Assistant Child Protection Officer

Hardship LevelE (most hardship)

Family TypePending

Family TypePending

Residential location (if applicable)

GradeNOA

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer

ReasonFast Track > Fast Track

Remote work acceptedNo

Target Start Date2023-08-01

Job Posting End DateJune 18, 2023

Standard Job DescriptionAssistant Child Protection Officer 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 Assistant Child Protection Officer normally reports to a Protection Officer. The incumbent is expected to: support quality, timely and effective child protection responses to the needs of populations of concern; and support mainstreaming of child protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to identifying key child protection issues, implementation of child protection programmes and supports child protection partnerships and coordination as guided by the supervisor. The Assistant Child Protection Officer also works to involve children, adolescent youth and their families to participate with UNHCR in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent builds and maintains 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 in multi-sectoral and protection specific assessments. - Contribute to 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, communities and services and reflects 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. - Participate in defining 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. Programme planning and implementation - Assist in the designing 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. - Support in implementing quality child protection programmes, including multi-sectoral activities, in collaboration with partners and key stakeholders. - Contribute to the effective implementation of Best Interests Procedure by UNHCR and partners for timely support for children at heightened risk including supervision of UNHCR case management staff in line with UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines. - Work with the team to ensure that Best Interests Determination panels are carried out in a timely manner and recommendations are implemented as planned. - Implement and monitor the application of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for child protection. - Support UNHCR and partners' case workers to ensure that child protection information management is maintained in accordance with UNHCR's Policy and procedure as well as data sharing protocols. - Support partners and communities in strengthening/ establishing community-based child protection programming. - Support the monitoring of child protection partners' programmes in line with relevant partnerships-agreements to ensure all children at risk are identified and supported. - Support protection and programme teams in identifying gaps and needs for the child protection and other related partners, participating closely in the annual programme cycle and partnerships revision. - Provide functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities. Partnership and coordination - 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. - Work with partners to ensure statistics and reporting on children at risk are provided on a regular basis. - Support coordination among CP relevant stakeholders at the local level. - Contribute to mainstreaming and integrating child protection considerations into other sectors. - Contribute to interagency monitoring and reporting on child protection issues and programmes. - Ensure CP issues are mainstreamed by working closely with other sectors. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building - Assist in identifying training needs of UNHCR, Government and partner staff in the area of child protection, and development of learning plans. - Participate in initiatives to build capacity of authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures. - Assist in providing functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities - Identify and document lessons learnt and good practices. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education International Law Human Rights International Development International Relations Anthropology Social Work Gender Studies Political Science Social Science or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified. Relevant Job Experience Essential - Experience in the field of protection of children, broader protection or social work involving children and youth, with knowledge of issues relating to child protection, education, gender, humanitarian and development issues, and GBV prevention and response. - Applied experience in child protection prevention and response. - Skills and experience in interviewing and working with children and families including on child protection case management. Desirable - Knowledge of protection in forced displacement settings and knowledge and demonstrated use of UNHCR and Interagency child protection tools and Guidance. - Knowledge of the international legal and policy framework governing refugees, asylum seekers and returnees and IDPs - Knowledge and good understanding of the UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines - Experience in working with children, adolescents and youth and participatory child friendly approaches. - Experience implementing child protection case management and/or implementation of best interests procedures. - Experience working with partners. Functional Skills PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) IT-Computer Literacy CO-Cross-cultural communication TR-Training - Virtual and face to face PR-Child Protection Information Management System *PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community (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.

Desired Candidate Profile The incumbent should have proven competencies and experience as follows:

• Proven expertise and technical knowledge in CP and GBV, as well as an ability to pro-actively address problems and to propose solutions in the context of forced displacement.
• Demonstrated experience in both emergency and protracted operations, have an ability to analyze and use data to make sound judgements as well as evidence-based advocacy and planning, and have the ability to draft clear, concise documentation on such issues.
• Strong command of the full range of relevant policies, normative frameworks and tools that relate to Child Protection and GBV.
• Demonstrated networking, negotiation, coordination and strong communication skills
• Knowledge of CP/GBV module in UNHCR proGres v4 as well as GBV/CP information management tools would be also important
• Demonstrated experience of community communication and engagement approaches
• Experience with effective training and facilitation techniques is highly desirable.
• Excellent drafting and oral communication skills.
• As the job description requires regular interaction with local authorities, refugee, IDP and hosting communities, the incumbent’s knowledge of the Somali language will be an added attribute for ease of communication.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

Since hostilities erupted in February 2023 in Somalia, close to 100,000 are estimated to have crossed the border into Ethiopia to escape the violence, many of whom are women and children. UNHCR Field Office in Bokh has been scaling up its activities and protection interventions for asylum seekers arriving into the three hosting districts in Doolo Zone, including border and protection monitoring, relocation, registration, as well as community-based protection interventions in collaboration with government counterpart Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), local authorities and partners. UNHCR recognizes the global need for a broader, cultural shift from long-term care and maintenance to self-reliance and solutions-oriented planning and programming in its refugee operations within the context of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). To this end, the Federal and Regional Government supported by UNHCR and partners will be advancing a refugee settlement approach in Doolo from the onset of operations, which will look at integrating social services, and prioritizing interventions that will strengthen peaceful coexistence to ensure that displaced populations can enjoy their asylum in safety and dignity.

UNHCR’s strategy is focused on a community-based approach and on ensuring maximum outreach to refugees and other populations UNHCR serves together with the through a network of community centres, mobile units and outreach volunteers in all accessible locations in and around the settlement, with the aim of reducing vulnerabilities, strengthening resilience and enhancing protection, with particular attention to the most vulnerable persons including children, adolescents and youth. the Assistant Child Protection Officer will assist the Field Office in developing/ strengthening and implementing a location specific Child Protection and Youth strategy that is in line with UNHCR guidelines, and the national CP and Youth strategies.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Community-Based Protection Officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the Assistant Child Protection Officer will provide support to the roll-out of special projects related to children, adolescents and youth, and other new initiatives in the Bokh Field operation. The incumbent is expected to be a professional whose proven expertise goes beyond theoretical and technical knowledge in the areas of child protection and response in humanitarian crises. He/she will conduct frequent visits to the field, assessing child, adolescent and youth programmes, providing guidance, strengthening capacity and identifying opportunities for programme expansion in close collaboration with UNHCR and partners. In addition to the standard job-description, the incumbent will organise regular Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with adolescents and youth to identify pressing issues (for example in relation to documentation, service delivery, radicalization, secondary migration, livelihoods and education needs, etc), draft reports and propose ways forward. He/she will support the Field Office in conducting child protection assessments in coordination with other units and other agencies, contribute to an analysis of child abuse and exploitation trends and gaps, and build capacity for the implementation of the case management and information management systems. He/she will also assist communities with the development of Youth Associations, arrange coordination meetings and support youth-led initiatives.

In a highly complex operational environment, to effectively establish and maintain communication with communities and other partners is a key requirement in the Bokh operation. The incumbent will undertake efforts to mobilize communities to identify their own needs, capacities and resources in order to determine how the communities themselves can contribute effectively to the response and make it more inclusive and sustainable. In order to successfully undertake the required tasks, the incumbent needs to be able to display professionalism, creativity, adaptability as well as organizational and cultural awareness.

For purposes of ensuring healthy collaboration between UNHCR’s response and other actors in refugee education/protection, the Assistant Child Protection Officer will actively lead and participate in child protection-related activities and coordination meetings at local and national level, collectively addressing issues related to Child Protection and GBV in humanitarian settings and advocating for refugee inclusion. Regular engagement with regional and district level Bureaus, RRS, partners (including UNICEF) and technical staff in the field will be key, including coordinating responses for requested information, facilitating field missions and meetings.

The Assistant Child Protection Officer will be assigned to the UNHCR Field Office in Bokh, with frequent liaison with Programme and sector leads in the field, within the Sub-Office Jijiga and Representation Office in Addis Ababa.

Living and Working Conditions:

Further to the conflict in and around the Laascanood area of Somaliland state of Somalia (Sool region) of early 2023, an estimated 100,000 refugees crossed into the Doolo zone of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. In order to respond effectively, UNHCR set up a base in Bokh, a small town located in Doolo zone of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia and headquarters of the Bokh woreda (district), with an estimated population of 50,000 people. Bokh is situated 170 kms from Wardher, the zonal capital of Doolo zone and some 80-100 kms from the Ethiopia-Somalia border. Bokh is also located at almost 700 Kms from Jijiga, the headquarters of the Somali Regional State Government where UNHCR Sub-Office is based.

Given the remoteness of the area and its proximity to the border with Somalia, the security situation in Bokh is considered to be fluid and requires a sense of vigilance and alertness. UNHCR’s Field security Advisor on ground in collaboration with UNDSS provides security advisories regularly to all staff in Bokh and the surrounding field locations to which adherence is expected. There are a few upcoming private real estate investments in Bokh and national staff will be expected to explore available options and secure rental accommodation in the town. Security briefing is mandatory upon arrival at the duty station. All travel itineraries should report to the radio room before departure and continue reporting their position every 60 minutes, until back to base. Official working hours are Monday through Thursday: 08:00 – 12:00 and 13:00 – 17:00 hours; while on Fridays 08:00 – 13:30 hours.

Bokh is served by a Government Health Centre and a Level-1 Hospital in Wardher, both of which offering basic medical services. It should be emphasized that the medical facilities in the area are insufficient to treat complicated medical cases. The UN Team in Bokh is working on a plan to establish a UN Clinic with a full-time doctor and nurses to provide onsite medical assistance to staff and also process referrals as may be needed. A medevac plan is also under discussion in collaboration with the Medical Services Team at the Regional Bureau in Nairobi and the UN Health Care Centre in Addis Ababa; the latter provides 24/7 health care services for eligible UN staff and their dependents in different specialized Medical Units. Bokh also has small markets, restaurants and shops from where food and other household items can be purchased. Banking services are very limited in Bokh and it always advisable to carry cash. The only Ethiopian Commercial Bank branch is located 170 kms away in Wardher where financial services, including ATM machines, can easily be accessed. However, a microfinance agent exists in Bokh and facilitates some small financial transactions in the local currency.

Transportation in and out of Bokh is by road. However, the UN Team is mobilizing donors to facilitate the establishment of an airstrip in Bokh so that UNHAS can operate regular flights to Addis Ababa. Land for the airstrip has already been provided by the authorities and technical surveys undertaken by UNHAS. In the meantime, travel is either through Jijiga (served by Ethiopian Airlines daily) or through Kebridehar where Ethiopian Airlines flies from Addis Ababa twice a week, and then onward on a road journey of some 7 hours on a dusty road.

Additional Qualifications

SkillsCL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, CO-Cross-cultural communication, IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures, PR-Child Protection Information Management System, PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming, TR-Training - Virtual and face to face

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

CompetenciesAccountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional InformationThe Position is only for Ethiopia Nationals
A written test for shortlisted candidates may be conducted.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Functional clearanceThis position doesn't require a functional clearance