Chief Child Protection, P-5, Fixed Term Position, Juba, South Sudan

Drive the implementation of child protection programs.

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

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Application deadline in 2 days: Friday 10 Jul 2026 at 20:55 UTC

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Overview

Drive the implementation of child protection programs.

You have:

  • Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, law, or another relevant social science field.
  • A minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas, at the international level.
  • Fluency in English is required.
  • Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is desirable.
  • Experience supervising gender based violence programs is desirable.
  • Experience supporting localization initiatives is desirable.
  • Experience with workforce professionalization initiatives is desirable.
  • Experience implementing evidence based reintegration for conflict affected children is desirable.
  • Relevant experience in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or organization is desirable.
  • Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is desirable.

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 157,988 USD and 197,995 USD.

Salary for a P-5 contract in Juba

The international rate of 110,869 USD, with an additional 42.5% (post adjustment) at this the location, applies. Please note that depending on the location, a higher post adjustment might still result in a lower purchasing power.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

More about P-5 contracts and their salaries.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Future

How can you make a difference?

The Chief, Child Protection reports to the Representative or Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction. The Chief is responsible for managing and leading all stages of child protection and GBV programmes/projects from strategic planning and formulation to achieving concrete and sustainable contributions to national and international efforts to create a protective environment for women and children against all harm and to protect their rights to survival, development and well being as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/frameworks and UN intergovernmental bodies.

The Chief is responsible for leading and managing the child protection section and establishing the plans of action to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable programme/project results, according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

  1. Managerial leadership
  2. Programme development and planning
  3. Programme management, monitoring, and quality control of results
  4. Advisory services and technical support
  5. Advocacy, networking, and partnership building
  6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD_Chief_Child_Protection_P5.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements

  • Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, law, or another relevant social science field.
  • Work Experience: A minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas, at the international level, experience in gender based violence, humanitarian response, program management, monitoring and evaluation, partnership management, policy advocacy, capacity building, systems strengthening, or emergency preparedness is required.
  • Skills: Child Protection, Strategic Leadership, Policy Advocacy, Humanitarian Response, Partnership building, Results-Based Management (RBM)
  • Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

  • Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language,
  • Experience supervising and supporting holistic Gender Based Violence programmes,
  • Experience supporting localization initiatives, including Women Led Organizations and Organizations of People with Disabilities,
  • Strong experience working on scalable workforce professionalization initiatives,
  • Experience and track record in taking pilot initiatives to scale and a proven innovative approach to finding solutions to structural child protection issues,
  • Experience implementing evidence-based approaches for the healing and reintegration of conflict affected children including adolescent survivors of rape and sexual violence, former child combatants and other conflict affected adolescent children,
  • Strong research background desirable, and ability to oversee and develop academic and practice-oriented learning,
  • Relevant experience in programme management in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or organization,
  • Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian context.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Potential interview questions

Describe a time you led a child protection initiative and its impact. The interviewer wants to see your leadership experience in child protection. Illustrate your role, strategies used, and the outcome.
How do you approach partnerships with other organizations in child protection? This assesses your ability to collaborate effectively. Pro members can see the explanation.
Can you give an example of a challenging situation regarding gender-based violence and how you managed it? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
What strategies do you implement to ensure the sustainable success of child protection programs? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
How do you ensure that your programs are aligned with local cultures and needs? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Describe your experience with monitoring and evaluation in child protection programs. Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
What role does advocacy play in your work with child protection? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
How do you keep yourself updated on best practices in child protection? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Added 4 days ago - Updated 53 minutes ago - Source: unicef.org