Child Protection Specialist, P3 at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Child Protection Specialist, P3

Job no: 578293
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Level: P-3
Categories: Child Protection

Overall Objective

• The overall objective of the post is to ensure quality assurance and promote the creation of a protective environment for children including prevention of child recruitment and use by armed groups, and other grave violations against children and women.
• The incumbent will also provide technical guidance and leadership in strengthening of a community-based reintegration of children and women exiting armed groups as well as those being released from the military administrative custody.
• The role will also contribute in strengthening the partnership between the military and the UN system in the implementation of the HOP that will assist in handling of children encountered by the military in the course of their engagement with the armed groups.
• This will include extensive mass awareness sessions that will empower the community in developing safety measures and improve their ability to monitor, document and report on grave child rights violations as well as in promoting prevention of these violations especially on recruitment and use of children and forced marriage of girls by the armed groups.

How can you make a difference? 

• Major tasks and responsibilities to be accomplished: Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Program Manager and under the overall guidance of the Chief Child Protection, the Child Protection Specialist will be responsible for the provision of quality oversight on the following.

Provide support to the implementation of a community-based reintegration programme:

• Support the Child Protection Manager in drafting donor proposals and concept notes to raise funds for child Protection Section.
• Provide capacity building, awareness raising and advocacy on prevention and promotion of protection of children through creation of a protective environment in the community.
• Technical support to the government and partners in including quality assurance on the implementation of the skill training program for children enrolled in vocational training centers in the three BAY States.
• Conduct regular monitoring to tracks the progress of community recovery plans, assesses the impact of multi-sectoral interventions in the community, and inform ongoing release of children from armed groups and administrative custody, their reunification and reintegration back into the community.
• Ensuring children in humanitarian situations have timely and sustained access to quality preventive and responsive child protection services at the community level such as rehabilitation, reunification and reintegration including those released or escaped from armed groups as a preventive measure to being victims of grave child rights violations.
• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners on strengthening community-based structures that support vocational and skills training for children released from armed groups as a way of equipping them with skills training that would help them rebuild their lives as a way of keeping them from joining armed groups.
• Participate in child protection program meetings including program development and contingency planning discussions on emergency preparedness in Northeast region to provide technical and operational information, advice and support as appropriate.
• Capacity building to the community on their role in identifying and addressing the needs relating to their children and how best they can foster peace and unity within their community especially with those who have been reintegrated back into the community from armed groups.
• Supporting the coordination and implementation of an inter-sectoral social norms change strategy to end violence against children including child marriage, FGM/C and other harmful traditional practices in the community and promote creating of protective environment for children against these harmful practices.

Strengthen coordination and Networking:

• Strengthen collaboration with other Programs to ensure synergies and linkages between reintegration activities and other sectors including education, health etc.
• Participate in strategic program discussion on the planning of child protection programs/projects including provision of quality inputs in the formulation of project activities and workplans.
• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant government counterparts, State level stakeholders through active networking, advocacy, and effective communication to build capacity, exchange knowledge/expertise and to reinforce cooperation to achieve sustainable and broad results in child protection.
• Ensure exchange of information, experience, identify new strategies and course of action to accelerate/improve relevant data collection, reporting and analysis.
• Conduct field visits to monitor programs and collect information as appropriate.
• Conduct periodic program reviews with the Military, Government counterparts and other partners.
• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and country office partners/donors on the interpretation, application and understanding of UNICEF various guidelines on children affected by armed conflict.
• Collaborate in the preparation of communication and information materials to support efforts to prevent grave child right violations against children.

Provide oversight of the handover protocol and other instruments for the release of children formerly associated with armed groups and those in detention:

• Provide technical support in stakeholder consultation session with relevant military, government and child protection stakeholders to orient them on the HOP implementation activities.
• Strengthening legislative and institutional frameworks to protect vulnerable children exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation including children under the administrative custody of the military and advocate for their rehabilitation, reunification and reintegration.
• Strengthening capacities of the military, government and key stakeholders, including social welfare and justice services that prevent and respond to violence against children especially affected by the armed conflict including those in administrative custody of the military.
• Conduct regular engagement with the key government entities including the military and Ministry of Women Affairs to ensure children released from military administrative custody receive relevant support in timely manner for a smooth transition into being successfully reintegrated back into the community.
• Provide regular analysis assessing trends and measure outcomes relating to the achievement of project targets to help in address identified gaps in the HOP implementation.
• Ensure overall planning and management of the child release and reintegration programme, including prevention of child recruitment and implementation of Action Plans with armed groups; ▪ Support the handover of children and women associated with non-state armed groups to state entities and to ensure their safe, supported safe return and reintegration and recovery from their experiences.
• In collaboration with the military, identify and conduct training of trainers (TOT) to the master trainers who will be providing the training in various military institutions including the military academy in Maiduguri on the operationalization and implementation of the HOP and other child protection related topics.

Strengthening of the MEAL framework for programme monitoring and accountability:

• Provide regular monitoring and analysis assessing trends and measure outcomes relating to achievement of project targets to help in address identified gaps in the trend analysis.
• Support the section in responding to periodic reporting requirements from CO, RO and HQ as needed.
• Collaborate with MEAL team of UNICEF and the CP team in Maiduguri and CO to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators and other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurement to assess/strengthen performance accountability, coherence, and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector in child protection programs.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Conduct regular field monitoring visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners/stakeholders to monitor implementation of the HOP activities 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 collaboration with the Information Management Officer, produce quarterly info graphs capturing numbers (disaggregated by sex) of children and women released from administrative custody who are benefiting from rehabilitation and reintegration support.
• The incumbent will have a contractual obligation to ensure the confidentiality of all the data and contributes to the achievement of results according to plans, allocation, results-based management approaches and methodology (RBM), and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have
Minimum requirements:
Education:

• An advanced University Degree in Conflict Management, International Law / Human Rights Law, Protection is preferred or a University Degree in Social Work, Development Studies or any other related field (with at least two additional years of work experience)

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years experience with the UN and/or NGOs, with a significant portion in child protection is required; specific experience in working with the military (preferable) or in a conflict environment is preferred.
• Knowledge of national and international Child Rights legislation, frameworks and standards relating to Nigeria.
• Work experience within the context of conflict or emergency setting will be an added advantage.
• Good technical understanding and familiarity with children and armed conflict.
• Demonstrable training and capacity building skills for a range of stakeholders. 

Language Requirements:

• Strong communication skills - both oral and written in English.
• Working knowledge of the local languages is an asset.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

Application Closing Date
20th January, 2025; West Central Africa Standard Time.

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