BACKGROUND & PURPOSE
The overarching framework for UNCEF at sub-national level is to strengthen local governance systems and capacities to plan, fund, implement and monitor sustainable initiatives to improve the well-being of children and women in selected sub-national areas of the country. To anchor this framework, UNICEF adopts five pillars in programming at sub-national level: Equity, Evidence and Result-based Approach, Sustainability, Children and Youth Participation and Communication for Development (C4D) for greater community empowerment.
The rationale for this sub-national strategy is to ensure effective implementation of UNICEF and Government’s commitment to equity, focusing on filling equity gaps in social and economic development. It also provides a platform for cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration to facilitate child rights realization holistically, especially for those whose rights are not being realized.
Based on the regional mapping on multidimensional child deprivations, geographical focus of UNICEF has been prioritized. In the four regions of Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe and Songwe (MINS), UNICEF maintains and consolidates its commitment in lagging indicators in HIV, nutrition and health with enhanced consideration for equity and sustainability. This allows UNICEF to make planning, budgeting and monitoring results for children, youth and adolescents more context-responsive, bringing it closer to the rights-holders and frontline duty bearers, which has the potential to enhance accountability and the creation of real-time feedback loops.
A sub-office located in Iringa was set up in 2012/13 to support activities in the MIN regions. Under the new CP the location of the office was shifted to Mbeya with programme specialists in Health, Nutrition, Education, WASH and Children and AIDS led by a Chief Field Office.
UNICEF aims to strengthen the institutionalisation and sustainability of its support to MINS regions. This requires support to decentralized planning, budgeting, monitoring, and coordination as far as service delivery and programming for children are concerned. This ambition reflects a deliberate and strategic effort to engage with regional, district and ward-level decision-makers to influence and leverage policies, plans, and budgets for children. This broadly includes the advocacy and technical support needed to translate and localize national policies, capacity strengthening in planning & budgeting, and to sustain and scale up services for children through local planning & budgeting. This engagement agenda also includes emphasis on partnerships and networks within and across other organizations, sectors, platforms and the media to achieve results for children. UNICEF has developed a ‘local up stream’s agenda, which is overseen by the Chief of the Field Office in Mbeya, with technical support from technical teams based in Mbeya and Dar es Salaam offices. The present TORs outline the main responsibilities of a 12-month assignment to support the implementation of this upstream agenda.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Prepare regular updates about the situation of children in MINS regions:
Maintain and update regional and district data profiles
Develop briefing notes on emerging issues of relevance for children
Develop political economy notes on regional economic, political, or sociocultural developments that (potentially) affect children and resource allocation for children
Coordinate and support MINS-level work on Public Finance Management and Children
Support all MINS-level public finance for children activities and budget analyses in 2019 and 2020 (notably 1 regional Budget Brief and 2 studies on sub-national PFM for education and health)
Monitor and provide updates on regional and LGA-level budgeting processes (maintain a database with LGA overall budget information)
Support implementation of the capacity building projects for sub-national officials in MINS regions on child-focused planning and budgeting and on strengthening strategic revenue generation for LGAs
Develop a network of contacts and partnerships at LGA and RS level in the field of social sector budgets
Support the implementation of the MINS 2019 and 2020 upstream agendas
Support the Chief FO and programme specialists with LGA- or RS-level advocacy work (through developing internal and external briefing notes, presentations for RCC and FCC meetings, scanning advocacy opportunities)
Maintain a technical level network with district councils and regional secretariats
In collaboration with TCO and MFO program colleagues, support the planning, coordination, monitoring, and implementation of upstream programmatic support (as per the adopted MINS upstream agenda)
Support to planning and monitoring of UNICEF support to MINS LGAs and Regional Secretariats
Support the annual planning and review processes with local authorities, using data gathered from LGAs and Regions and budget and district profiles
Support the monitoring processes of UNICEF support in the MINS regions, with a focus on support to district level planning and budgeting systems and processes.

REQURIED QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
Competencies and level of proficiency required
Core Values
Commitment
Diversity and inclusion
Integrity
Core competencies
Communication II
Working with people II
Drive for results II
Functional Competencies:
Leading and supervising II
Formulating strategies and concepts II
Analyzing III
Relating and networking II
Persuading & Influencing II
Planning & Organizing III

Education:
Advanced university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or other relevant disciplines

Experience:
Minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience required
Experience and expertise with decentralization and decentralized planning and budgeting in Tanzania an asset
Familiarity with UNICEF focus regions (Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe, Songwe) is an asset
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English and Kiswahili is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset

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