Spécialiste en finances publiques
Organizational Context
UNICEF operates in 190 countries and territories to defend children's rights and help them reach their full potential, focusing on the most disadvantaged and marginalized. In Côte d’Ivoire, the 2026-2030 cooperation program aims to reduce the vulnerability of children and adolescents to poverty and shocks through more efficient public investments and adequate social protection programs. The Social Policy Section leads this agenda, focusing on child poverty evidence, social protection, public finance for children, and inclusive local governance.
Job Purpose
This assignment supports Output 1 of the UNICEF Côte d’Ivoire Country Programme 2026-2030, aiming to strengthen government and local authorities' capacities in planning, resource mobilization, and public spending efficiency for children. The Public Finance Specialist will work within the Social Policy Section, collaborating closely with national public finance stakeholders, including ministries, local authorities, the National Institute of Statistics, UN agencies, and technical and financial partners. The role is crucial for enhancing public finance management to better serve the needs of children and contribute to the country's development priorities.
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Social Policy Section, the UN Volunteer will: 1. Analyze social sector budgets and monitor execution, including applying child rights budget tagging and calculating public finance ratios for children. 2. Assess budgetary space for social targets in the National Development Plan and Social Protection Strategy, simulating financing levers. 3. Support budget advocacy and public policy dialogue by monitoring the national budget cycle, documenting debt service impact on social spending, and preparing strategic notes for financial and planning administrations. 4. Contribute to local finance and child-sensitive local governance by supporting participatory local governance and budgeting activities. 5. Strengthen national and local capacities by designing and delivering training modules on public finance management and child-focused public finance. 6. Manage knowledge, monitor trends in public finance, taxation, and debt, and support other UNICEF sections in expenditure reviews and cost-effectiveness analyses.
Work Experience
A minimum of two years of professional experience in public finance analysis, sectoral budget analysis, public expenditure management, or development economics, with a proven focus on social sectors. Experience within a financial administration, UN agency, international financial institution, or international development organization is a significant asset. Proficiency in advanced Excel is required, with statistical analysis software (STATA, R, Python) and data visualization tools being an advantage. Strong writing and synthesis skills in French are essential.
Skills
Key competencies include responsibility, adaptability, creativity, judgment, planning and organization, professionalism, self-management, integrity, respect for diversity, communication, continuous learning, teamwork, and results orientation. Expertise areas include economics, poverty reduction, livelihoods, project management, program development, strategy, and administration.