Child Protection Specialist (Gender Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE)), P-4, Nairobi, Kenya, ESARO

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 135,454 USD and 174,640 USD.

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.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, protection.

UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency with global reach and long-standing experience and expertise in addressing gender-based violence in emergencies (GBViE). UNICEF is directly involved in GBViE in some of the world’s most complex humanitarian settings. Preventing and responding to GBViE is recognized as a life-saving measure and an essential component of humanitarian action. Addressing GBViE is a core element of UNICEF’s gender equality programming priorities and sectorial responsibilities in its Strategic Plan and Gender Action Plan (2022-2025). UNICEF’s response to GBViE is shaped by its humanitarian responsibilities and commitments set out in the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs), the IASC GBV Guidelines, the IASC GBV Minimum Standards and the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.

The East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR) has some of the highest rates of GBV globally and adolescent girls are among the most vulnerable. Approximately 1 in 3 women in ESA experience either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. More than 20% of 15 – 24-year olds’ experience sexual violence from an intimate partner and 12% of women in ESAR experience sexual violence from a non-partner. In humanitarian settings, the situation is even worse. For example, in South Sudan, 65% of women and girls reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime – double the global average. Across the region, risks of GBV including sexual violence, exploitation and abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV) are becoming even more acute due to drought, widespread food insecurity and displacement. Female-headed households, adolescent girls, older women and those with disabilities face heightened threats. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, exploitation, abuse with child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) on the rise as families adopt negative coping mechanisms for survival.

As a lead agency in addressing GBViE and in line with Executive Director Fore’s high-level commitments on GBV at the 2019 Oslo Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (EndSGBV) conference, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Region Office (ESARO) continues to expand specialized GBViE programming and work to reduce GBV risks across UNICEF-led clusters and sections.

UNICEF is scaling up GBViE prevention, response and risk mitigation across ESAR to respond to growing needs in emergency settings including in Horn of Africa drought response, public health emergencies including the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as well as ongoing conflicts and protracted crises. Addressing social norms and gender transformative programming approach in that respect, within broader child protection in humanitarian action prerogatives is critical.

The purpose of this position is to continue strengthening UNICEF's work on prevention, response and mitigation to GBViE.

How can you make a difference?

The GBViE Specialist (P-4) will be responsible for providing high quality technical guidance and on GBViE prevention, risk mitigation and response for the design, planning and expansion of programming across UNICEF programming in ESAR. Support will also be provided to operatonalise UNICEF ESARO’s work on its Collective Focus Area on violence against girls, boys and women across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Under the supervision of the ESARO Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) Specialist, the incumbent will provide oversight for quality assurance and coherence with UNICEF’s global level GBViE Operational Guidance and Resource Pack, as well as other global standards and guidelines and the UNICEF Strategic Plan and Gender Action Plan. S/he will ensure that the GBViE programming is aligned with the Core Commitments for Children and global and regional priorities related to violence against girls, boys and women under UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and the Child Protection Strategy.

The GBViE Specialist will work directly with UNICEF GBViE Specialists, officers and focal points in the Child Protection teams at the country offices and will work collaboratively with UNICEF Child Protection Specialists at the regional office and headquarters (HQ) and across sectors. S/he will coordinate closely with other UN agencies and non-governmental partners (NGO) that specialise in Child Protection and GBViE with a focus on women-led organisations.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide strategic and technical support to UNICEF ESARO and COs to scale up efforts to address GBViE

• Support COs and partners to deliver on organizational commitments in line with UNICEF GBViE programming approaches covering the three pillars approach as per the UNICEF GBViE Operational Guide: response, risk mitigation and prevention adapted to the operating environments in COs.
• Lead and coordinate implementation of the multi-year GBViE funding to scaling-up GBViE programming in Ethiopia and Somalia providing adequate technical support and guidance to achieve objectives.
• Work with the UNICEF HQ, regional and country offices, Child Protection teams and across other UNICEF sectors to design, plan and coordinate scale-up of GBViE interventions for priority COs.

• Support the planning, design and development of partnerships with women-led organisations to enhance GBV service delivery and their leadership and participation in humanitarian responses in support of UNICEF GBViE expansion in ESAR.

• Work with COs to adapt and roll-out a structured and context appropriate interventions to target adolescent girls in humanitarian settings and respond to their unique needs and building assets, skills and confidence through mentoring and empowerment.

• Provide guidance to support trainings and capacity building initiatives to strengthen GBV case management including caring for child survivors of sexual abuse.

2. Work with the UNICEF sectors, clusters and inter-agency partners to ensure GBV prevention, risk mitigation and response is adequately integrated across sectors and actions to reduces risks of GBV are implemented.

• At the regional office and across COs, work closely with priority UNICEF sectors and clusters to develop plans to integrate GBV risk mitigation measures across programming in line with the Interagency Minimum Standards and the IASC GBV Guidelines.
• Engage with UNICEF Nutrition to improve GBV risk mitigation measures are in place to improve women and girls’ safer access to nutrition facilities and increase nutrition outcomes for children.
• Work closely with ESARO PSEA Specialist and COs PSEA counterparts to ensure that GBV risk mitigation efforts reduce vulnerability to SEA particularly in humanitarian settings.
• Support UNICEF regional office and COs efforts to promote safer programming and develop plans to integrate GBV/SEA risk mitigation across programming that are aligned to the new Strategic Plan Change Strategy indicator H5.5. Percentage of country offices that have implemented a minimum set of gender-based violence risk-mitigation actions and create plans to meet requirements including sector specific safety audits, community consultations and risk analysis.

3. Strengthen knowledge management and policy development on GBViE for ESARO and COs

• Contribute to the development of new global and regional guidance, strategies and resource development on GBViE and work closely with the Child Protection Specialists to address violence against girls, boys and women
• Document lessons learned and good practices from UNICEF’s partnerships with new and existing women’s organisations and GBV risk mitigation efforts for onwards dissemination across ESAR.
• Keep abreast of developments with GBViE and make appropriate recommendations for UNICEF ESARO on enhancing prevention and response strategies.
• Support documentation of good practices, learning exchanges and forums on GBViE interventions and regularly update the SharePoint sites for ESAR staff to access policy and guidance materials studies on GBViE.
• Actively monitor financial and human resource capacity to ensure sufficient resources are in place to effectively achieve UNICEF GBViE commitments particularly in emergency settings.
• Promote the inclusion of GBViE into resource mobilization efforts, reports, proposals, ToRs, humanitarian appeal processes, advocacy materials and other relevant documents, as required.

• Provide updates and briefings on GBViE for senior management at the CO, RO and/or HQ levels to ensure understanding and prioritization of programming to address GBVIE.

  4.Improve coordination of UNICEF GBViE interventions internally and at the inter-agency level.

• Represent UNICEF on the inter-agency Regional GBV Working Group to ensure there is a comprehensive plan of action to better address GBV across all humanitarian interventions.

• Actively engage in and provide technical support on UNICEF HQ coordination groups and maintain close relationship with GBViE and PSEA Specialists at HQ and in other regions.
• Support UNICEF GBViE Specialists and focal points at COs by organizing regular meetings, providing trainings, enhancing communication and information sharing among COs on GBViE.
• Participate in the Regional Child Protection Network to ensure there is a comprehensive plan of action to better address GBV across all humanitarian interventions.
• Engage closely with UNICEF ESARO Child Protection Specialists on key intersecting issues including efforts to address social norms and harmful practices in humanitarian and protected crises, sexual violence in conflict, children on the move and improving social service workforce strengthening.
• Liaise with UNICEF UNICEF sections including WASH, Health, Education, Nutrition, to ensure GBV prevention, risk mitigation and response is increasingly addressed as a cross-cutting issue, in line with the IASC GBV Guidelines, and is monitored accordingly.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in psychology, social work, human rights and public health or other related degree, or equivalent programming experience
• A minimum of eight of relevant professional experience in GBViE prevention and response in humanitarian settings (with UN agencies and/or NGOs).
• Strong understanding of GBV case management system, GBV programming approaches, practices and applications i.e. on Adolescent Girl Programming, GBViE Minimum Standards, GBVIMS, IASC GBV guidelines.
• Demonstrated skills in planning and facilitating workshops and other capacity-building modalities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: the ability to liaise with people successfully and effectively in a wide range of functions in a multi-cultural environment.
• Experience of coordinating regional multi-year donor projects across countries.
• Strong planning, project management and budget skills required.
• Ability to work independently and productively, with multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexible work attitude: the ability to work productively in a team environment and independently, and to handle requests or issues as they arise.
• Ability to collect, collate and analyse data in a scientific and effective manner and strong writing skills.
• Availability to travel frequently in the region.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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 benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 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.

Remarks:

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, works directly with child, is a safeguarding response role or has been assessed as an elevated risk role for child safeguarding. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) applies.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.