Purpose of activity / assignment:

• This individual consultancy will support South Sudan build its human & institutional capacity in social protection programming. The consultancy focuses on critical integration aspects pertaining to social policy, including cross sectoral humanitarian cash programming. The ToR includes components on coordination, systems, policy strengthening & program delivery including cash transfers.

Background & rationale:

• South Sudan has high levels of inter twined vulnerabilities attributed to conflicts & climate change. The resultant shocks are both idiosyncratic & covariate in nature, affecting vast parts of the country, with children & women the most affected segments of the population. The country’s human & institutional capacity to anticipate, absorb, accommodate & recover from the effects of a shocks, stresses is deficient, the national policies, strategies to prevent, reduce & manage disasters are non existent. Collectively, these hurdles hamper the country’s national capacity to strengthen resilience of the affected populations during, after shocks & crisis.

• Social protection is enshrined in South Sudan’s founding documents. The country’s Revitalized National Development Strategy (R - NDS, 2021) identifies social protection as a national priority. The R - NDS builds on the commitment of government contained in South Sudan’s national social protection policy frame approved by a council of ministers’ resolution (no. 28 / 2014) on 28 February 2014. The policy framework covers non contributory instruments for the vulnerable using a lifecycle approach & has a three tier structure covering implementation, strategic planning & policy making across all levels of government. The framework & the programs reaffirm South Sudan’s commitment to care & provide for its vulnerable population, including women & children.

Scope of work:

• This consultancy will support South Sudan build its human & institutional capacity in social protection the ministries of health, gender, child & social welfare. The consultancy focuses on critical integration aspects pertained to the social policy, including cross sectoral humanitarian cash programming. The TOR therefore includes components on coordination, systems, policy strengthening & program delivery including cash transfers. Working under the direct supervision of the Social Policy Specialist, the national consultant will engage & support the social policy section, nutrition sections & externally the ministries of health, gender, child & social welfare.

The main duties & responsibilities of the consultant include:

• Support the coordination of social protection, activities in the country office & across all levels of governments, with focus on cash programs.

• Support the development & implementation of emergency Multi Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA).

• Provide requisite support to projects pertaining to cross sectoral cash plus activities in country office.

• Support operations tasks including logistics, payments, liquidations & DCTs management.

• Field monitoring missions related to cross sectoral cash projects.

Expected results include:

• Support implementation of proof of concept of the YCSG in Yida & Ruweng administrative area.

• Support the piloting of the emergency MPCA program in Rubkona.

• Support the coordination of social protection, activities in the country office & across all levels of governments, with focus on cash programs.

• Provide support to projects pertaining to cross sectoral cash plus activities in the country office.

• Support operations tasks including logistics, payments, liquidations & DCTs management.

• Participate in field monitoring missions related to cross sectoral cash projects.

• Draft a lesson learned report on the initial roll out of the SRCT focusing on lessons learned & next step together with the Cash Specialist.

This role will be working under the direct supervision of the Social Policy Specialist.

• Minimum bachelor’s degree preferably in business administration / accounting or finance.

• Two years’ experience in social protection & large scale surveys with UN or INGOs.

• Previous exposure to UN programs.

• Strong verbal & written communication skills.

• Willingness to travel & work in field environments.

• Good written & spoken English is required.

This role has no team management responsibility.

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.