UNICEF contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria with a mandate to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.
Experience5 years
Location Abuja
Purpose Of Activity/Assignment:
- To address these critical gaps and enhance the system’s responsiveness to shocks, a new project jointly implemented by UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) with funding from the European Union was launched in 2024. This EU-UN Joint Programme (EU-UN JP) titled “Supporting Sustainable Social Protection System in Nigeria (SUSI)” aims to strengthen Nigeria’s social protection system at both federal and state levels (Abia, Benue, Oyo, and Sokoto). The project aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Government’s Eight-Point Agenda and is anchored in Nigeria’s National Development Plan (2021–2025) and the revised National Social Protection Policy.
Specifically, The EU-UN JP Will Focus On:
- Expanding and strengthening the National Social Register (NSR) to include a greater number of poor and vulnerable populations.
- Building the capacity of government staff and policymakers at national and sub-national levels in social protection systems and delivery.
- Developing a robust policy and legal framework, including the drafting of a national social protection bill for legislative consideration.
- Enhancing the Social Protection Management Information System (SP-MIS) to ensure interoperability across key sectors such as health and education.
The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical and operational support to NASSCO/SOCU on expanding and strengthening the National Social Register (NSR) with field activities in 4 states (Abia, Benue, Sokoto, Oyo).
Scope Of Work:
The Consultant will work under the supervision of Social Policy Manager and in close collaboration with NASSCO, SOCUs and relevant stakeholders at federal and state levels. The key responsibilities include:
- Technical Support for Enumeration and Data Collection
- Provide technical assistance to SOCUs in developing enumeration plans, including household listing, community targeting, and data collection workflows.
- Support training and capacity-building activities for SOCU enumerators, supervisors, and data validators on standardized tools and protocols.
- Monitor field-level enumeration and data collection activities in selected states to ensure adherence to NSR guidelines and quality standards.
- Operational Coordination and Planning
- Assist in the development and implementation of state-level micro plans for NSR expansion, including logistics,timelines, and human resource planning.
- Facilitate coordination between NASSCO, SOCUs, and local government authorities to ensure smooth implementation of enumeration activities.
- Support documentation of implementation progress, challenges, and lessons learned at both federal and state levels.
- Quality Assurance and Data Integrity
- Support field visits and validation exercises to assess data quality and consistency.
- Review and analyze enumeration reports and data outputs from SOCUs, identifying gaps and recommending corrective actions.
- Strengthening Inclusion and Shock responsiveness
- Implement strategies to enhance inclusion of marginalized and hard-to-reach communities /WARDs in the registry (e.g., persons with disabilities, displaced populations).
- Support initial assessments for integration of shock-responsive modules or temporary registries where applicable.
- Reporting and Knowledge Sharing
- Prepare monthly progress updates, technical briefs, and end-of-assignment reports highlighting achievements, bottlenecks, and policy recommendations.
- Document good practices and innovations from states implementing successful registry expansion strategies.
Work Assignment Overview
Task/Milestone
- Finalize implementation plan with NASSCO/SOCU on the NSR expansion in 4 states, including timeline, key milestones and targets
Deliverables/Outputs:
Implementation plan with NASSCO/SOCU
Task/Milestone
- Establish implementation processes for the NSR expansion with NASSCO/SOCU
Deliverables/Outputs:
Organigram and roles/responsibilities allocation matrix
Task/Milestone
- Develop and agree with NASSCO/SOCU asset management guidelines for data collection equipment
Deliverables/Outputs:
Asset management guidelines
Task/Milestone
- Support implementation of poverty mapping with NASSCO/SOCU
Deliverables/Outputs:
Poverty mapping report per state
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: ToR_National social protection consultant (social Registry).pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum Requirements:
- An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Social Policy, Economics, Statistics, Public Administration, Development Studies, Demography, or a related field from a recognized institution.
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the design, implementation, or monitoring of social protection programs, poverty reduction, or community-based targeting mechanisms.
- Proven experience in supporting social registry development, large-scale household data collection, or community enumeration exercises.
- Demonstrated experience in working with government institutions, especially at federal and subnational levels, and familiarity with national social protection systems and structures such as NASSCO and SOCUs.
- Experience providing technical assistance and conducting capacity-building activities for data collection teams or local officials is an asset.
- Familiarity with shock-responsive social protection systems, social registries, cash transfer programs, and inter-agency coordination mechanisms is highly desirable.
- Experience working with international development partners (e.g., UN, World Bank, EU, bilateral donors) on social protection or humanitarian-development nexus programming is a strong asset.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified? Go to UNICEF on jobs.unicef.org to apply
