National Consultant for Social Protection Capacity Strengthening

About the role

UNICEF Kenya's Social Policy section is seeking a National Consultant for Social Protection Capacity Strengthening, based in Nairobi, to provide technical support on adaptive and equitable social protection. The assignment covers three key areas: government capacity building on child-sensitive social protection, a framework for shock-responsive social protection, and support for displaced populations and host communities. It is an office-based consultancy lasting 11 months.

Key responsibilities

• Lead capacity development of government on social protection and institutionalise a cadre of social protection specialists within the State Department of Social Protection, the State Department of Children Services, the Council of Governors and selected county governments, coordinating with ILO and TRANSFORM trainers and other UN agencies
• Develop an implementation framework for the shock-responsive social protection pillar of Kenya's Social Protection Policy, in line with the Social Protection Act (2025) and the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions
• Support public investment in social protection in the context of displacement and coordinate activities across the Social Policy section
• Develop and oversee a multi-stakeholder roadmap for integrating displaced populations and host communities through contributory, non-contributory and informal social protection
• Support the NICHE programme's anticipatory action, link NICHE households to economic and financial inclusion opportunities, and strengthen the on-demand enrolment system for beneficiaries

Required profile

• MA in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Development Studies or a related field
• At least 7 years of relevant experience in social protection policy and programmes, including technical support to government and adult learning and training
• Fluency in written and spoken English; Kiswahili or another UN language is an asset
• Desirable: previous UNICEF, UN or NGO experience, experience with Kenyan national and county governments, child-focused programming and research background

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of social protection, including adaptive social protection and financing
• Knowledge of donor reporting, accountability frameworks and results-based reporting
• Analytical, research and problem-solving skills, with excellent report writing and presentation skills
• Desirable: Power BI, Tableau or other data visualisation tools

Candidates apply through the UNICEF online recruitment portal with a CV, cover letter and a financial proposal in the provided template; no processing fee is charged.