Gender-Responsive Social Protection Consultant,Hanoi, Vietnam, Remotely with travel. (Open for Nationals of Vietnam Only) Req#594812

Organizational Context

UNICEF operates in over 190 countries, dedicated to saving children's lives, protecting their rights, and helping them reach their full potential. We are committed to our mission, offering diverse opportunities for professional growth and a sense of purpose in serving children and communities globally. We foster an inclusive and passionate culture.

Job Purpose

This consultancy aims to address the significant challenges of child marriage and early unions in Vietnam, particularly affecting ethnic minority girls, rural, and poorer households. The role will support UNICEF's efforts to reduce child marriage risks and enhance women's economic empowerment by assessing the feasibility and designing a gender-responsive social protection model. This involves leveraging existing evidence from the Nutrition Cash Plus pilot and an upcoming study on child marriage to inform the development of an integrated cash and complementary support program. The consultant will play a key role in developing a concept note and operational manual, conducting stakeholder consultations, and delivering training to ensure effective implementation of the proposed model in selected provinces.

Responsibilities

The consultant will support UNICEF's Social Policy and Governance section, collaborating with Child Protection, Education, and other relevant sections, to assess the feasibility of using social protection mechanisms to combat child marriage in selected Vietnamese provinces. Key responsibilities include conducting a comprehensive literature review on gender-responsive social protection strategies for preventing and responding to child marriage, analyzing relevant UNICEF toolkits and contextual examples. A rapid feasibility assessment will be performed, utilizing data from the Nutrition Cash Plus pilot and child marriage study to analyze needs, select target groups and geographic areas, and define intervention components. The consultant will develop a detailed concept note for a Gender-Responsive Cash Plus model, outlining cash transfers, complementary measures (livelihoods, social services), beneficiary targeting, transfer values, duration, governance, and required human resources. Facilitating consultation and validation workshops with stakeholders to finalize the concept note and operational manual is crucial. Furthermore, the consultant will develop a practical operational manual with step-by-step guidance for model rollout and conduct training sessions for stakeholders on the implementation of the Gender-Responsive Cash Plus model in selected provinces.

Work Experience

Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in social protection, gender equality, child protection, or related development programs. Experience in program design, feasibility studies, and operational manual development is essential. Experience working with UNICEF or other UN agencies is an asset.

Skills

Social protection program design, Gender analysis, Child marriage prevention, Feasibility assessment, Stakeholder engagement, Operational manual development, Training facilitation, Research and analysis, Report writing, Project management, Knowledge of Vietnamese context, Cash transfer programming

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