Child Protection Specialist, P-4, LACRO, Panama City, Panama

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 131,907 USD and 170,066 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.

For every child, a champion.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias, or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic, and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of Nations.

How can you make a difference?

The Child Protection Specialist reports to the Regional Adviser, Child Protection for general guidance and direction. The Specialist supports the Regional Adviser in managing the Section and contributing to knowledge development/innovation and for developing and preparing child protection (and/or integrated/complex/key) programs/projects. The Specialist provides authoritative technical guidance/operational support throughout all stages of programming to facilitate the management and delivery of concrete and sustainable contributions to national and international efforts to create a protective environment for children against all harm and to protect their rights to survival, development and wellbeing as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/framework, and UN Intergovernmental bodies.

The Specialist contributes to achievement of concrete and sustainable programs/projects results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

The complete job description is available for consultation at the following link: Generic Job Description, Child Protection Specialist, P-4.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

• Education: An Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or higher) in international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or other social science field is required.
• Experience: A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection and/or other related areas at the international level some of which preferably were served in a developing country is required.
• Relevant experience in child protection and related areas, program/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.
• Experience setting up a fundraising operation, ideally within a Country Office/Programme Country, is considered an asset.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN System Agency or Organization is considered as an asset.
• Language requirements: Fluency in English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) and/or Portuguese is an asset.

For every child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://www.unicef.org/careers/get-prepared#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.

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

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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. 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 may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). 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.

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

Nationals of Panama are not eligible for this position.