Deadline extended - Child Protection Officer (NO-B, 364 days) Chisinau, Moldova (for Moldovan nationals only)

Contract

This is a NO-2 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-2 contracts.

UNICEF’s mission in Moldova is to make sure every child in the country is healthy, educated and safe from harm, therefore having the best start in life and a fair chance to reach her or his full potential and benefit from the country’s prosperity. We believe children have a right to live in a more equitable society, where their voices are heard, and needs met as a matter of priority in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. More information on what we do in Moldova is available at: https://www.unicef.org/moldova/

Job organizational context

The conflict in Ukraine has created a regional humanitarian crisis. As of 22 March, over 3.6 million refugees from the Ukraine conflict have already fled their homes into neighbouring countries. Moldova is one of the main refugee-hosting countries and a transit country for onwards. As of 22 March, over 371,000 refugees have entered Moldova since 24 February 2022, with a proportion continuing to Romania, Poland and other countries, and around 105,000 refugees are on Moldovan territory, housed among relatives, in Refugee Accommodation Centres (RACs) and other temporary accommodation. Around 90% of the people arriving in Moldova are women and children.

How can you make a difference?

Due to the urgent needs, UNICEF Moldova is hiring a Child Protection Officer, at NO-B level, to support with the nationwide emergency response to the refugee crisis related to the armed conflict in Ukraine. The Child Protection Officer reports to the Child Protection Specialist for supervision. The Child Protection Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for child protection programmes/projects within the Country Programme from development planning to delivery of results. H/She prepares, executes, manages, and implements a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting.

Purpose for the job:

• Monitor the trends and emerging evidence of child protection concerns and the response by the Government and partners, including conducting regular monitoring visits to project sites and border areas and analyze this information to advise on the child protection response.
• Monitor the implementation of the activities form partners in the field and provide them with the appropriate technical guidance and support to ensure the quality of the services provided.
• Support the operationalization on the field of the Blue Dot hubs, including through the organization of periodic local coordination meetings of stakeholders presents in the location where each Blue Dot is established and the support for the development of context specific SOPs and referral pathways.
• Support the provision of training to partners on child protection in emergencies, with a specific focus on the staff of the Blue Dot hubs.
• Contribute to the collection and report of data and information from the field and their consolidation for their use, including for internal and external reporting processes.
• In coordination with UNHCR and other partners, as well as with UNICEF ECARO, contribute to the development of a toolkit for the establishment of the Blue Dot hubs, focusing on their rapid deployment as well as their sustainability and progressive inclusion in existing national child protection and emergency response systems.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

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

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Conduct and update the situation analysis for the development, design and management of child protection related programmes/projects. Research and report on development trends (e.g. economic, social, health) and data for use in programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through research, analysis and reporting of child protection and other related information for development planning and priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical, programme, operational, and administrative transactions, preparing related materials and documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating of results.
• Prepare required programme documentations, materials and data to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level interventions and/or decisions. Keep records of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes/projects, and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verifying compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations, procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on critical issues and findings to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Conduct regular programme field visits and surveys and exchange information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support. Take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices in child protection, to support programme implementation.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on child protection.
• Participate in inter-agency meetings/events on programming to collaborate with interagency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of child protection programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with UNDAF development and planning processes.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for child protection programmes.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Research and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.

To qualify as an advocate for every child, you will have:

Education

A university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.

Experience

• A minimum of two years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required.
• Relevant experience in programme development in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in Romanian, and working knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Russian and another official UN language or other language relevant for Moldova is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

Core Competencies

• 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)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

View our competency framework here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion. Women, persons from vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as persons from other underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply. Applicants from under-represented groups will be given priority in case of equal qualification. UNICEF is committed to reasonably accommodate the working environment for the persons with disabilities.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

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