Child Protection Officer, NO-A, Fixed Term, Kosti, Sudan (with temporary deployment in Kassala) (open to Sudanese nationals) # 94302

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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For every child, Protection 

After years of protracted crisis, Sudan plunged into a conflict of alarming scale in mid-April 2023 when fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in the capital Khartoum, before quickly expanding to other areas across the country. Since the onset of the conflict, more than 3.8 million children have been displaced, and a staggering number of grave child right’s violations have been reported, with verified incidents showing a four-fold increase in 2023 as compared to 2022 figures, with more than 60 per cent of grave violations reported from the Darfur region.

The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that effective monitoring, reporting and response mechanisms of grave violations of children’s rights are in place in Southern Area and support to the overall child protection humanitarian response, so that children and adolescents are protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and harmful practices: 1) scale up Monitoring and reporting on grave violations; 2) prevent and address Child recruitment and use by armed actors, as well as illegal and arbitrary detention and criminal processing of conflict-affected children; 3) Prevent and address the impact of the use of landmines and other indiscriminate or illicit weapons by state and non-state actors; 4) Mitigate, prevent and Respond to GBV; 5) Engage with communities for behavior and social change 6)Identify and address MHPSS needs of children,  adolescents, and caregivers through coordinated multisectoral and community based MHPSS services.

 

The Child Protection Officer reports to Program Specialist in Southern Area Team (South Kordofan, West Kordofan, North Kordofan, Blu Nile and White Nile, and Sennar), for close guidance and supervision, with dot lines with the chief of section and other relevant colleagues within the national scope team.

 

The Child Protection Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the child protection programmes/projects through the application of theoretical and technical skills in researching, collecting, analyzing, and presenting technical programme information while learning organizational rules, regulations and procedures to support the development and formulation of the Southern Area Child Protection Programme within the Country Programme.

How can you make a difference? 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
4. Networking and partnership building
5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

   Support to programme development and planning

   • Research and analyze regional and national political, protection, social and economic development trends. Collect, analyze, verify, and synthesize information to facilitate programme development, design and preparation.
   • Prepare technical reports and inputs for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevancy of information.
   • Facilitate the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of child protection programmes and other related information for development planning and priority and goal setting.
   • Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluation of results.
   • • Prepare required documentations and materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.        

                                                                        

   Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

   • Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect, analyze and share information on implementation issues, suggest solutions on routine programme implementation and to submit reports to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decisions. Keep record of reports and assessments for
   • easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
   • Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with the government and other counterparts, and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
   • Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verifying compliance with approved allocation, goals, organizational rules, regulations, procedures, donor commitments, and standards of accountability and integrity.
   • Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
   • Prepare inputs for programme and donor reporting

    

   Technical and operational support to programme implementation

   • Conduct regular programme field visits and surveys and exchange information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support. Take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.

     

   • Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices in child protection, to support programme implementation.

   Networking and partnership building

   • Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on child protection.
   • Participate in inter-agency meetings/events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of child protection programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with UNDAF development and planning processes.
   • Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.
   • Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for child protection programmes.

   Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

   • Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.
   • Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
   • Research and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
   • Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.

For more info on the Job description:  Child Protection Officer Level 1_Kosti .doc

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education:

A university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, health, international law, or another relevant social science field.

• Experience:

 A minimum of one year of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required.

Experience working in emergency in fragile countries is considered as an asset.

Relevant experience in programme development in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

• Language Requirements:Fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.