Senior Programme Associate, GS7, Damascus, Syria, MENA

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.

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

For every child, peace

UNICEF Syria was established in 1970 and has been working with partners to help empower children to fully claim and enjoy their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UNICEF works with partners across Syria to deliver supplies, services, and expertise in areas of Child Protection, Education, Health, Nutrition, Water, Hygiene and Sanitation for every child. UNICEF also provides humanitarian assistance when needed.

Syria continues to face one of the most complex emergencies in the world. Unprecedented humanitarian needs are compounded by displacement inside the country and across its borders, extensive destruction of civilian and social services infrastructure, devastating impacts on the economy, and most importantly, the breakdown of the social fabric that stitched the country together for decades.

Today, 90% of people in Syria live in poverty, most are unable to make ends meet or bring food to the table. Families have had their resources depleted, with limited employment opportunities, skyrocketing prices, and shortage of basic supplies. For most people, the current socio-economic challenges represent some of the harshest and most challenging circumstances they have faced since the beginning of the crisis 11 years ago.

In 2023, 15.1 million people need humanitarian assistance. This is the highest number of people in need ever recorded in Syria since 2011. The number of children in need - more than 6.5 million – has increased by seven per cent in the past year alone. This is largely due the ongoing conflict, continued displacements, the unprecedented economic crisis, deepening poverty, and unemployment. The COVID-19 pandemic, the hike in price of commodities triggered by the overall global economic situation and the impact of sanctions are further compounding the dire situation.

For information of the work of our organization, please visit our website: UNICEF Syria

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the Job

The Senior Programme Associate (Child Protection) provides technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for the child protection programmes/projects with a specific focus on strengthening Child Protection in Humanitarian Action including emergency response, through supporting the development and formulation of the Child Protection Programme and UNICEF Syria’s Country Programme.

Key End-Results

1. Support to programme development, planning and reporting.

• Prepare technical reports and inputs for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevancy of information.
• Support the development/establishment of child protection programme objectives, strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of related information for development planning and priority and objective setting, development, testing, monitoring and evaluation of methodologies.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing/administering a variety of technical programme transactions and preparing materials/documentations in accordance with organizational rules, processes and systems for programme planning, results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluations.
• Support the development of required documentations/materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

2. Support the programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual programme reviews with government counterparts and implementing partners and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
• Supports the monitoring and reporting on the use of child protection programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare inputs for programme/donor reporting.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• 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 and child protection processes and best practices to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results.
• Provide support to implementing partners projects development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities.

4. Support the networking, coordination and partnership building

• Support the effective partnerships with government counterparts, stakeholders and implementing partners through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders and partners to achieve and sustain results on child protection programmes/projects.

• Draft information materials for CO child protection programme to promote awareness, and support activities to ensure the child protection programmes/projects are adequately implemented and supported.

• Support the sound reporting of CO child protection programmes and support partners for accurate reporting in implementation.

5. Supports the innovation, knowledge management and capacity buildings

• Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders and implementing partners.

• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.

• Support the capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders and implementing partners.

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

Education:

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the work of the organization.

Experience:

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible work in administrative or clerical work is required.
• Candidates with a bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a relevant field may replace three (3) years of related work experience.
• A master’s degree in a relevant administrative field, may replace two (2) additional years.
• Candidates with previous humanitarian experience volunteering or similar will have an advantage.
• Candidates with previous experience working in child protection will have an advantage.
• Professional experience in a humanitarian context in emergency response for child protection, partnering requirement for PSEA, and/or GBV, will be an asset.
• Prior experience in programme support functions is an asset.
• Work experience in emergency duty station is required.
• Experience working with the UN, UNICEF or humanitarian organizations will be an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in Arabic and English is required;

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…

Builds and maintains partnerships (1), Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1), Drive to achieve results for impact (1), Innovates and embraces change (1), Manages ambiguity and complexity (1), Thinks, and acts strategically (1), Works collaboratively with others (1).

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

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 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 credentials 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. For this position, eligible and suitable females are encouraged to apply.

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.

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