Child Protection Area of Responsibilty Coordinator

Coordinate and manage child protection humanitarian action effectively.

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UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

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Application deadline 11 months ago: Monday 7 Jul 2025 at 00:00 UTC

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Overview

Coordinate and manage child protection humanitarian action effectively.

You have:

  • A minimum of 4 years of professional experience in child protection and social development planning & management is required.
  • Experience in child protection programme management related areas in another UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
  • Experience in humanitarian contexts is required.
  • Experience in development contexts is an added advantage.
  • Experience in working in the humanitarian coordination system is desirable.
  • Experience in effective management of human resources/teams in high stress/risk environments is an advantage.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

Humanitarian action is of fundamental importance to UNICEF and encompasses interventions aimed at saving lives, alleviating suffering, maintaining human dignity, and protecting the rights of affected populations wherever there are humanitarian needs, as well as interventions addressing underlying risks and causes of vulnerability to disasters, fragility and conflict. UNICEF’s humanitarian action is guided by the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs) which set organizational, programmatic and operational commitments and benchmarks against which UNICEF holds itself accountable for the coverage, quality and equity of its humanitarian action and advocacy and which are mandatory for all UNICEF personnel.

Furthermore, UNICEF is committed to supporting humanitarian coordination through the cluster approach. Introduced as part of the humanitarian reform, the cluster approach aims at ensuring clear leadership, predictability, and accountability in international responses to humanitarian emergencies by clarifying the division of labor among organizations and better defining their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors involved in the response. As a member of the IASC, UNICEF works with national and local stakeholders (including national and local authorities, CSOs, and communities) to support humanitarian coordination and improve the collective impact of humanitarian response. Whether the cluster approach is activated or not, UNICEF plays a key role in both global and country-level interagency coordination for its areas of programmatic responsibility. As Cluster Lead Agency (CLA) for Nutrition, WASH, Education (co-led), and Child Protection Area of Responsibility (AoR) within the Protection Cluster, UNICEF is committed to fulfil the core functions defined by the IASC when the clusters are activated or when UNICEF is asked to support sectoral coordination.

A well-run Child Protection AoR coordination team is a formal deliverable of the Cluster Lead Agency and forms a part of the agency’s work.

The UNV Child Protection AoR Coordinator main tasks and responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

Coordination, representation and leadership • Ensure and maintain a coordination mechanism that facilitates the effective achievement of the cluster functions (as outlined by the IASC Reference Module) and the requirements of the HPC (HNO, HRP and CCPM) and which builds on pre-existing coordination structures where appropriate and furthers the development of current or future national and subnational capacities, • Coordinate with the others, ensuring alignment of work and priorities, effective communication, reporting and engagement between the levels, • Support sub-national CP AoRs coordination team, • Ensure appropriate coordination and build partnerships with all relevant sector stakeholders at sub-national level including government counterparts and national authorities, local, national and international organizations, other AoRs/ Clusters/Sectors/ Working Groups and affected populations as appropriate, • Build complementarity of partner actions within the CP AOR, pro-actively negotiating with partners to avoid and resolve duplication and gaps, • Coordinate, collaborate and represent CP AoR with stakeholders across all sectors, including through inter-cluster coordination fora, developing cross-sectoral relationships as appropriate.

Needs assessment and analysis • Contribute to the planning and implementation of needs assessment and analysis, including contributing to multi-sectoral needs assessments and joint analysis of need, at subnational levels, • Analyse needs assessment data and work collaboratively with the CP AoR partners to create analytical products, including an HNO based on evidence-based information.

Strategic response planning • Coordinate strategic planning, response prioritization and the development of the sectoral response plan that is based on the HNO and aligned with national priorities, policies and plans, • Ensure all programme delivery modalities (in-kind, cash, voucher and services) are given equal consideration in the strategic response planning and establish and implement systematic measures for supporting their consideration and use, • Provide technical support to CP AoR partners to ensure activities are aligned with national priorities and communities' needs, • Ensure that sub-national CP AoR response planning is updated regularly according to evolving needs and that it establishes indicators by which performance of the sub-national CP AoR can be measured, • Engage with OCHA and other AoRs/ Clusters/ Sectors/ Working Groups to contribute to the development of the HRP, representing the concerns of the CP AoR

Resource mobilization and advocacy • Support partners' resource mobilization to promote the effective functioning of CP AoR and its response, • Monitor, analyse and communicate information about CP AoR financial situation and resource mobilization and identify appropriate actions to address gaps or constraints, • Advocate for improved sectoral outcomes, network with advocacy allies and influence stakeholders' decision-making.

Implementation and monitoring • Monitor, evaluate and report on the coverage, equity, quality and progress of the response against the CP Aor strategy, priorities and agreed results at sub-national level, • Contribute to gap and coverage analysis to identify spatial and temporal gaps, overlaps and coverage of the CP AoR humanitarian response, • Monitor CP AoR partners adherence to IASC cluster approach principles, relevant humanitarian and sectoral agreements, standards, initiatives and guidelines and encourage partners to make improvements.

Operational peer review and evaluation • Participate in the annual cluster coordination performance monitoring (CCPM) exercise and annual review and contribute to other sectoral and humanitarian evaluations as appropriate.

Accountability to affected populations • Be accountable to the affected population by establishing inclusive and consultative feedback mechanisms and encouraging the involvement of affected population in the response, • Ensure the inclusion of cross cutting issues (age, disability, gender, gender-based violence (GBV) mitigation and response and HIV & AIDS) in sub-national AoR/ Sector/ Working Group activities throughout the HPC, • Encourage partners to demonstrate a positive and systematic approach to inclusion and diversity, • Adhere to child safeguarding and PSEA policies including procedures for challenging and reporting incidents and ensure other members of the coordination team comply.

Strengthen national and local capacity • Encourage participation of local and national actors in sub-national AoR/ Sector/ Working Group activities and strategic decision-making, removing barriers to access, • Contribute to the development of a capacity assessment and capacity strengthening strategy for AoR/ Sector/ Working Group members and oversee implementation and harmonization of initiatives, • Lead early warning, contingency planning, and emergency preparedness efforts for the sub-national AoR/ Sector/ Working Group, ensuring adequate participation in inter-cluster early warning, contingency planning and emergency preparedness activities.

Core Values

• Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability • Sustainability

Core Competencies for Staff with Supervisory Responsibilities

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1) • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2) • Works Collaboratively with Others (2) • Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2) • Innovates and Embraces Change (2) • Thinks and Acts Strategically (2) • Drives to Achieve Impactful Results (2) • Manages Ambiguity and Complexity (2)

Core Competencies for Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities

· Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1) · Works Collaboratively with Others (1) · Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1) · Innovates and Embraces Change (1) · Thinks and Acts Strategically (1) · Drives to Achieve Impactful Results (1) · Manages Ambiguity and Complexity (1)

Coordination Competencies

• Applies Humanitarian Principles, Standards and Guidelines (1) • Applies Key CPiE Concepts and Tools (1) • Operates Safely and Securely (1) • Demonstrates Commitment to a Coordinated Response (1) • Promotes Cooperation and Collaboration (1) • Demonstrates Accountability (1) • Promotes Inclusion (1) • Provides Influential and Strategic Leadership (1) • Analyses and Communicates Information (1) • Supports Resource Mobilization (1) • Advocates for Improved Child Protection Outcomes (1) • Monitors the Response (1) • Strengthens National and Local Capacity to Respond and Lead (1)

A minimum of 4 years of professional experience in child protection and social development planning & management is required. Experience in child protection programme management related areas in another UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.

Experience in humanitarian contexts is required. Experience in development contexts is an added advantage.

Experience in working in the humanitarian coordination system is desirable.

Experience in effective management of human resources/teams in high stress/risk environments is an advantage.

CAR is a post-conflict country. In 2013, a bloody conflict between the Seleka and the Anti-Balaka armed groups over almost the entire territory of the country. Fearing the risk of genocide, the United Nations decided to send peacekeepers to the country to protect civilians and restore peace.

The clashes have ended, and entire areas of the country are always occupied by armed groups that continue to commit abuses against populations. Following the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation signed on February 6, 2018, between the 14 Armed Groups and the Government of CAR, the State started to deploy its services, in particular the Armed Forces, the police, the gendarmerie, justice in several regions of the country.

The CAR has only one international airport (Bangui M’poko), which provides all air links to the outside and regions of the country. There are aerodromes in the 16 capitals of each Prefecture and some of the sub-prefectures. The road network is very poor since only one main road connects CAR to Cameroon, which is paved.

Two seasons alternate the climate in CAR. A dry season and a rainy season spread over 6 months each. The most feared disease is malaria, which kills many people every year.

The hotel network is experiencing increasing growth but is still very expensive. Regarding food, there is a wide variety of local and imported products in Bangui and some of the country's cities. However, access to these products is different in different parts of the country. All these difficulties make the cost of living more expensive. It is the same for services like banks, hospitals, electricity, etc., with limited access and concentrated only in Bangui, the capital.

Potential interview questions

Can you describe a challenging child protection challenge you faced and how you overcame it? This question assesses your problem-solving skills and experience in child protection contexts. Share a relevant story outlining the challenge, your actions, and the positive outcome.
How do you ensure effective coordination among various stakeholders in humanitarian responses? The interviewer wants to understand your approach to collaboration and coordination capabilities. Pro members can see the explanation.
Can you provide an example of how you've conducted a needs assessment? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
How do you prioritize operations under stress during a humanitarian crisis? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Describe a time when you advocated for child protection in a challenging context. Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
What techniques do you use to monitor and evaluate child protection program effectiveness? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
How do you ensure accountability to affected populations in your programs? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
What are the key considerations when working in post-conflict settings? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Added 1 year ago - Updated 11 months ago - Source: unv.org