Chief - Public Finance and Local Governance (P5) FT, Programme Group - Social Policy, New York HQ # 00014125

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

The impact of growing poverty and inequality is a major obstacle for the realization of children’s rights. Despite modest, but important progress in terms of child poverty reduction, children continue to be more likely to fall into poverty than adults. Today’s children are growing up in a world beset by multiple, near-simultaneous, interdependent shocks, stemming from the fallout of disease outbreaks, violent conflicts, climate change and environmental degradation, and skyrocketing costs of living.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. In the face of these increasingly challenging environment, under the framework of its new Strategic Plan (SP), 2022–2025, UNICEF’s Social Policy and Social Protection (SPSP) Programme is committed to reducing child poverty and expanding inclusive social protection for all children and adolescents including those living in humanitarian context.

The post sits within the Social Policy and Social Protection Programme team in UNICEF HQ, contributes to UNICEF’s strategic results on child poverty, social protection, public finance, and local governance. The Chief Public Finance and Local Governance reports to the Chief Economist/ Director Social Policy and Social Protection in HQ. The Chief leads specific GA5 Strategic Plan results on child poverty through increased and enhanced public financing for child-sensitive social programmes and strengthening local governance structures. 

For every child, life free of poverty….

The Chief of Public Finance and Local Governance plays a pivotal role in driving UNICEF’s mission to improve investments and outcomes for children and their families. This position provides visionary leadership, expert advice, and technical support in advancing finance for children and local governance, while guiding governments to strengthen public financial management, economic and social policies, and governance systems. The Chief also leads the development of strategic partnerships, including South-South collaborations, and oversees initiatives in systems strengthening, advocacy, knowledge sharing, and innovation to achieve impactful and sustainable results in alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan.

How can you make a difference?

Programmatic Leadership, Technical Support, and Capacity Building

Provide strategic direction and technical guidance for UNICEF's global work on public finance and local governance, developing operational tools and methodologies to support field offices in diagnosing challenges, analyzing data, and offering impactful solutions. Lead efforts to design and implement social, economic, and fiscal policies, link them with context-specific analyses, and monitor progress to refine social policy and social protection programs. Build global evidence and advocacy efforts to raise the visibility of child poverty and social exclusion while monitoring global economic and demographic trends to guide UNICEF country teams in shaping effective responses. Additionally, identify global capacity-building needs and organize training initiatives to address them in collaboration with regional offices.

Strategic Partnership, Advocacy, and Communication

Strengthen and expand UNICEF's global partnerships and alliances on public finance and local governance while enhancing the organization's reputation as a knowledge leader in these areas. Represent UNICEF in global forums and high-profile events, disseminating advocacy messages and raising the visibility of public finance and local governance in global communication initiatives. Develop and sustain resource partnerships and mobilization efforts to support headquarters, regional, and country-level work in these critical areas, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s broader advocacy and programming goals.

Knowledge Management and Managerial Leadership

Advance evidence generation and knowledge sharing on child-sensitive public finance and local governance, fostering systemic data collection, innovative research, and impact evaluations to inform programming and SDG monitoring. Facilitate lesson-sharing through networks, academic collaborations, and communities of practice, while keeping UNICEF updated on international literature and policy debates. Ensure effective management of the Public Finance and Local Governance team, integrating approaches across UNICEF's