Child Protection Officer, NO-1, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico, Fixed Term Appointment

Contract

This is a NO-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-1 contracts.

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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

For every child, empowerment

The position is related especially to the migratory context held in the southern and northern border of Mexico, where the protection risks against children on the move happen frequently and where UNICEF response is being enforced to address the needs of these children and their families.

Children, alone or with their families have migrated from Central America and Mexico to reach the north for years, looking for better life conditions. Lately, there has been a significant increase due to increasing poverty, inequality, and violence in the region. From January to December 2023, the number of children on the move identified by Mexican authorities in Mexico was 113,660, of which 54,083 were identified in Chiapas. Of these, 1,286 children were unaccompanied. The majority have Venezuelan nationality, with 25,543; followed by Ecuadorians, (7,859); Hondurans, (3,904), and many others who have traveled north from the Darien Gap and nationals of more African, Asian, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern countries.

For more information related to the work of our organization in Mexico, please visit our website: UNICEF Mexico and our latest Annual Report 2022: Informe Anual 2022 UNICEF México

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Officer (NO-2), the Child Protection Officer (NO-1) provides professional technical, operational, and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the child protection programmes/projects through the application of theoretical and technical skills in researching, collecting, analyzing, and presenting technical programme information while learning organizational rules, regulations, and procedures to support the development and formulation of the Child Protection Programme within the Country Programme. The Child Protection Officer (NO-1) will be accountable for the following responsibilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning
2. Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results
3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
4. Networking and partnership-building
5. Innovation, knowledge management, and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD Child Protection Officer NO-A Tapachula.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

• A university degree (Bachelor´s degree), preferably, in one of the following fields: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.
• At least one year of professional experience in social development planning and/or management in child protection-related areas.
• Fluency in Spanish
• An intermediate level of English.

Desirables

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

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

The 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

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 is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to our staff, including paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable.

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.

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.

THIS IS A NATIONAL POSITION. PLEASE NOTE THAT only CANDIDATES WITH A MEXICAN NATIONALITY WILL BE CONSIDERED.