Under the overall guidance and direction of the Chief, Child Protection (P5) the Child Protection Specialist, in close collaboration and communication with Child Protection Specialists and Programme Officers at federal and regional level, the Programme Coordinator and other sectors’ coordinators, s/he will be responsible for the key functions, accountabilities and related duties and tasks:
Internal coordination, technical and advisory support on delivery of the Child Protection Self-Reliance Programme
Provide coordination at federal and regional level within UNICEF on child protection programming with regards to children on the move (CotM) and Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE), particularly in establishing this within the annual work plans, developing strategies and determining priorities/targets and performance measurements. Coordinate work progress monitoring and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards and report to the Chief Child Protection (P5) on critical issues for timely action.
Provide technical assistance/advice on all aspects of children on the move and CPiE programming and implementation to help enable child protection colleagues at Addis Ababa (Ethiopia Country Office) and in regions to achieve programme/performance objectives.
Provide technical advice to key government officials (including Ministry and Bureaus of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry and Bureaus of Justice, Federal and Regional Supreme Courts, Ministry and Bureaus of Labour and Social Affairs, Federal and Regional Vital Events Registration Agency and ARRA , NGO, UN system and other country and regional office partners on policies, strategies, good practices, lessons learned and approaches on child protection in refugee and host community settings and other related issues to support programme development planning, implementation and delivery of results.
Coordinate/ensure the availability of technical experts (with Regional Office/HQ) to ensure timely support throughout all stages of programming/project processes. Provide technical support to relevant colleagues at Addis Ababa (Country Office) and regional level on good practices and lessons learned as part of wider capacity building in this relatively new and innovative area for child protection in Ethiopia.
Establish framework and mechanism for regularly consulting with and communicating updates to relevant child protection and other colleagues at Addis Ababa (Ethiopia Country Office) and regional level.
Programme development and planning
Manage CotM and CPiE grants. This includes the preparation/design and revision of the CPiE/CotM programme to help ensure that a comprehensive evidence based on child protection is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy advocacy, intervention and development efforts on child protection in refugee and host community settings.
Set programme priorities, strategies, design and implementation plans.
In coordination with UNHCR and other partners (including INGOs and Civil Society Organisations) and the concerned technical specialists at the Country and Field Office level, revise or develop and finalise programme cooperation agreements and other agreements for programme implementation and monitoring. Fulfill all relevant documentation and submission requirements for review and clearance. Help ensure implementation is closely monitored (in compliance with the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) rules and procedures).
Keep abreast of national/regional/international development priorities in the field of CotM and CPiE to enhance programme management and delivery.
Participate in strategic programme discussions on the planning of strategic child protection investments in the field of CotM and CPiE. Formulate, design and prepare interventions, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans and Country Programme and coherence/integration with UN agencies including UNHCR, major CPiE donors and Government of Ethiopia regional strategies and national priorities, plans and competencies.
Establish specific goals, objectives and strategies and implementation plans using results-based planning (RBM) and risk- informed programming approaches (RIPA). Prepare required documentations for programme review and approval.
Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners, including UNHCR, IOM, INGOs and NGOs, to discuss strategies and methodologies and to determine national priorities/competencies to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results for children’s protection from violence and neglect, including harmful practices and to strengthen universal and free birth registration among both host communities and refugees.
Provide authoritative technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes to ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of child protection outcomes with other UNICEF and UNHCR sectors and achievement of results as planned and allocated.
Programme coordination within the overall self-reliance programme and among partners, monitoring, reporting and quality control of results
Participate in regular programme coordination meetings and other fora with the Programme Coordinator and coordinators from other sectors to discuss and assess progress and to inform revisions to the work and to promote and help ensure intersectoral collaboration on strategy and programme development, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
Participate in major monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with government, UNHCR and other counterparts to assess progress and to engage stakeholders to take required action/interventions to achieve results.
Prepare/assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths/weaknesses in programme and management, identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve donor programme goals. These reports may also be inputted to regular meetings such as the biweekly meeting with the Programme Management Unit, the Emergency Management Team (EMT), Country Management Team (CMT) and others.
Monitor interventions to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
In close communication with the Social Policy and Evidence for Social Inclusion (SPESI) Section, oversee monitoring and evaluation initiatives on UNICEF’s DFID programme for self-reliance to establish achievable benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UNHCR indicators and support the independent monitoring and evaluation contractors as required. Assess/strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results in child protection programmes.
Plan, monitor and control the use of programme resources (financial, human, administrative and other assets) certifying/verifying compliance with organizational rules, regulations and procedures, donor commitments and standards of accountability and integrity. Support the timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
Submit/prepare programme reports to donors and other partners to keep them informed on program progress and critical issues.
Advocacy, networking and partnership building
Related to refugee and host community work, build and strengthen strategic partnerships through networking and advocacy with local/national governments, UN system agency partners, donors, internationally recognized institutions, NGOs, funding organizations, research institutes and private sector to reinforce cooperation and/or pursue opportunities to promote goals and achieve sustainable and broad results for child protection.
Related to refugee and host community work, prepare and/or input into communication strategies and implementation plans and activities for maximum communication impact and outreach to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances for sustainable results and support fund raising for UNICEF Country and Regional Office child protection programmes.
Prepare policy papers, briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use, information and consideration.
Participate in country discussions on child protection emergency preparedness, programming and contingency planning to ensure proactive and appropriate response are in place to meet onset of emergencies nationally or other designated locations.
Participate and/or represent UNICEF in inter-agency discussions and planning on child protection in refugee and host community settings and related issues to ensure organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNDAF/Government/UNHCR planning and agenda setting. Collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues planning and preparation of programmes/projects including emergency preparedness and response.
Support effective implementation of the Blueprint with UNHCR
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building; and
Promote critical thinking and innovative approaches and good practices for CPiE and CotM initiatives through advocacy and technical advisory services.
Keep abreast, research, benchmark, introduce and implement best and cutting edge practices on child protection management and information systems. Institutionalise and disseminate best practices and knowledge learned.
Contribute to the development of policies and procedures and introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programs and projects.
Organise/plan/implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders to promote sustainable and long term results for children’s protection from all forms of violence and for universal and free birth registration among CPiE and CotM.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
An advanced University degree in social sciences, international development and international relations, humanitarian affairs or another directly related subjects. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible and relevant experience at international levels in child protection in emergencies and CotM programming including results-based management, and collaboration with multi-lateral and bilateral partners is required.
Previous experience working in CPiE/CotM with UNICEF is an asset.
Experience implementing child protection programmes along the development- humanitarian nexus in large operating setting is required.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and other human relations skills, as well as effective strong leadership and decision making competency in the complex working environment dealing with other UN agencies (particularly UNHCR), governmental officials, NGO counterparts, donors and other important partners
Strong organizational and networking skills required.
Excellent ability to collect, treat and analyze data.
Advanced computer literacy expected in Word, Excel and Power Point.
Excellent oral and written communication and report writing skills in English is required. Writing samples may be requested.
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.
