Development, Political Science, or another relevant field is preferred.Competencies and values1 Builds and maintains partnerships 2 Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness 3 Innovates and embraces change 4 Drive to achieve results for impact 5 Manages ambiguity and complexity 6 Thinks and acts strategically Nurtures, leads and manages people 7 Works collaboratively with others care, respect, integrity, trust, accountability and sustainabilitySkills and experience• Professional experience in social protection, social policy, programme management, public sector reform, public administration, or related fields.or other relevant programmes; experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset; • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; cultural and social sensitivity; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in social protection and public policy as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system.Area(s) of expertiseDisability, other social inclusion aspectsDriving licenseOther informationVolunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.Living conditions and remarksAs this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers receive a volunteer living allowance to sustain a basic, adequate, and safe lifestyle. This allowance varies from one location to another depending on local living costs, but all national UN Volunteers in the same location receive the same allowance. Below is a summary of the Conditions of Service. Allowances: The purpose of allowances for national UN Volunteers is to enable the national UN Volunteers to sustain a modest and secure standard of living at the duty station. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the volunteer work. The purpose of this allowance is to cover the basic living costs of the national UN Volunteer, and Her/his family when applicable. The allowance is to ensure that the volunteer can sustain a basic, adequate, and safe lifestyle. • Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of USD 2413.83 • Danger and hardship differential: USD 724.14 • Entry lump sum(one time): USD 350 • Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment): $120 for each month served, paid on completion of contract • Annual and learning leaves • Medical and life Insurance • Free access to different learning platforms. For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements and support, please visit: https://www.unv.org/volunteer-your-country-conditions-serviceInclusivity statementUnited Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.Reasonable accommodationUNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirementsIn addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.Scam warningThe United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.How to applyClick Here

Country: Iraq Organization: UN Children's Fund Closing date: 24 Sep 2026 Mission and objectives UNICEF has a long-term commitment to Iraq’s children and young people, with the first formal cooperation agreement signed with the Government in 1963. UNICEF works in close partnership with the Federal through established Cooperation Agreements. UNICEF has a broad geographic presence in the country with four offices located in Basra, Baghdad, Erbil and Dohuk. UNICEF collaborates with UN agencies, international and national NGO partners to meet the humanitarian and development needs of most vulnerable children and young people. In recent years, UNICEF’s work to support the unique needs of young people has gained momentum, as the challenges facing them have come more sharply into view. UNICEF is committed to deliver for all children and young people through its overall impact goal of ‘realizing the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged. The UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2018−2021 recognizes the whole spectrum of young people, including young adults or youth over 18, and includes in its Change Strategies “supporting young people and children as agents of change.” Taking its cue from the strategic plan, the Global Communication and Advocacy Strategy 2019−2021 (GCAS) asserts the important role that young people can play in the successful realization of UNICEF’s mandate, and outlines the need to listen to, co-create and collaborate with young people and create meaningful engagement opportunities for them to make a difference. Being important drivers of change, children and young people are essential partners and contributors to both the development and implementation of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022 2025. With a new and ambitious SP, UNICEF intends to be deliberate and committed in fully involving children and young people in creating the solutions to accelerate the realization of the SDGs and driving change forward. Context 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. Task description 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. Eligibility criteria Age 18 - 80 Required experience 7 years Nationality Candidate must be a national, legal resident or hold refugee status in the country of assignment. Assignment requirements Relevant experience 7 years Languages English, Level: Fluent, Required Arabic, Level: Fluent, Required Kurdish, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable Required education level Bachelor's degree in Social Policy, Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies, Public Administration, Social Sciences, International Development, Political Science, or another relevant field is preferred. Competencies and values 1 Builds and maintains partnerships 2 Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness 3 Innovates and embraces change 4 Drive to achieve results for impact 5 Manages ambiguity and complexity 6 Thinks and acts strategically Nurtures, leads and manages people 7 Works collaboratively with others care, respect, integrity, trust, accountability and sustainability Skills and experience • Professional experience in social protection, social policy, programme management, public sector reform, public administration, or related fields.or other relevant programmes; experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset; • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; cultural and social sensitivity; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in social protection and public policy as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system. Area(s) of expertise Disability, other social inclusion aspects Driving license Other information Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor. Living conditions and remarks As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers receive a volunteer living allowance to sustain a basic, adequate, and safe lifestyle. This allowance varies from one location to another depending on local living costs, but all national UN Volunteers in the same location receive the same allowance. Below is a summary of the Conditions of Service. Allowances: The purpose of allowances for national UN Volunteers is to enable the national UN Volunteers to sustain a modest and secure standard of living at the duty station. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the volunteer work. The purpose of this allowance is to cover the basic living costs of the national UN Volunteer, and Her/his family when applicable. The allowance is to ensure that the volunteer can sustain a basic, adequate, and safe lifestyle. • Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of USD 2413.83 • Danger and hardship differential: USD 724.14 • Entry lump sum(one time): USD 350 • Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment): $120 for each month served, paid on completion of contract • Annual and learning leaves • Medical and life Insurance • Free access to different learning platforms. For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements and support, please visit: https://www.unv.org/volunteer-your-country-conditions-service Inclusivity statement United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. Reasonable accommodation UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment. Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts. Scam warning The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web. How to apply Click Here

Provenance

Indexed from ReliefWeb Jobs RSS · fetched 16 Sept 2026 · last updated 16 Sept 2026.

View the original notice at the source

Open this job in the GLODA terminal

The notice above is the public record. Signing in adds the analysis: saved views and alerts on searches like this one, workflow and pipeline, exports and full workspace tooling.

Start free Sign in to open in the terminal Keep exploring the live index