Senior Child Protection Associate

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

A (least hardship)

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

UNOPS LICA7

Target Start Date

2024-01-01

Job Posting End Date

January 1, 2024

Terms of Reference

Operational Context:

The Senior Child Protection Associate will report to the Senior Child Protection Officer in the MENA Protection Service (MPS) at UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for the Middle East and North Africa (RB MENA) in Amman. The Senior Child Protection Associate will contribute to sustain and further advance child protection initiatives in the MENA region, where the largest proportion of persons of concern to UNHCR comprises children, adolescents and youth, who find themselves in emergency or protracted situations and increasingly vulnerable protection environments.

The Senior Child Protection Associate will be expected to provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR country operations in MENA on a variety of existing and emerging child protection issues, in line with global and regional priorities and approaches. This will include support for the rollout of UNHCR’s new global Child Protection Policy, the 2023-2025 UNHCR-UNICEF Strategic Collaboration Framework and other initiatives. To this end, the Senior Child Protection Associate must have solid knowledge of child protection issues combined with operational experience, including with regard to the implementation of global UNHCR or interagency policies and guidelines, including on, inter alia, Best Interests Procedures (BIP), or child protection case management. Integrating child protection into national systems and strengthening national child protection systems is a key priority for UNHCR. To this end, it would be desirable for the Senior Child Protection Associate to have experience in this area.

The Senior Child Protection Associate should have technical knowledge, skills, and experience in conducting training and capacity building, as s/he will be responsible for developing and strengthening child protection capacity of staff and partners in the MENA region, as well as for identifying and addressing capacity gaps through provision of ongoing technical guidance and support to country operations, including in the form of support missions, or regional capacity development events implemented by MPS.

Previous case processing experience is desirable, particularly in relation to child protection case management, including BIDs. The Senior Child Protection Associate will be required to review and provide advice to operations on complex individual child protection cases, but also more structural issues related to case processing, in close collaboration with case processing colleagues in MPS, including resettlement.

Previous inter-agency experience and the ability to forge and maintain strategic partnerships is relevant for this position, as the Senior Child Protection Associate will support RB MENA with interagency initiatives, contributing to partnerships with regional bodies, including the League of Arab States, and liaising with respective UNHCR divisions and bureau, other UN agencies and partners.

The Senior Child Protection Associate will work closely with other MPS colleagues to identify and strengthen linkages between thematic protection areas, including on birth registration, civil documentation, education, mixed movements, GBV, and MHPSS, amongst others.

Previous experience with working with the ProGres V4 Child Protection Module, CPIMS+, as well as knowledge of child protection programming would be valued. Knowledge of the MENA region, and previous experience in a regional support function are considered assets for this function.

S/he must have strong drafting and analytical skills. Knowledge of French is desirable.

Standard Job Description

Senior Child Protection Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

UNHCR is committed to the effective protection to children of concern, with children representing more than half of the persons falling under its mandate. UNHCR adopts a rights and community-based approach to address the protection needs of children, with a strong emphasis on inclusion within national child protection, child friendly procedures and working with other sectors to protect children including education. Child protection is recognized as global organizational priority for UNHCR. Dedicated child protection positions are needed to provide technical support to improve UNHCR’s operational capacity to deliver effective protection to children, adolescents and youth of concern.

The Senior Child Protection Associate is a member of the protection team in an Office. S/he may report to a (Child) Protection Officer, or the Head of Field-Office/Unit and/or Head of Sub-Office. The incumbent monitors child protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff. The Senior Child Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (children, women, marginalized groups) and is responsible for implementation of Best Interests Procedures for children at risk in their area of responsibility, under the guidance of the supervisor. S/he may also supervise staff undertaking Best Interests Procedures. S/he identifies opportunities to mainstream Child Protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. The incumbent works directly with communities and children of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

Needs identification, Strategy and Advocacy

• Support in the formulation of the child protection key considerations in multi-sectoral and protection specific assessments and participate in the assessment teams.
• Participate in the formulation of child protection strategy as part of the operation’s broader Protection and Solutions Strategy, which incorporates age, gender and diversity analysis, identifies the protection needs and capacities of children of concern and community and reflects the UNHCR’s policies, standards and priorities, including the Framework for the Protection of Children.
• Ensure compliance with UNHCR’s child protection policy, priorities and commitments, as well as other aligned policies on age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP), GBV, gender equality, disability and youth empowerment.
• Support identification of, and the implementation of context-appropriate approaches for a meaningful participation of children, adolescents and youth in the development and implementation of strategies that address key child protection priorities.
• Support the analysis of the national systems and ensure that child protection programmes complement national child protection systems and work towards the inclusion of children of concern into national child protection laws, policies and services.
• Provide input to Protection Unit and undertake advocacy to address key child protection concerns under the guidance of the supervisor.

Programme planning and implementation

• Support development and implementation of child protection programmes, including multi-sectoral activities, and monitoring framework based on identified needs and in line with Child Protection Strategy and UNHCR’s global, regional and national policies and standards, including the Framework for the Protection of Children and the Best Interests Procedure.
• Conduct Best Interest Procedures for individual children at heightened risks, including BIA, case conferences and BID.
• Oversee Best Interests Procedures for children at risk, including Best Interests Determination Panels and supervision of staff undertaking Best Interests Procedures.
• Implement and monitor the application of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for child protection.
• Provide support to UNHCR and partners’ case workers to ensure that child protection case files are stored and regularly updated in accordance with UNHCR’s Policy and procedure as well as with data sharing protocols.
• Engage children, youth and communities in the implementation of child protection activities, provide information to children, youth and communities about child protection services and monitor and report on needs and issues to inform the Operations Response.
• Support partners and communities in strengthening/ establishing community-based child protection programming.
• Support partners and communities in ensuring quality alternative care arrangements for unaccompanied and separated children as referral to family tracing services.
• Monitor and support appropriate care arrangements for unaccompanied and separated children and referral of children to ICRC or other relevant partners for establishment of family linkages.
• Enforce compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of child protection services.
• Provide functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities.
• Regularly report on emerging protection issues and concerns voiced by children, youth and communities and assist in drafting reports, compiling and preparing data for the protection unit/section.

Partnership, coordination and capacity building

• Assist the Child Protection interagency coordination and information management activities as needed.
• Represent UNHCR in interagency fora related to child protection.
• Assist in strengthening strategic and innovative partnerships for Child Protection with community-based, local, national, and international organizations, with a focus on ensuring continuity and sustainability.
• Provide technical support and monitoring to child protection partners.
• Assist in carrying out learning needs assessment and analysis of findings.
• Contribute to development/ adaption of training packages and co-facilitate training for the UNHCR and partners staff, refugee community.
• Identify and document lessons learnt and good practices.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G7 – 4 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses

International Law;

Political Science;

Law;

Social Sciences;

Human Rights;

Community Dvpt/Social Work;

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

4 years of previous work experience relevant to the function of child protection in a local context and having experience in the field of child protection prevention and response, broader protection or social work involving empowerment of women and girls, gender, child protection, mental health, counselling and working with survivors, humanitarian and development issues. Skills and experience in interviewing and working with children and families including supervision of child protection case management.

Desirable

Knowledge of UNHCR child protection policies and tools including the UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines, and interagency child protection Minimum Standards, Guiding Principles and GBV case management standards. Knowledge of local child protection laws, policies and services. Knowledge and experience of participatory approaches to engage with and mobilize communities. Understanding of displacement and protection issues including GBV, education and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy. Completed Protection Learning Programme. Experience working with marginalized groups. Knowledge of protection information management tools, including but not limited to proGres and/or CPIMS.

Functional Skills

IT-Computer Literacy

PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures

PR-Child Protection Information Management System

PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Required Languages

English

,

,

Desired Languages

Arabic

,

French

,

Skills

Additional Qualifications

IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures, PR-Child Protection Information Management System, PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming

Education

Certifications

Community Development/Social Work – Other, Human Rights – Other, International Law – Other, Law – Other, Political Science – Other, Social Sciences – Other

Work Experience

Other Information

The shortlisted candidates might be required to sit for a written test.This position doesn’t require a functional clearance