UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Deliver

How can you make a difference?

The UNICEF Maldives and Sri Lanka Country Offices is transitioning into a Multi-Country Office (MCO) structure effective 1 January 2027. The MCO will combine strengthened technical capacity with sustained national presence and relationships in Maldives, enabling more strategic upstream engagement, policy influence and systems strengthening for children.

Reporting directly to the MCO Social Policy Specialist (P-3) and working in close coordination with the programme sections and MCO colleagues, the Social Policy Officer will provide the sustained national analytical capacity and partner engagement required to advance evidence-informed Public Finance for Children in Maldives. The officer will work with the Ministry of Finance and social sector ministries and will collaborate with the Maldives Bureau of Statistics, Parliament, IFIs, UN agencies and other technical partners as relevant.

Under the supervision and guidance of the Social Policy Specialist, the Social Policy Officer contributes to the effective implementation of UNICEF Maldives's Social Policy Programme, with a particular focus on public finance for children, social policy analysis, child rights monitoring, and evidence generation. The position provides technical, operational, and coordination support for the design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of programme activities aimed at strengthening policies, systems, and investments that advance children's rights and well-being. The role requires strong analytical skills, knowledge of social policy and public finance, and the ability to work collaboratively with government counterparts, development partners, civil society organizations, and UNICEF programme teams. Through policy analysis, evidence generation, strategic partnerships, advocacy, and programme support, the incumbent contributes to improving child-focused planning, budgeting, accountability, and decision-making, inclusive of providing:

Policy and contextual analysis to inform child-focused policies and legislature
Child rights monitoring, data and evidence
Analysis and utilization of public financial management data to improve public financial resources for children (PF4C)
Advocacy and partnerships for child-sensitive public financing
Strengthening the capacity of national and local authorities to plan, budget and monitor child-focused social services
UNICEF programme management

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File Maldives_Social Policy Officer_NO2.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: Completed Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University) Degree in, Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience: A minimum of two years of relevant work experience in public finance, budget analysis or public financial management, preferably related to the social sectors, is required.
Knowledge of the Maldives budget process and experience working with national government stakeholders particularly the Ministry of Finance is a requirement.
Demonstrated quantitative and analytical skills, including budget data analysis and proficiency in Excel, are required.

Skills: Ability to communicate public-finance and socioeconomic findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences is required.
Ability to work collaboratively with government, development partners, UN agencies and UNICEF programme colleagues is a requirement.
Ability to support policy dialogue and capacity development; organize multiple analytical tasks; and translate evidence into practical recommendations is a requirement.

Language Requirements: Proficiency in English and Dhivehi is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
Experience with costing or public expenditure analysis is a strong asset.
Experience contributing to household-level survey design, analysis and the use of findings for policy or programme decisions is an asset.
Experience in advocacy and partnership building with government, International Financial Institutions or UN agencies is an asset.
Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
Experience working in a developing country is considered as a strong asset.

Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Social Policy Officer NO-2, Fixed Term Position, #137958, Male', Maldives, Asia Pacific Region (APR)- Maldivian nationals only