Deployable Child Protection in Emergencies - Sexual Violence Specialist at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Deployable Child Protection in Emergencies - Sexual Violence Specialist

Location: Nigeria
Type of Role: 12 month fixed term contract

Role Purpose

• The Deployable Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) - Sexual Violence specialist is part of the global Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPHA) unit and is deployable for up to 75% of time. As such, the CPiE-Sexual Violence specialist will have both global responsibilities and in-country responsibilities during deployments.
• At a global level, the Deployable CPiE-Sexual Violence Specialist will be responsible for the global roll-out of Plan International’s humanitarian sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) programming framework and other key resources across global, regional, country and national offices. The Specialist will represent Plan International in relevant global fora related to child protection and gender-based violence (GBV).
• The Deployable CPiE-Sexual Violence Specialist will deploy to priority emergencies (Orange 2 and Red level) to lead the CPiE response programmes and ensure that approaches to address SGBV against children and adolescents are embedded in Plan International’s humanitarian response.The Deployable CPiE-Sexual Violence Specialist is expected to lead resource mobilisation for CPiE including GBV funding, and provide hands-on technical support to child protection and other sector teams as well as implementing partners in the country they will be deployed to.
• The Deployable CPiE-Sexual Violence Specialist is responsible for ensuring quality SGBV emergency programmes, including prevention and comprehensive response services for child survivors of SGBV, with simultaneous consideration of medium- to longer-term scenarios.
• The Specialist will need to take a very active role in technical coordination, support and advocacy with the country-specific child protection and GBV coordination groups and other stakeholders and technical agencies relevant to the sector.

Accountabilities
Assessment:

• Lead or contribute to (inter-agency) child protection rapid assessments and ensure GBV risks for children and adolescents (0-17 years), particularly for girls and other at-risk groups, are covered. Collaborate with local specialists and affected population to validate assessment findings and determine priorities, immediate activities and resources.
• Set up systems for child protection monitoring including SGBV risks for children and adolescents in the affected area(s).
• Ensure that Plan International’s activities to collect data on child protection and SGBV against children are coordinated with other Plan programmatic areas, with external CP and GBV actors, governmental and non-governmental agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
• Develop quality reports for needs assessments and situation monitoring, providing gender and age-specific findings on priority child protection risks including SGBV risks for children and adolescents.

Programme Design and Resource Mobilisation:

• Contribute to or lead the development of child protection response plans or programmes which reflect GBV risks for children and adolescents, including master budget, logframe and staffing structure.
• Contribute to Plan International’s overall response strategy and ensure GBV risks for children and adolescents are also reflected and addressed through other sector response plans.
• Ensure Plan International’s child protection and other sector response plans are aligned with Plan International’s global SGBV results framework, programme guidance and approaches for supporting child survivors of SGBV.
• Design contextually appropriate interventions to prevent, mitigate and respond to sexual violence and other forms of SGBV against children and adolescents, based on the identified risks, needs and gaps.
• In collaboration with national and international child protection and GBV actors, map current institutional response capacities to prevent and respond to SGBV against children and adolescents.
• In coordination with child protection and GBV actors, develop a realistic evidence‐based, inter-agency child protection response plan, including programmatic and advocacy priorities. Contribute to inter-agency GBV response plans where possible, integrating child-focused programming and influencing priorities.
• Mainstream gender, inclusion, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and conflict sensitivity in the programme and project design.
• Ensure Plan International’s programme approaches, guidelines and the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action are considered, alongside relevant GBV Minimum Standards.
• Work in close collaboration with other sector programme teams to ensure that other sector emergency interventions contribute to the prevention, mitigation and response to SGBV against children and adolescents.
• Work closely with the response management, business development and other sector teams in resource mobilisation, including the development of quality concept notes and proposals and donor engagement.

Response Management and Implementation:

• Work closely with the relevant project manager(s) to ensure that the implementation of relevant activities is planned and implemented in a timely manner in coordination with local partners and other relevant stakeholders.
• Provide technical support and direction to Plan International staff and partners for effective planning, implementation and monitoring of agreed child protection response plans, including activities to address SGBV against children and adolescents.
• Support child protection case management teams to provide services for child survivors of SGBV that are survivor-centred, compassionate and aligned with the Caring for Child Survivors guidelines.
• Conduct CP and GBV capacity assessments of Plan and partner staff, prepare capacity development plans and provide capacity strengthening support including but not limited to training, on-the-job support and mentorship.
• Make frequent field visits to all project locations to monitor the implementation of activities, identify opportunities and constraints and provide hands-on support to address challenges.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning:

• Work closely with the monitoring and evaluation team, design and develop appropriate monitoring, evaluation and learning systems for child protection interventions including approaches to prevent, mitigate and response to SGBV against children, ensure links to report requirements, build the capacity of child protection and M&E staff to collect quantitative and qualitative data and to document key learning from the child protection response, with specific focus on GBV risks.
• Evaluate the implementation of Plan International child protection and other sector activities to prevent, mitigate and respond to SGBV against children and adolescents, and draft recommendations for improved survivor-centred programme design.
• Develop child protection including GBV reports as standalone deliverables or to be included in emergency response reports for donors or internal reports.
• Disseminate learning as appropriate among Plan International staff, partners and other stakeholders.
• Ensure the quality and timely implementation of child- and adolescent-friendly accountability mechanisms in the child protection response, including specific feedback channels for at-risk girls and child survivors of SGBV.

Information and Coordination:

• Represent Plan International in relevant child protection and GBV coordination mechanisms including relevant clusters/sub-clusters/task forces, at global level and at country level during deployments.
• Represent Plan International to governmental and non-governmental actors as needed.
• Provide brief updates and reports on sectoral activities/strategies to prevent, mitigate and respond to SGBV against children and adolescents, particularly girls, for donors and other stakeholders.
• Provide regular updates to Emergency Response Manager and emergency team on progress, priorities and constraints – verbally and in writing on an agreed frequency.
• Engage and follow up with relevant project implementation manager(s).

Communication:

• Work with Plan International’s communication team to support accessible publishing and dissemination of articles, case studies, success stories and presentations highlighting workbin child protection in emergencies with focus on gender- and age-specific SGBV risks for children and adolescents.

Human Resources and Administration:

• Work with management to identify the staffing needs for the child protection response and ensure all positions are included in the response master budget.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding process for CPiE positions, particularly roles that require GBV experience for service delivery to children and adolescents.
• Coordinate and/or implement training and briefings for Plan International staff, partners, and other key stakeholders on the child protection response.
• As required, support HR/safeguarding focal point in conducting inductions related to Plan International’s safeguarding policy and code of conduct for CPiE staff.
• Comply with Plan International policies and practices concerning child safeguarding, code of conduct and other HR policies and procedures.

Dealing with Problems:

• The post-holder will make rapid assessments of situations and then make judgements for the organisation on strategic choices and actions often with limited information.
• The job requires decisions to be made based on assumption and experience, as little hard information will be available. Decisions need to be context specific and there will often be no precedents to draw upon.
• Management judgement will be required to negotiate and influence local Plan teams to take steps to respond in ways that may be new or worrisome in contexts that are stressful to all involved.
• Decisions may affect the lives of thousands of disaster-affected children, millions of dollars, the security of staff, and the profile of Plan across the humanitarian sector and media.
• Excellent risk assessment and management is required to support decisions that may require overcoming attitudinal, systemic and physical barriers.

Safeguarding:

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in the CPiE response activities in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to the CPiE area of responsibility.
• This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures

Key Relationships
Internal:

• CPiE specialists at CO, RH, GH and NO levels
• CPiE team members in CO during deployments, and at GH
• Emergency Response Manager
• Deputy Emergency Response Manager and/or Head of programmes
• Other sector response teams and project managers
• Other members of the Emergency Response team as appropriate

External:

• Other agencies and groups responding to the emergency, particularly those working in the child protection and GBV sectors.

Technical Expertise, Skills, and Knowledge
Knowledge:

• Significant progressively responsible professional experience in Child Protection in Emergencies and/or GBV programming with focus on children and adolescents.
• Demonstrable technical expertise in implementing GBV prevention, mitigation and response actions with and for children and adolescents in humanitarian settings.
• Experience in establishing and strengthening case management services for child survivors including delivering training and supervision to case workers in line with the Caring for Child Survivors guidelines.
• Experience in child protection including GBV data collection during assessments and situation monitoring in emergency contexts.
• Experience in training on child protection and GBV technical areas with a variety of audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent knowledge of the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Sphere and the Red Cross/ NGO Code of Conduct.
• General skills in finance, administration, information management and telecommunication and proficiency in information technology/computer skills.

Skills:

• Excellent written and spoken English. Proficiency in French, Spanish and/or Arabic is highly desired.
• Demonstrated ability to network and liaise with major child protection donors including Unicef, UNHCR and ECHO.
• Excellent project design, participatory monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to operate at advanced levels of authority and manage significant activities, budgets, and resources responsibly.
• Excellent communication skills: well-argued plans for a response that can be justified and delivered, persuasive to others.
• Excellent negotiation, and representation skills and the ability to work comfortably with diverse teams.
• Ability to work independently and as a team player.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership skills in complex settings.
• Ability to provide hands-on technical support to staff and partners in a sensitive and participatory manner.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work cooperatively.
• Ability to work with limited supervision from line manager.
• Strong organisational and work prioritisation skills and attention to detail.
• Good facilitation skills and ability to deliver capacity development activities.

Behaviours:

• Commitment and adherence to humanitarian values and standards.
• Willing to make rapid decisions in high-pressure situations and adjust the course of action if necessary.
• Focussed and striving for the delivery of quality programmes.
• Aware of own strengths, and weaknesses and proactive in using feedback and self-development.
• Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to Plan International's core values and humanitarian principles.
• Resilience and flexibility: ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high-security risks and harsh living conditions.
• Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity of team members.
• Has experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Has a clear commitment to Plan International's core values and humanitarian principles.
• Preparedness to live and work in high-security settings.

Application Closing Date
10th November, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online